Williams: Why the Big 12 Cincinnati Bearcats need a Steve Logan-style alpha dog
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Subject: What’ll it take for Cincinnati Bearcats to get over the hump in Big 12?
Message: “I heard (UC coach) Wes Miller on the radio talking about how the Bearcats are ‘close,’ but not there yet. Their (five) conferences losses have been by an average margin of just (3.4) points. What’s it going to take to get the Bearcats over the hump and consistently win those close games?”
Reply: A go-to guy in the clutch.
That’s what the Bearcats are missing – an alpha dog, a guy like Steve Logan, Sean Kilpatrick and Jarron Cumberland who takes control in the closing minutes of a tight game and refuses to let his team lose. Typically, it’s a guard that fills the go-to guy role, partly because of his ball-handling skills and ability to penetrate into the lane and make a clutch shot or get fouled. Often times, this player is also an outstanding free-throw shooter.
Look at 15th-ranked Texas Tech, which plays UC on Saturday night in Lubbock.. A big reason the Red Raiders sat atop the Big 12 standings for most of January: They have a go-to guy in Pop Isaacs. The sophomore guard has consistently come up big down the stretch.
Isaacs wasn’t the leading scorer in last Saturday’s 85-84 road win against then-No. 11 Oklahoma, but he drained two free throws with 2.1 seconds left that turned out to be the difference. He went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line in the game. Entering Tuesday, Isaacs had only missed three free throws through six Big 12 games.
In a recent win vs. then-No. 20 BYU, Isaacs scored 23 of his career-high 32 points in the second half to help Texas Tech rally from a double-digit halftime deficit.
That kind of player often makes the difference in a close game.
It's why Logan is my all-time favorite UC player. He wasn't necessarily always the most talented player on the floor for the Bearcats − after all, he played half his UC career during the Kenyon Martin era − but Logan had the alpha-dog mentality throughout his college playing days from 1998-2002. He played hurt. He played with a chip on his shoulder. He was a tough kid from Cleveland who was built for the high-pressure moment.
UC is working toward identifying The Guy. It could be the difference in whether UC makes the NCAA Tournament this year. The Bearcats may already have that player on the roster, and it’s just taking time for him to develop into a consistent clutch player.
Could it be Dan Skillings Jr.? The sophomore certainly has the skills and ability to score. He was outstanding down the stretch in UC's late comeback win against UCF last Saturday. He scored the deciding basket in UC's overtime win against then-No. 19 TCU on Jan. 16. Let's see if Skillings can develop some consistency in crunch time.
Could it be Day Day Thomas? The junior point guard showed signs of being a take-charge leader late in a close game, when he scored five points in the last 45 seconds to send the TCU game to OT. He also made two free throws with five seconds left in OT to give UC the 81-77 victory, the biggest home win so far in Miller's tenure with the Bearcats.
Could it be Jizzle James? The true freshman seems to have the makeup to someday develop into a reliable crunch-time player, the combination of a take-charge mentality and skills. For now, he’s still adjusting to the college game.
Contact Enquirer columnist Jason Williams by email at jwilliams@enquirer.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Texas Tech Red Raiders have what Cincinnati Bearcats desperately need
