Bearcats Beat: Cincinnati “turns on the light switch” to pull away in second half against Howard

CINCINNATI — Five ties, 10 lead changes. That’s what occurred in the first half Sunday afternoon as the Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1) battled the Howard Bison (3-6) at Fifth Third Arena. Coming off their first loss of the season at Villanova on Tuesday, there was definitely some unease during the first half as Howard took the lead on multiple occasions.

But in the second half, the Bearcats “turned on the light switch” and never turned it off. Cincinnati hit its first three shots of the second half to stretch their 36-32 halftime lead to 42-32 in just over a minute. The Bearcats would hit four three-pointers in the second half to go on to an 84-67 win.

“I thought in the second half, we made a choice that we were going to try to defend to a standard close to what we expect,” Bearcats head coach Wes Miller said. “I thought good things happened at that point. It was good to see us play well through a stretch and for most of the second half. That’s hopefully something we can build off of.”

Dillon Mitchell echoed Miller’s comments about defense, saying if the Bearcats play with the intensity they played with in the second half for 40 minutes that he thinks nobody can beat them.

I’ll add to that. This Bearcats hasn’t put together 40 minutes of basketball with the kind of intensity they showed in the second half against Howard. Sure, they scored 105 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff in their season-opener. They played really well in the second half against NKU.

But I want to see the Bearcats put together 40 minutes against an opponent like Xavier, Dayton or a Big 12 team. Like an old coach of mine told me in a conversation we had before the game Sunday, you’re preparing for three-to-four games that have really high stakes. Every game matters, but it’s the games in March that have the highest stakes.

Still, though, this team needs to put together 40 minutes of high-intensity basketball before March. If they do, look out. This team can be really good and beat any team in the country.

One player that can help the Bearcats keep their high intensity for 40 minutes is Dan Skillings Jr. The junior guard made his return after missing the last six games with a knee injury sustained in the season-opener. Skillings scored just two points in 14 minutes on Sunday afternoon, but he pulled down three rebounds and dished out three assists in the win. It’s his all-around play that gives this Bearcats team a huge boost when he’s on the court.

“I said to our staff after practice the last couple of days that you just feel a little different about our team with him out there,” Miller said. “We are a much better team with Dan and we have missed him dearly, and now it’s just about getting him back in rhythm and getting his game back. Tonight was a great step in the right direction for him.”

Having Skillings return Sunday was critical, especially when you consider the next game on the Bearcats schedule.

“I’ve talked to some of the guys. Next Saturday is big for us, [the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout] is the next game on our schedule. But we play in the Big 12, every game is tough. I’m excited for it and we’ll be ready to go.”

We hear athletes all the time say a rivalry game or a big game is just another game or just the next game on their schedule. But anyone associated with Cincinnati Basketball knows that next Saturday isn’t just another game.

This is the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, a rivalry that divides the Queen City when it comes to basketball. It’s also a rivalry that Xavier has dominated, winning 13 of the previous 18 matchups and 20 of the past 28.

To Bearcats fans everywhere, this is not just another game. This game can define a season. Not saying Saturday’s game will define this season, but to say it’s just another game may not sit well with some Bearcats fans.

Saturday is only December 14, but this is one of those games that has high stakes. One of those stakes is bragging rights for the next year. But Saturday is the start of when we find out just how good this Bearcats team can be this season and how much mettle they have. The light switch will need to be turned on with high intensity for 40 minutes on Saturday.