Listen up, freshman. You rookies will be relied on to continue the storied tradition of University of Cincinnati athletics. If you didn't keep up with UC's sports scene last year — or the past few years — it's time to catch up.
First lesson: football. Can you smell that? That is the smell of the best time of year, football season, which is right around the corner. Get your face paint ready, fire up those grills and buy tickets early because you don't want to be the one person in the group sweating it on gameday.
Prior to last season's dismal meltdown, the football team was the hottest athletic program on campus, but now the men's basketball team has reclaimed that title.
A new era was ushered in when former assistant to Bob Huggins, Mick Cronin, became the new head coach in 2006.
Cronin faced an uphill battle from day one, especially since the Bearcats were leaving Conference USA for the Big East — arguably the toughest conference in college basketball.
With this quick briefing, here are the four things to take note of in the upcoming year.
Can Cronin cope with the expectations?
Last season, Cronin took UC to the NCAA tournament for the first time in his five seasons at the helm.
This ended a five-year hiatus for a city that had grown accustomed to seeing UC's name called on Selection Sunday.
The Cincinnati alumnus took the Bearcats to the Big Dance after losing his top two scorers — including 2010 NBA second-round draft pick Lance Stephenson. The Big East coaches picked the Cats to finish 12th in the conference, basically giving Cronin a free pass to have an average season.
Cronin didn't get the message. He ignored what experts said about his team and instilled trust in his core group of players. The end result was the team's 11-7 Big East record — its best since joining the league. The Bearcats subsequently advanced to the third round of the NCAAs after dismantling Missouri in the second round.
This year's team has a completely contrasting identity. SI.com has UC ranked as high as No. 8 in its preseason poll.
Several times last season, UC relied on savvy veteran leadership, but, with the departure of six seniors, that could potentially change this season.
Seniors Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates — who typically shy away from vocal roles — will have to be more assertive on the court and in the locker room.
Cronin is sure to have a raised and possibly unfair bar this year, and only the results on the court will tell if he can meet it.
UC takes its first trip to SEC country since 1995
If there is a road trip you want to take to follow your Cincinnati Bearcats this school year, Knoxville should be your destination when the Bearcats football team takes on the Tennessee Volunteers Sept. 10.
According to SI.com, Tennessee is the best college football weekend experience in the nation. Who wouldn't want to be among more than 100,000 disappointed fans in Neyland Stadium if UC steals a win?
The game will be televised on ESPN2, giving the Bearcats a chance to replenish its image on the national scene. This is your first and best chance of the year to become a part of the Cincinnati sports tradition, freshman, so don't be lazy and waste it.
Butch Jones 2.0
Under previous head coach Brian Kelly, the Bearcats won back-to-back Big East Championships, garnered four straight bowl appearances, which included an undefeated 2009 regular season where the Bearcats rose as high as No. 3 in the Associated Press poll.
Since Kelly left, however, the Cats haven't been the same razzle-dazzle, explosive offense. Jones will need to find consistency on both sides of the ball to return to the postseason.
The Bearcats were top in the league in several offense statistical categories, and placed four skill players on all-conference teams. Their defense, however, was the laughing stock of the Big East. The poor defense coupled with the team's untimely turnovers, led to an unthinkable 4-8 2010 regular season.
What sports program will emerge this year?
Since UC joined the Big East in 2005, five programs have earned league hardware: volleyball, men's soccer, football, swimming and track and field.
Last year, the volleyball team won the Big East regular season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Going into the 2011 season, however, the Bearcats will face adversity with the departure of seniors Annie Fesl and Stephanie Niemer — two players who are now in the program's record books.
The men's soccer team was the biggest surprise last year. The team had a second-place Big East finish after being picked to finish in the cellar in the preseason coaches' poll.
Bearcats junior hurdler Terrance Somerville ran one of his best seasons this past year, advancing to the final heat and being one of the eight finalists in the NCAA 110-meter hurdle Championship.
With Somerville back for another season, the Bearcat hurdler is sure to post even bigger numbers and will look to become the first UC track champion.
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