Cincinnati Bearcats Cap off Magical Regular Season with Rout of Georgetown

The Cincinnati Bearcats gave the home crowd something to cheer about on Senior Day en route to a 69-47 victory over the No. 17 Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday. 

The win marked the fifth of the season over a Top-25 RPI team for the Bearcats, and greatly helped their seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The win also gave Cincinnati a first round bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament. 

The Bearcats donned the blood red jerseys on Saturday.

Simply put, Cincinnati does not lose when they wear the blood red, and today was no different. The six seniors on the Bearcats roster were not going to lose their last home game—no matter who they were playing.  

They had all but clinched an NCAA Tournament berth after winning on the road against Marquette on Wednesday. This win was icing on the cake, and a culmination of five years of hard work by head coach Mick Cronin and this group of six seniors. 

Cincinnati honored those seniors—Rashad Bishop, Larry Davis, Darnell Wilks, Ibrahima Thomas, Anthony McClain, and Eddie Tyree. These seniors, particularly Bishop, Davis, Wilks, and McClain, have been at Cincinnati for the extent of the rebuilding process. 

They joined a team and a program that was gutted two years before—in the process of being rebuilt. They joined a team that was 11-19 the season before, and last in the Big East. They committed knowing that there would be many obstacles along the way, but dreaming that one day they would reach the Big Dance. 

That day is soon to arrive, and Saturday showed just what hard work, determination, and patience can bring.

While Cronin would gladly give all of the credit to his players, the job he has done over the past five seasons is nothing short of spectacular.

He has taken a team from 11 wins in his first season, to 13 in his second, and 18 in his third year. Last season the Bearcats won 19, and this year they already have 24 victories.

The turning point of this season came with the one-game suspension of star forward Yancy Gates. Gates was left home for the Pittsburgh game, and played sparingly in the next home game against St. John's. 

Gates was booed in that game, and after a serious discussion with Cronin the week following, Gates has made a complete 180—nearly averaging a double-double over the last six games. 

On Saturday at Fifth Third Arena, Gates left to a standing ovation—and not because he had a great game (he finished with 13 points and five rebounds), but because the effort he has displayed over the past three weeks has been superb. 

It is now time to transition into the post-season and the beast that is the Big East Tournament. 

Cincinnati will be seeded seventh in Madison Square Garden, and will only have to win four games to go through the gauntlet and win the tournament title. 

But before that, I would like to congratulate Mick Cronin and the rest of the Bearcats on their best season in nearly a decade. 

While there is much more work to be done in the coming weeks, there is no harm in sitting back and reflecting on a remarkable turnaround for a program left to die five years ago. 

I know I will.