Scouting the Bearcats

The Bearcats (13-4, 2-2 Big East) have dropped their last two games by an average margin of 15 points after riding a 10 game winning streak through the end of the non-conference season. In their last contest, Saturday at home versus Syracuse, Cincinnati held the score close until about halfway through the second period when the Orange were able to use their athleticism to pull away from an undermanned Bearcats squad.

Shorthanded to begin with, UC suffered a devastating blow when senior forward Armein Kirkland was lost for the season with a torn ACL on Jan. 9 against Connecticut.

Kirkland had been averaging 9.7 points per game. In his absence, senior guard Chadd Moore stepped into the starting lineup against Syracuse, but posted just four points.

In last year’s shootout, Cincinnati forward Eric Hicks turned in a dominating performance, posting 16 points and 14 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. Now faced with a healthy Brian Thornton, who was limited to just 15 minutes last year, Hicks will struggle to match last season’s output.

Cincinnati ranks third in the Big East in scoring offense at 79.5 ppg, but is 14th in scoring defense, giving up 68.5 ppg.

Xavier, 11-2 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference under head coach Sean Miller, won its sixth straight game with a 78-65 win at Charlotte on Saturday. The 11-2 start is Xavier’s best since also beginning the 2000-01 season at 11-2 under Skip Prosser.

Senior forward Brian Thornton has earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors for the second straight week and the third time this season. Thornton averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in XU wins over Eastern Kentucky and Charlotte. Thornton leads XU in scoring at 15.8 ppg., rebounding at 7.3 rpg. and field goal percentage at 64.4 percent (first in the A-10 and ninth in the nation).

Sophomore guard Stanley Burrell is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg., including his team-high 20-point game at Charlotte and his team-high 17-point game at Saint Joseph’s. Burrell, who has scored in double figures in 12 straight games, is second on the team in assists at 3.8 apg. (eighth in the A-10).

Junior forward Justin Doellman is averaging 11.6 points per game (third on the team) following his 15-point, six rebound game at Charlotte. Doellman leads the team in steals (1.8) and is second on the team in rebounding (6.0) and blocks (1.5).

Xavier in Review

Jan. 14 - Halton Arena
Xavier 78, Charlotte 65

Burrell led four players in double figures for Xavier (11-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10), who won their sixth game in a row at the expense of a 49ers team picked to finish second in the conference.

Guard Leemire Goldwire had 17 points and forward Curtis Withers added 16 for Charlotte (10-6, 3-1), who saw their five-game winning streak snapped.

The Musketeers built a 10-point first-half lead but saw the advantage cut to 54-50 with a layup by Withers with about 10:50 to go in the second half.

But two minutes later, Xavier went on a 7-0 run to go ahead by 61-50, and the 49ers couldn’t close the gap.

Burrell scored 11 points in the first half as the Musketeers took a 36-26 lead. Xavier fell behind 14-5 in the opening minutes, but outscored Charlotte 31-12 after that as the 49ers struggled from the field.

Scouting the Owls

All-American candidate Candace Dupree leads the 20th-ranked Temple Owls (12-4, 4-1) into Cintas Center for the first time since 2004, coming off a win over St. Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon.

Dupree, last week’s A-10 Player of the Week, ranks second in the conference in scoring (16.4 ppg), second in rebounding (8.9 rpg), and second in blocked shots (2 bpg). The 6-foot-2 senior is considered one of the best all-around threats in the country and poses a formidable task for any team.

Dupree is joined up front by 6-foot junior Kamesha Hairston. Hairston, last season’s Most Improved Player, is averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. Hairston also ranks in the top 10 in field goal percentage at 41.5 percent.

The Owls are equally balanced at the guard position, with senior Jennifer Owens running the point position. Owens leads the A-10 in assist-turnover ratio and is dangerous from behind the three-point line (32.1).

The two-time defending A-10 champions are coached by Olympian Dawn Staley. Staley currently plays professionally in the WNBA and with the U.S. Olympic Team. She was recently in the news as she was selected to be the flag bearer for the red, white and blue at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Musketeers (11-5, 2-3) return to Cintas Center where they have won 19 straight games dating back to late 2004. The team’s home winning streak is currently the 10th longest active home court winning streak in the country.

Junior guard Suntana Granderson continues to have deadly touch from behind the arc, connecting on 35 attempts this season. Granderson, the A-10’s fourth leading scorer, has also shown her rebounding ability, pulling down a season-high seven boards in a losing effort to GW on Sunday.

Candace Bingham has returned to action after missing eight games with an ankle injury. Bingham plays a huge role for the shorthanded Musketeers, averaging 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds off the bench.

Xavier in Review

Jan. 6 - Cintas Center
GW 64, Xavier 58

Jessica Simmonds and Kenan Cole each scored 14 points as the Colonials handed the Musketeers their fourth straight road loss, 64-58, at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

For Xavier, Tara Boothe scored 13 points while Suntana Granderson added a game-high 21 of her own. Candace Bingham, in just her second game back from injury, scored eight of her career-high 12 points during a stretch of two minutes to keep XU close.

Xavier shot a season-low 31.3 percent from the field and 4-21 from long range. Xavier’s stout defense forced 21 turnovers but was offset by 16 of their own.