There is no denying excellence, however, and the manner in which UC obliterated a respectable St. Louis team was a testament to a team of extraordinary talent playing pretty close to its peak. With Mickeal playing some of his most inspired defense of the season, triggering the press, creating chaos, the Bearcats forced 26 turnovers and so rattled the Billikens that the visitors tended to rush their shots when they were able to clear halfcourt. Imagine how hard it will be for those teams that have never seen the Bearcats before. I don't know if we can play much better. Mickeal paused in mid-thought and realized he had been rash.
All teams are capable of improvement.
The Bearcats may not win it all, and they are well aware of how that would play after three successive second-round tournament losses. For this reason, the Bearcats are not inclined to smell the roses just yet. The savoring will have to wait till there's no more work to be done. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.