By John Bach
| UC |  |
| Senior Jason Maxiell got
off only six shots thoughout the game thanks mostly to a consistent
double-team pressure from Kentucky. photos/Andrew Higley |
After days of pregame banter and years of
jawing by opposing fans, the long-awaited cross-state clash between
the Bearcats and Wildcats may have actually lived up to its hype.
UC eventually fell to Kentucky in game two of the NCAA Tournament Saturday,
March 19, 2005, but not before treating a record-setting crowd inside the RCA Dome in
Indianapolis to a catfight they won’t soon forget.
"It was everything it was built up to be," said UK forward
Chuck Hayes. "You gotta give them credit. Those guys can play,
and coach (Bob) Huggins had his guys ready."
Huggins said after the game that UC’s shallow bench hurt them.
The Bearcats used seven players, while UK played 13.
"I thought our guys gave a great effort," Huggins said. "We
had makeable shots. We just didn’t make them cause they wore us down."
Cincinnati failed to score in the opening four minutes of the game as UK jumped
out to an 11-0 lead. The Bearcats tightened their defense and battled back
mostly behind the shooting of senior Nick Williams. By the half, UC had taken
a 35-33 lead.
Fueled by the intense cheering of more than 40,000 fans, both teams remained
aggressive throughout the second half.
The UC pep band leads the
Bearcat faithful.
"It was a great college basketball atmosphere," said UK coach
Tubby Smith. "Our fans as well as Cincinnati fans were just unbelievable.
You could see guys raising their level of intensity and play by the
sheer energy from the crowd."
UK surged ahead several times only to have UC trim their lead to 60-59
with less than five minutes remaining. Worn down by the Wildcats, the
Bearcats tired in the closing minutes and were unable to convert offensively.
Final score: 69-60.
Huggins told his players afterward he was proud of their effort this
season and took another opportunity to sing the praises of senior Jason Maxiell:
Eric Hicks, who finished with 12 points, was the last
Bearcat off the court Saturday following the 69-60 loss to UK.
"Max is a special guy. He is a guy I have never found fault with
— not one day. He is much like Kenyon Martin in that he is a great listener.
He graduated a quarter early. It is refreshing to have somebody like
that."
Martin, in the stands to watch his former team Saturday, will share something
else with Maxiell after this year’s draft — the NBA.
NEXT | game photos
