ESPN Men's Basketball

Updated: December 15, 2005, 9:37 AM ET

Bobcats falter in first big test

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By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

CINCINNATI -- Ohio didn't have "it" Wednesday in Cincinnati.

What is "it?" Well, "it" is what we at ESPN.com said the Bobcats had at the start this season -- that certain something that made them the chic pick to be a potential Top 25 team and win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament after starting the season outside the polls.

Well, not even the return of assistant coach Kevin Kuwik from active duty in Iraq could ignite the Bobcats against the Bearcats. Instead, Ohio fizzled in the second half in one of its two chances to earn some national recognition before getting buried in MAC play, getting outscored 47-20 after the break in an 86-58 loss.

Ohio's 1-2 punch of point guard Jeremy Fears and forward Leon Williams missed its mark. Fears was a dreadful 1-of-12 and was overrun by Cincinnati freshman Devan Downey while Williams had no answer for Eric Hicks and Cedric McGowan inside, finishing with a modest nine points in the post while hampered much of the second half with four fouls.

The reality is Ohio has a thin margin for error to get an NCAA Tournament at-large bid out of the MAC. The Bobcats began the season 4-0 with road wins at Marist and Rhode Island, the latter one potentially having more meaning if the Rams can be a factor in the A-10. Playing at Cincinnati and again in the Queen City against Kentucky on Dec. 30, though, were the Bobcats' two real chances to make a name for themselves prior to New Year's, and the first one went awry.

"A lot of our guys haven't been on the big stage, and in about two weeks we've got a chance to play Kentucky and hopefully have a competitive game," Ohio coach Tim O'Shea said.

O'Shea structured the schedule so there would be a break, with two home games in between the two big-time events. Ohio hosts Division II Shippensburg on Saturday before playing Detroit on Thursday.

"If we can get to the break at 6-1, then that's good," O'Shea said. "I think we can get a lot better from this game. I think we started to believe the hype, but we weren't experienced [enough] to play a game like this yet."

O'Shea said the difference between this game and playing Florida in the NCAA Tournament, where the Bobcats were tied with the Gators at 60 late in the game, is the atmosphere. The neutral court and the partisan fans that rally behind the lesser-known team made a difference. So, too, does the month.

"Our team has to make shots and we didn't," O'Shea said of shooting 1-for-10 on 3s in the second half and 7-for-24 overall. "We can get a lot out of this."

The Bobcats were taken aback by the Cincinnati press and committed 18 turnovers. They got some inspired play off the bench from Jerome Tillman (five points and five boards in 15 minutes), who was playing his first game since contracting mono in the preseason, but Bobcats guards Mychal Green and Fears were a combined 3-of-23.

"We're still a very young team, with Fears and Williams being sophomores," O'Shea said.

They'll have to grow up fast for the Bobcats to have a chance to get out of the MAC with an at-large berth if they happen to falter in the conference tournament.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.