6 CINCINNATI BEARCATS

PERFECT BALANCE

Toughness is a hallmark of MICK CRONIN's teams, and no player better exemplifies this than senior forward GARY CLARK. Last March he had half a front tooth knocked out in an AAC tournament semifinal win over UConn. Clark tossed it to a trainer and went back into the game soon after. This fall Clark, who has started 101 of the 103 games he's played for the Bearcats, will anchor a team that has three starters back after winning 30 games for only the second time in school history. (The 2001--02 team went 31--4.) Last season the 6'8" Clark averaged 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field, and though he needs to improve his outside game (he shot 28.6% from three-point range), he has no problem mixing it up inside against bigger players.

Clark isn't flashy, and he's often overshadowed by his higher-scoring teammates: forward KYLE WASHINGTON and JACOB EVANS, a smooth wing with a reliable three-point shot (41.8% last season) and the potential to win league player-of-the-year honors. In the backcourt, 6'5" sophomore JARRON CUMBERLAND will build on an impressive first season in which he shot 49.3% from the field. Together they make the Bearcats the most balanced team of Cronin's tenure. Cincinnati's roster is so stacked—and so well-rounded—that an eighth straight NCAA tournament bid and a place in the Elite Eight seem all but inevitable.

PROJECTED TEAM STATS

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY

19TH

(116.7)

DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY

3RD

(92.2)

AAC RECORD

T-1ST

(15--3)

STAT SHEET

With 2017--18 projections for the top six scorers

COACH MICK CRONIN (12TH SEASON)

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

		PPG	RPG	APG	OFF. RATING	USAGE
G-F	Jacob Evans [Starter] 6'6" Jr.	13.6	4.9	2.7	126.2	19.5%
PF	Kyle Washington [Starter] 6'9" Sr.	13.2	6.6	0.9	112.2	26.2%
G	Cane Broome [Starter] 6'0" Jr.	12.9	3.4	2.6	108.9	22.5%
SG	Jarron Cumberland [Starter] 6'5" Soph.	12.5	4.0	2.2	120.5	20.6%
PF	Gary Clark [Starter] 6'8" Sr.	11.0	8.2	2.3	127.8	19.3%
PG	Justin Jenifer 5'10" Jr.	5.7	1.7	3.5	119.7	15.3%

*Starter

X-FACTOR

CANE BROOME was the Northeast Conference player of the year in 2015--16 (23.1 ppg) before transferring from Sacred Heart, and though he won't reach those numbers in the AAC, he should easily replace Troy Caupain's production (10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds in '16--17).