Williams: Why March Madness gives way to March Meh in Cincinnati
It’s March, and there’s not much madness in the Queen City. It doesn’t feel like there’s much sadness, either.
We’re ho-hum about college basketball around here. Would you even consider Cincinnati a hotbed for college basketball anymore? The Bengals and Bearcats have transformed us into a full-fledged football town.
The basketball purists are ready to pounce on me for even asking. Basketball blasphemy! Xavier is a dang good team, they’ll tell you. And they’re right. Take nothing away from the Muskies, who are headed to the NCAA Tournament. They’re talented. They’re fun. They have great kids. They’re well-coached. They have an awesome, loyal fanbase.
Xavier, however, can’t deliver the madness around here alone. The Cincinnati Bearcats must be in the NCAA Tournament for the region to generally get excited about March Madness. UC is going to miss the tournament again, barring a miracle in the American Athletic Conference tournament later this week. The Bearcats haven’t been to The Dance since 2019, the last in a run of nine consecutive NCAA tourney appearances.
We appear headed for more March Meh in the coming years, with UC going to the bruising Big 12 Conference next season. I’ve seen few signs indicating the Bearcats are ready to compete in the Big 12, which might be the best college basketball conference.
UC’s rich basketball history, large alumni base and “Cincinnati” being in the team’s name make the Bearcats more appealing to the casual fan. UC's attendance numbers don't necessarily suggest a lack of interest. But it just feels like the further away we drift from the Bob Huggins era − going on 18 years – the less interested we are in college hoops.
That’s absolutely no slight on Xavier, which regularly sells out Cintas Center. It’s simply the difference between the appeal of a big state school and a small private university. I remember late Xavier coach Skip Prosser talking about how the “University of Someplace” could often have a broader appeal.
Let’s see what happens if Xavier makes a deep NCAA Tournament run. No doubt Xavier would be beloved nationally. They deserve wide support at home in Southwest Ohio, too.
Cincinnati Bengals: Give Mike Brown a break
It’s no surprise the Bengals received a low ranking in the players’ union’s annual report card. The Bengals are notoriously cheap on doing extra stuff for their players. The Bengals ranked 27th of the 32 teams on the survey, getting an F on “treatment of families” and F- on “food service/nutrition.”
So what?
Give Bengals owner Mike Brown and the front office a break on this. It’s not like the Bengals are hostile toward players’ families. The organization is run by genuine and respectful people. So what if the Bengals don’t go out of their way to provide a bunch of extra, red-carpet services for players’ families. The Bengals have a cafeteria adjacent to the locker room and provide a few meals a day for players during the season.
Does your company go out of its way to do things for your family? Does your employer have a cafeteria and provide daily meals? And I bet you don’t make anywhere near the salary of an NFL player.
The average salary in the NFL last season: more than $2 million. The league minimum: $705,000. The practice squad salary: $207,000.
Players can afford to take care of their families and buy their own fruits and vegetables.
Chalk the survey up to typical union whining. It’s what unions do. They often go out of their way to nitpick things to criticize the big, bad corporation.
Cincinnati Bearcats: Capped with a kiss
Forget UC likely missing the tournament again. David DeJulius’ last home game as a Bearcat should be remembered among the great moments in Fifth Third Arena history. The senior guard scored a career-high 30 points and then kissed the C-paw logo at midcourt, a show of his appreciation for the university and opportunity to play for a storied program.
Savor the moment, UC fans. There’s so much to be concerned about right now in college athletics. The transfer portal and name, image, likeness deals encourage me-first over team-first. But DeJulius has been a team leader and great ambassador for UC in his three seasons with the Bearcats.
Yes, I realize he transferred in from Michigan ahead of the 2020-21 season. Sometimes, the transfer portal is needed for a change of scenery. That was the case for DeJulius, who decided to stay at UC through a coaching change.
DeJulius thinks of others, on and off the court. He announced before the season that proceeds from his jersey sales would go to purchase books for children to promote literacy in Cincinnati and his hometown, Detroit.
Look to DeJulius as a reminder of what’s good about college athletics if you’re down about it.
What I’m watching: Netflix Murdaugh series
Privilege gone really, really bad.
That’s how I describe the case of former high-powered South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison last week for killing his wife and son.
Murdaugh is Exhibit A for why good ol’ boy networks need to be called out and broken up − before someone breaks bad. Check out the three-part documentary, “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” on Netflix.
Contact columnist Jason Williams by email at jwilliams@enquirer.com and on Twitter @jwilliamscincy.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NCAA Tournament: Why Cincinnati is no longer college hoops hotbed
