My sports column for the Huffington Post

Cincinnati attempts to knock Off Big Brother Ohio State in the Sweet 16

Enough with the publicity about there being a record four Ohio teams in the Sweet 16, it's time for the 1962 national championship rematch between a pair of rivaling state schools.

Lost in the glorification of the Buckeye state is the startling number of squads from the Midwest in regional semifinals (nine) -- showcasing the nation's hotbed of college basketball.

But that's neither here nor there, Ohio State and Cincinnati two program's with storied traditions, including battles in the 1961 and 1962 national championships -- both UC victories -- will finally meet after stepping onto the hardwood together just once in the past 50 years.

OSU is the notorious big brother to Cincy, but none of that will matter on Thursday night. The Buckeyes have refused to play the smaller school located nearly 200 miles away, down Interstate 71.

The lone time they agreed to play their Ohio brethren, the Cincy program was in shambles back in 2006, following the departure of future Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins.

That season Ohio State found a way to squeeze UC onto its schedule in the John Wooden Classic showcase in Indianapolis.

"Ohio State loved playing us during the regular season when we had [future NFL player] Conor Barwin guarding [future No. 1 draft pick] Greg Oden," UC head coach Mick Cronin points out.

That was the same year that Thad Matta -- despised former Xavier coach -- recruited three five-star recruits that included Oden, lottery pick Mike Conley Jr. and draft pick Daequan Cook. OSU finished national runner-ups that season.

For this duel, the scales have been tipped, albeit slightly. Mick Cronin, now in his sixth year at the Bearcats' helm, has re-tooled a program in desperate need of a savior.

Cronin has led UC not only to back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances, but appearances with at least one win.

Senior forward Yancy Gates headlines UC's roster for its mega-state matchup with OSU. Gates -- a local recruit from Withrow High School in Cincinnati -- is the lone five-star recruit of the Cronin era, besides the one-and-done Lance Stephenson.

Cashmere Wright a four-star recruit and second team All-Big East guard Sean Kilpatrick pace the backcourt. These two players spearhead their unorthodox four-guard attack.

ESPN.com college basketball writer Myron Medcalf projects in his six Sweet 16 surprises that the winner of Cincy-Ohio State will be the Bearcats.

The fact that Medcalf, in addition to ESPN pundit Doug Gottlieb -- who claims that UC has a legit chance of knocking off "The" Ohio State University -- is indicative of how much of a nail-bitter fans are in for between these two Ohio programs.

Despite losses, UC among Big Easts-best

The return of Tickel Your Fancy, my first column since my accident over the summer.

No. 3 Sryacuse paid a visit to Cincinnati last night and ended up winning by seven. Here is my piece about the current state of the squad and what it has to do to get to the Big Dance.

Kil-ing them softly

Photo Courtesy of Cincinnati.com

By: Hunter Tickel

En route to its second road win over a top-15 team in the past week, the University of Cincinnati nearly let one go.

Guard Sean Kilpatrick hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining to break the deadlock, as the Bearcats escaped Storrs, Conn. with a 70-67 upset of No. 13/11 Connecticut on Wednesday.

“Once I saw [Kilpatrick] had [the ball], I liked our chances,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin. “If they come up, he can [get to the free throw line]. If they back up, he is a confident shooter. You just roll the dice in that situation. My belief in him took over; I just let him go.”

With less than two minutes remaining, UConn stormed back from an eight-point deficient as guard Shabazz Napier dropped 10 points during that span, including a long-range jumper to tie the game with nine seconds left.

UC (15-4, 5-1) did just enough to come away victorious after missing the front end of two one-and-ones, while shooting 1-of-4 from the free throw line down the stretch.

“It would have been a tragic loss,” Cronin said. “We started missing free throws up eight [points] with our best foul shooters getting fouled. If we walk up there and make the first [two], you’re up 10, and the game is over. I guess we kept it exciting for ESPN.”

UConn guard Jeremy Lamb converted two shots from the charity stripe at the 6:52 mark to complete a 20-7 run and give his team its final lead of the contest.

The Bearcats answered with a 10-0 spurt, capped by a Kilpatrick corner 3-ball to extend their lead to eight.

“We’ve got answers on the offensive end,” Cronin said. “We weathered the storm. In the last 10 minutes of the game, we are a different team defensively. We really lock down. A big part of that was rebounding.”

Senior forward Yancy Gates grabbed a game-high 12 boards to go along with 13 points, for his fifth double-double of the season and 18th as a Bearcat.

Four other teammates joined Gates in double figures, with Kilpartick netting a team-best 16 points including 4-of-9 shooting from distance.

The Huskies dropped their first home game of the season as Cincinnati garnered its seventh consecutive road win in the Big East, dating back to last year.

Napier carried the Huskies while burying a game-high 27 points, in addition to seven assists.

Just past the midway point of the first half, UC held a two-point advantage before notching a 10-0 run for its largest lead of the game.

Cincinnati shot 7-of-14 from 3-point range in the opening period as it took a nine-advantage into
the intermission.

The Bearcats will face former head coach Bob Huggins as they travel to Morgantown, W. Va., Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off on ESPNU.

“It gets a lot easier,” Cronin said. “Just as long as we have [Kilpatrick], we’ll be fine.”

Bearcats earn 7th consecutive road win in Big East

Sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick dropped a career-best 27 points in a win at Georgetown.

Here is my soccer article on UC players making academic all-state teams.

Please read and leave me feedback. Also I'm starting a new blog called Tickel's Rehabilitation, in which I'll be chronicling everything that has happened to me. The link is hunter-tickel.blogspot.com. This is for my blogging class at UC and I need comments on this blog in order to complete the course successfully. So bring me some traffic and contribute in the comments section.

No fight left in Irish

Here is my link to my first article in six months, feedback is appreciated. UC won its Big East opener and 7th straight in dominating fashion.

4 things to take note of from the Bearcats in 2011-12

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.

Tickel Your Fancy

Here is a piece on one of the best coaches in NBA history.

Here is my latest on the Westbrook fiasco and why his future with the Thunder is in doubt.