Cincinnati v Oklahoma Live Blog Recap

The live blog recap was a huge success for the recap of the last game. So much so that it’s going the be the recap for this game. Thoughts will come tomorrow. Then a Pitt preview and a Liberty Bowl preview. Lots of good stuff. 

Ok I’m writing this part after the game. That game was awesome. It deserves this. 

GIFSoup

Dixon, Wright, Killa, Parker and Jackson starting. I knew Jackson would start. OU wins the tip. Step back jumper no good. Jackson getting in on the glass. Killa misses. Jackson tried to volleyball the rebound, but was out of bounds. He hit it really hard. Foul on Cash. He can’t get in foul trouble. 4 hits a running hook. Fitzgerald. He’s taken both shots. Cash has a 3 rim out. Killa went for a steal, his man misses, Parker board. UC other end Killa misses a 3, OU rebound. UC trap gets a travel. Dixon iso drive. Gets blocked. 21 has another pull up rim out. Dixon drives but an offensive foul on Jackson. Moving screen. Shot missed, Fitzgerald rebound and score. 4-0. OU deflects a pass out of bounds. Parker came out and came back quickly. Parker drive, drop to Jackson, awkward drive no good. Killa board, Parker miss. Ball on the sideline, Dixon calls timeout. Killa another 3 short. Fitz misses from the FT line. Was open. Dixon board. Cash step back is short. Gaines coming in on the break. Deflection makes OU reset. Pass to an OU guy on the wing goes out of bounds. 15:17 left, 4-0 OU.

UC ball as we come back. UC 0-7, 0-4 from deep. Dixon drives and is foul as he does so. Dixon has the ball knocked out quick. Cash drive and kick, but Parker misses. They moved the ball better that time. UC trapping in the 2-3 zone, but Neal gets inside for a layup. Wright being pressured and gets a 5 seconds call. Pledger way off on his first shot. Dixon cherry picks for a dunk. OU throws the ball away. Sanders and Jackson in for UC, Gaines and Parker out. Cash drives baseline and throws up a crazy shot. UC rebound and Killa can’t get a 3 to fall. Foul on someone. Tough OU drive ends in a turnover. Killa travels when he had a clear path for a basket. Foul was on Jackson. That’s 2. OU travel. Killa forced it. Surprised we haven’t seen Guyn yet. Sanders pulls the trigger on a 3 but is long. SK rebounds and is fouled. Cash is called for 5 seconds not getting the ball in. OU fadeaway doesn’t fall, knocked out on OU. 6-2, 11:56 in the half. This is a lot of words for a boring game. 

UC ball yet again. 1-12 from the field, 0-7 deep. Dixon running the point. Cash at the 2. Cash pull up from the wing short. Another OU turnover. Both teams 5 so far. 3 for Killa from the corner. There we go. Big rejection from SK. OU misses a close shot and a guy is down and really hurt. Holding his head. It’s Grooms. Hope he’s ok. Dixon drives and took the ball into someone’s shoulder. Other way and Pledger drills a 3. 9-5. Sanders lefty shot in the lane no good, Gaines follow no, Sanders rebounds and misses, but he was fouled. Sanders misses the first and the second. Fitzgerald a layup. Now the D is crumbling. Wide open 3 by Sanders is missed. Damn. Foul on UC. I think Gaines. OU turnover, Killa going for a layup and a goal-tend. That shot hit glass, thus forcing the goal-tend. Good try though. OU misses. Killa going to the basket and is fouled. FT missed. Davis in for Dixon. Wonder if Dixon is back after the break. 8:11 now. Makes the second. UC throwing some pressure. Parker/Davis trap forces a timeout. Another turnover by OU. Killa drills a 3. Tie game. OU breaks the press for a dunk. Another 3. This one by Parker. 3 by Pledger. Cash an airball. OU leads 16-14. 6:50 something left in the half. 

This time it’s Oklahoma’s ball. UC putting on the press. Davis stays in, Wright goes out. Dixon in. Pledger drive and dish, but the shot rolls out. Long rebound pulled by OU. Mid-range from Fitzgerald. Killa misses a 3. Osby had 7 boards. OU misses a layup. Davis rebound and is fouled. Cash back, Davis out. Killa is going all 40 tonight. He misses a step back. Parker blows an open put back. Gaines with a tie up on a drive by someone. Dixon short on a 3. Fitzgerald draws a foul on Gaines. That’s 2 on Kelvin. FT good, good. He’s got 10. He averages 11.5. Dixon blocked by Fitz inside. 21 a wild miss. Fitzgerald rebounds and is fouled. He got that board over Cash. Jackson went for the block. He got the foul. That’s 3. FT miss, miss. Dixon takes it up the floor for UC. Killa drills a 3. He thought about it, thought about it and drilled it. He’s got 12 of the 17. Pass deflected out of bounds. 3:41 in the half, OU 20-17. 

OU triggers in with 18 on the shot clock. 24 sealed off Dixon, gets the ball and gets a dunk. That’s Osby on Dixon. Killa off on a 3. Osby was on Cash. He’s got talent. Late whistle on SK. Nevermind it was on OU. Parker an airball on a baseline shot. Wild OU layup no good. Fast break layup for Dixon. UC hanging in there. Osby abuses Sanders on the block. Don’t know why OU isn’t going inside more if guards are on bigs. Dixon misses from the elbow. Double team on Pledger gets a travel. Dixon lost his dribble, Cash recovers, Dixon open for 3 misses. OU gets the last shot. Grooms blew by but missed a runner, SK lost the ball at half-court. Half-court shot off the glass. 24-19 OU at the break. 

24-19 at the half. Fitzgerald 10, Osby 6-8 boards, Pledger 6. For UC, SK 12-6 boards-2 blocks-2 steals, Dixon 4, Parker 3. That’s it. Parker has 5 boards. UC 20, OU 21. UC 7 turnovers, 6 assists. OU 9 turnovers, 8 assists. OU 10-29, 2-4 (3), 2-4. UC 7-32, 4-17 (3), 1-4.

OU with the ball and another turnover. Probably should have posted the halftime stats here. Maybe I will. Cash to the bucket for a layup. Offensive foul on Fitzgerald. Parker drive and kick to SK, but he misses an open 3. Fitzy with an open 16 footer and buries it. He’s over his season average. Cash misses a layup but is fouled. Wright misses the first and makes the second. Fitzgerald misses from the elbow, rebound tipped off of OU. That shot was a bit too fast. SK wide open 3 to pull UC to within 1. Osby a dunk. Dixon a 3. Tie score. Fitzgerald wide open at the foul line and drives for a layup. Cash no good from 3. Pledger with an offensive foul. Dixon a 3 that’s no good. Too much dribbling there. Tough shot by Grooms for 2. Uc works the ball around. Parker to Cash to Dixon for 3. Inside out on that one. Grooms to the basket and a foul. That’s 4 on Jackson. 15:16 left, 34-31 OU. 

Grooms at the line. OU 5-6, UC 4-7 to start the half. FT no good. Parker drives into the lane and hesitates and throws up an airball. Pledger wide open 3. Dixon short from 3. Didn’t follow or he could have had the board. Dixon left Pledger wide open, but leaks out on the miss and gets fouled. He’ll be shooting 2. He makes 1 of 2. I think. It’s a 4 point game. Foul inside on UC. OU going to the line. That’s 3 on Gaines. Make, make. 6 point game. Fitzgerald has 16. Guyn getting his first minutes. Killa too hard on a step back 3. 3 no good. Fitzgerald has the rebound go right to him and he scores. 41-33. Timeout Mick. No Dixon or Parker on the floor right now. Sanders drives and gets an offensive foul. He doesn’t look happy. He’s out of the game now. Parker back. OU gets trapped high on the sideline and it’s a jump ball. UC possession. Tough shot by Parker no good. UC getting worked on the boards this half. Offensive board, kick out 3 by Neal. 11 point game. UC turnover. 3 rims out. Another rebound miss. Foul on UC. 11:22 left. 44-33. 

That foul was 4 on Gaines. 34 gets away with a walk, but misses. Ball don’t lie. Cash misses a layup. Good lord. Steal for Cash. He’s fouled as he tried to make a move. Dangerous inbound pass. Cash down to Jackson for a dunk. 5 assists by Cash. UC breaks up an alley oop. Dixon save. Killa misses a layup, Jackson misses a put back. Long rebound for OU off a 3. Another 3 misses. Cash misses a layup. That’s 4 on 3 possessions. Jackson went over the back and fouls out. Great game, JJ. Pledger airballs a 3, but UC can’t handle the rebound. OU timeout after an inbound pass is deflected. Baseline J wide open and rolls off. 8 boards for SK. Dixon dribble handoff to Cash who misses badly. Neal drills a 3 in SK’s face. Killa left him for some reason. 47-35. Parker drive and kick to an open Sanders but he misses again. Dixon 1 hand put back. That was nice. Let’s see if it’s a spark. 5 guard lineup. OU running down the shot clock. Killa called for a foul on Neal as Neal went up for an alley oop. Once again SK leaves his man in the corner. 6:46 left. 47-37 left. 

Not a shooting foul, so OU inbounds. SK nearly forced a steal. Neraly another. Grooms drives and gets a runner to fall. Just couldn’t get a break there. Dixon up top. He takes a horrible 3, but gets fouled for some reason. Dixon makes 2 of 3. And a foul by UC. The small crowd is not happy. 1-1 for OU. Neal misses. SK rebounds. Dixon 3 rims out. OU takes the clock under 10. Pledger drives and has the ball knocked out. You can hear him saying he thought he was fouled. Catch and shoot off the inbound no good by Steven. Cash ends up with the rebound. Dixon to Killa for a weird looking floater. 49-41. Grooms breaks the press and somehow didn’t get a layup to fall. That one bounced on the rim twice. Sanders floater no good, Parker rebound and he’s fouled. Make. Make. 6 point game. OU got away with 1 travel but not 2. Parker a runner and it’s a 4 point game. Pledger stripped by Sanders. Fitzgerald misses, then he loses the rebound but he’s fouled. 3:28 left. 49-45. Fitzgerald going to the line for 1-1. 

Fitzgerald has 18-9. He misses, but OU gets the board. That could be big. Neal misses an open 3. Grooms loses the rebound. Dixon misses an open 3. Parker fouled. 1 and the bonus for JaQuon. Make make. 2 point game. OU has to reset. Neal misses a 3. Fitzgerald tips the rebound and Pledger scores. Damn. SK no good from the corner. Rebounding foul on Pledger. Dixon to the line. Make make. Grooms drives and has a pass knocked away. He’s played hard. Wide open 3 no good. SK rebound. Sanders open 3 no good. Parker fouled. Double bonus. Make make. Timeout OU with 1:11 left. Osby hits with the shot clock at 1. That was stupid. Here we go. Cash drives all the way to the paint for a bucket and foul. OU was really slow getting back. Make. UC in the lead. 39.4 seconds left. UC has been money at the foul line tonight. Cash got away with a travel. Oh well. UC going man. Grooms drives and dishes to Osby for a layup. UC got burnt on a screen and roll. Man in the middle rotated to the middle and no one to Osby. 16.6 left. CASH DRIVES WIDE OPEN TO THE RIM FOR A LAYUP!!! OU gets a 3 up no good the rebound gets away and the game is over!!!! OU had a man on the weak-side for a put back but the rebound went over his head. That was awesome. 

Maybe this is just me talking 3 minutes after an awesome win, but god damn I love these guys. They went through the grinder to win in a game they probably shouldn’t have won. They played as tough on defense as they could. Guys stepped up and made plays when it mattered. They never quit. They went all out for 40 minutes. 5 guards the last 10 minutes of the game. That was a win to be proud of. That was a special win. So proud of that effort. That’s why I’m a fan. Hats off to Cashmere Wright, Dion Dixon, JaQuon Parker, Sean Kilpatrick, Jermaine Sanders and the rest of the guys. That was all heart and all determination. That’s why I love basketball. Fuck yes Cincinnati Bearcats. 

Box score from ESPN