The Indiana Pacers selected Stephenson with the 10th pick in the second round -- 40th overall.

NEW YORK — Cincinnati guard and 2010 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Lance Stephenson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lincoln) was taken in the second round of the 2010 National Basketball Association Draft Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New [...]]]> Associated Press

The Indiana Pacers selected Stephenson with the 10th pick in the second round -- 40th overall.

NEW YORK — Cincinnati guard and 2010 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Lance Stephenson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lincoln) was taken in the second round of the 2010 National Basketball Association Draft Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Indiana Pacers selected Stephenson with the 10th pick in the second round — 40th overall. He is the first Bearcat to be taken in the NBA Draft since James White was taken by Portland in the second round in 2006. Since 1950, 56 Cincinnati basketball players have been drafted by NBA teams, including 10 first-round selections.

“I know that playing in the NBA has been a lifelong goal for Lance and our entire program is excited for him and his family,” said fifth-year UC head coach Mick Cronin. “I thank Lance for his efforts at Cincinnati and want him to know how much we appreciate his loyalty to us. I personally look forward to watching Lance grow and develop as a professional and as a man.”

Stephenson was the sixth BIG EAST Conference player taken in the 2010 NBA Draft. He joins veterans Jason Maxiell (Detroit) and Kenyon Martin (Denver) as former Bearcats active in the NBA.

In March, Stephenson was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, becoming the first UC men’s basketball player to earn the distinction since the Bearcats joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06. He joined DerMarr Johnson (1999-00 – Conference USA), Danny Fortson (1994-95 – Great Midwest Conference), and Dontonio Wingfield (1993-94 – Great Midwest Conference) as the only players in program history to earn freshman/rookie/newcomer of the year honors.

Stephenson led all BIG EAST freshmen in scoring in overall games (12.3 ppg) and conference-only games (12.1 ppg). He also finished in the Top 5 overall among league freshmen in rebounds (5.4 rpg/4th), steals (1.0 spg/5th), and assists (2.4 apg/4th).

Four times this season, the 6-foot-5 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, the most by any incoming player. Stephenson won the weekly award the last two weeks of the regular season after averaging 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over UC’s last four contests. He also added 11 assists and five steals during the stretch.

Stephenson committed to the Bearcats last summer after a highly-decorated prep career at Lincoln High School, where he averaged 28.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists to earn Class AA New York State Sports Writers Association (NYSSWA) Player of the Year honors his senior year. He graduated high school as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the state of New York with 2,946 points, passing fellow Lincoln High grad Sebastian Telfair, who was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Martin hasn't played since March 3. He was averaging nearly a double double (11.8 points, 9.6 rebounds) when persistent soreness and swelling in the knee forced him to the sideline.

DENVER — Former Cincinnati Bearcat, Kenyon Martin, the Denver Nuggets‘ top defensive player and a force on the boards, hopes to return as [...]]]> Associated Pres

Martin hasn't played since March 3. He was averaging nearly a double double (11.8 points, 9.6 rebounds) when persistent soreness and swelling in the knee forced him to the sideline.

DENVER — Former Cincinnati Bearcat, Kenyon Martin, the Denver Nuggets‘ top defensive player and a force on the boards, hopes to return as soon as Saturday from the left knee injury that has sidelined him for the last five weeks.

Speaking before Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Martin said he feels good to go and that he would like to play in at least one of the Nuggets’ last three regular season games before the playoffs. The Nuggets next play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday followed.

“I just don’t want to go out there rusty, right into a game situation,” Martin said. “The last three games are a possibility. It will depend on how I feel. If I’m in any pain or what not, then no. But as of right now, I don’t have any pain. But I’ve got to do one of these last three if I’m going to play [before the playoffs].”

Martin hasn’t played since March 3. He was averaging nearly a double double (11.8 points, 9.6 rebounds) when persistent soreness and swelling in the knee forced him to the sideline. He underwent platelet rich plasma therapy March 8 and returned to the court for the first time since then on Wednesday in a 1-on-1 basektball session in Oklahoma City against assistant coach Jamahl Mosley prior to the team’s game against the Thunder.

“I went pretty hard and I felt good,” Martin said.

He followed that with a workout Thursday at the team’s practice facility that included a round of shooting.

“I’ve definitely made a lot of progress, a lot of progress,” he said. “I’m shooting the ball well upstairs but I want to play one of these last few games.”

The 6-foot-5 guard from New York City led Big East freshmen in scoring with 12.3 points per game, and was among the top five freshmen in rebounds, steals and assists.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati freshman Lance Stephenson plans to enter the NBA draft.

The school said Wednesday that the Big East rookie of the [...]]]> Associated Press

The 6-foot-5 guard from New York City led Big East freshmen in scoring with 12.3 points per game, and was among the top five freshmen in rebounds, steals and assists.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati freshman Lance Stephenson plans to enter the NBA draft.

The school said Wednesday that the Big East rookie of the year said he will hire an agent, which means he can not withdraw from the draft. It is scheduled for June 24.

The 6-foot-5 guard from New York City led Big East freshmen in scoring with 12.3 points per game, and was among the top five freshmen in rebounds, steals and assists.

He was chosen Big East rookie of the week four times, including the last two weeks of the regular season, after averaging 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds over the final four games.

Stephenson was chosen as the Bearcats’ defensive player of the year during the team’s awards banquet Tuesday night.

Dayton guard Marcus Johnson (32) gets a rebound against Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, right, in the second half during a second-round NIT college basketball game Monday, March 22, 2010, in Cincinnati. Dayton won 81-66.

CINCINNATI — Rob Lowery led an early 3-point barrage that built a 17-point lead, and Dayton held [...]]]> Associated Press

Dayton guard Marcus Johnson (32) gets a rebound against Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, right, in the second half during a second-round NIT college basketball game Monday, March 22, 2010, in Cincinnati. Dayton won 81-66.

CINCINNATI — Rob Lowery led an early 3-point barrage that built a 17-point lead, and Dayton held on for a rough-and-tumble 81-66 victory over Cincinnati in the second round of the NIT on Monday night.

The Flyers (22-12) made eight of their first 12 shots from behind the arc to get the big lead, and survived a second-half Cincinnati comeback before pulling away to their most lopsided win over the Bearcats in 25 years.

It was only their third win over Cincinnati in their last 17 games in the southwest Ohio rivalry.

“I had fun out there,” said Chris Wright, who scored 11 points. “When you’re playing against guys you know, you know they’re going to play a lot harder. It’s for bragging rights. It felt like high school all over again.”

Dayton will play at Illinois in the quarterfinals Wednesday, extending a season that held a lot of disappointment. The Flyers were picked to win the Atlantic 10, but blew a lot of leads and suffered a lot of close losses, finishing seventh.

“They’ve been knocked down so many times and they keep getting back up,” coach Brian Gregory said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of these guys. We told them this would be a test of character and pride and how much the program meant to them. They’ve answered that and today they might have put an exclamation on it.”

Cincinnati (19-16) was prone to long shooting slumps all season, and managed only two field goals during a 10-minute span in the second half. After cutting the 17-point deficit to 44-43, the Bearcats could never make that final push.

“Same story again,” coach Mick Cronin said. “Once we got close, we couldn’t make a shot. We kept missing open shot after open shot.”

The Bearcats set the NCAA tournament as their goal — a place they haven’t been since 2005 — but faded down the stretch and finished 11th in the Big East.

Dayton brought its pep band, cheerleaders and a lot of fans, turning it into a high-energy game in front of 6,479 fans. The Flyers got the best of it early, pulling ahead 34-17 by hitting open 3s. Senior guard Deonta Vaughn scored Cincinnati’s last 11 points in the half, cutting it to 41-36.

Vaughn finished with a season-high 28 points and passed Danny Fortson for third on the school’s career scoring list. He got a standing ovation when he left the floor in the final minute.

“My four years have been great,” said Vaughn, who finished with 1,885 points. “I learned a lot about basketball. I matured a lot since I came here and did a lot of great things to try to help this program get back to where it needs to be.”

The Bearcats were caught flat-footed at the start, outplayed by a Dayton team that had a lot more enthusiasm.

“We definitely underestimated them,” said freshman Lance Stephenson, who said he would return for another season. “We knew they played hard, but we didn’t know they played with that much intensity.”

9:00 PM ET, March 22, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), face No. 2-seed Dayton (21-12, 8-8 A-10) in the second round at home in Fifth Third Arena [...]]]> Staff and Wire Reports

9:00 PM ET, March 22, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), face No. 2-seed Dayton (21-12, 8-8 A-10) in the second round at home in Fifth Third Arena on Monday, March 22 at 9 p.m. after knocking off  Weber State, 76-62 on Wednesday in the first round. The Flyers advanced to play UC after beating Illinois State, 63-42.

After a four-year hiatus, the University of Cincinnati will meet Dayton for the 90th time — UC’s second-oldest and third longest rivalry in program history. The Bearcats own a 59-30 advantage in the series and have won 14 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 1989-90 season — UC’s first in Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati won the last outing on Dec. 22, 2005, 81-63, in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic behind a combined 40 points by Devan Downey (21 pts.) and James White (19 pts.)

The Flyers enter the contest 21-12 overall and are coming off a 63-42 First Round NIT victory over Illinois State. Dayton ranks in the Top 25 in the nation and first in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding margin (plus-6.1) and ranked in the Top 35 in the NCAA in scoring defense (61.7 points per game). In fact, the Flyers have held 25 of their 32 opponents below their scoring average. In A-10 and NIT postseason play, Marcus Johnson has led UD averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting .500 (15-of-30) from the field.

Earning the No. 2 seed in the region, Cincinnati has been on a roll of late, winning three of its last four games. The Bearcats are19-15 overall and 11-4 at Fifth Third Arena this season. UC is led by the trio of 2010 BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Year Lance Stephenson (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg), senior guard Deonta Vaughn (11.2 ppg, 3.5 apg), and sophomore forward Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg). The Bearcats are 8-9 all-time in NIT play, including a mark of 6-2 at home.

Cincinnati guard Deonta Vaughn (5) shoots against Weber State in the first half of an NIT college basketball game Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in Cincinnati. Vaughn led Cincinnati to a 76-62 win with 16 points.

CINCINNATI — Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points and became Cincinnati‘s career leader in assists and made 3-point shots [...]]]> Associated Press

Cincinnati guard Deonta Vaughn (5) shoots against Weber State in the first half of an NIT college basketball game Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in Cincinnati. Vaughn led Cincinnati to a 76-62 win with 16 points.

CINCINNATI — Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points and became Cincinnati‘s career leader in assists and made 3-point shots Wednesday night, leading the Bearcats to a 76-62 victory over Weber State.

The senior guard signed on to revive a program that fell on hard times after coach Bob Huggins was ousted. The Bearcats (19-15) hadn’t won more than 18 games in any of the last three seasons under coach Mick Cronin, who was brought in for the reconstruction.

“It’s progress,” Cronin said. “Getting in the NIT is progress. Playing in March is a habit. When you’re building a program, that’s important.”

Cincinnati, playing in the tournament for the first time since 2006, will host Dayton in the second round. A date hadn’t been set.

Vaughn has been through a lot of tough times, failing to reach the NCAA tournament in his four years. He was the team’s top player during that span, sometimes the only scoring threat in a subpar offense.

After he set the two school records in the second half, the 2,410 fans gave him a standing ovation during a timeout. At Cronin’s urging, Vaughn stood and acknowledged the crowd.

“I just wanted to sit down and get the game over and finish our first NIT game off right,” Vaughn said. “It felt good to be among one of the greatest at shooting 3s and dishing the ball out to teammates.”

Weber State (20-11) fell apart when Cincinnati went to a half-court trap midway through the first half. The Wildcats had seven turnovers during a decisive 17-0 run and finished with a season-high 23.

The run put the Bearcats up 37-19. Cincinnati had three steals and forced an errant pass, setting up four straight baskets in a 1-minute, 18-second span.

“It was tough,” said guard Damian Lillard, who had a game-high 26 points. “When we went over their press, they were right there. Sometimes they denied me the ball and forced everybody else to have to bring up the ball and make plays.”

Cincinnati hasn’t been very adept at the trap, but thought it might be useful. The Bearcats executed it as well as they have all season, surprising the Wildcats.

“Part of that was my fault,” coach Randy Rahe said. “We practiced it a little bit coming in. We haven’t seen it a lot. We talked to people in the Big East and asked about it, and people said it wasn’t a big factor [for Cincinnati]. We worked on it in practice a little, but obviously not enough.”

7:00 PM ET, March 17, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (18-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), open postseason play for the second time under head coach Mick Cronin vs. No. 7-seed Weber State [...]]]> Staff and Wire Report

7:00 PM ET, March 17, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (18-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), open postseason play for the second time under head coach Mick Cronin vs. No. 7-seed Weber State (20-10, 13-3 Big Sky) from the Big Sky Conference on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. EST.

UC earned its at-large bid for the NIT by putting together a run at the BIG EAST Championship last week, coming from behind to beat Rutgers, 69-68, and Louisville, 69-66, before No. 7/6 West Virginia eked out a 54-51 victory on a last second bank shot in the quarterfinals. Weber State earned its bid to the NIT by claiming its third Big Sky Conference regular-season title in the last four years. The Wildcats came up just short of earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Montana, who rallied from 22 points down, in the conference championship game to win, 66-65.

Weber State is 20-10 overall and finished first during the regular season in the Big Sky Conference with a 13-3 record. It was WSU’s third conference title in the last four years under head coach Randy Rahe.

WSU is ranked 34th in the nation in scoring, averaging 76.7 points per game, with three players averaging in double figures.

Sophomore guard Damian Lillard, the 2010 Big Sky Conference league MVP, leads the team and is 31st in the NCAA with a 19.7 points per game average.

Defensively, Weber State is ranked 235th in the NCAA in scoring defense, giving up 70.9 points per game. Its opponents are shooting 44.1 percent from the field.

Weber State Wildcats at Cincinnati Bearcats, Wed 3/17 7:00 PM ET

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team earned its 10th trip to the National Invitational Tournament on Sunday, as the Bearcats received an at-large bid from the tournament selection committee. UC will face Weber State (20-10) from the Big Sky Conference [...]]]>

Weber State Wildcats at Cincinnati Bearcats, Wed 3/17 7:00 PM ET

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team earned its 10th trip to the National Invitational Tournament on Sunday, as the Bearcats received an at-large bid from the tournament selection committee. UC will face Weber State (20-10) from the Big Sky Conference at home on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.

Wednesday’s game will be televised live on ESPN2. In addition, Voice of the Bearcats Dan Hoard and color analyst Chuck Machock will have the call 700 WLW with the pre-game show beginning 30 minutes before tipoff. The radio broadcast also is available live on www.GoBEARCATS.com.

The Bearcats finished the regular season with a record of 18-15, its second consecutive winning season under head coach Mick Cronin. The Bearcats are led by the trio of 2010 BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the year Lance Stephenson (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg), senior guard Deonta Vaughn (11.1 ppg, 3.4 apg), and sophomore forward Yancy Gates (10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

The Illinois Regional bracket also includes #1 Illinois (19-14) at #8 Stony Brook (22-9), #6 Illinois State (22-10) at # 3 Dayton (20-12), and #5 Tulsa (23-11) at #4 Kent State (23-9). The top-seeded team plays host in the first three rounds. Should the Bearcats advance, they will welcome the winner of the Illinois State-Dayton game into Fifth Third Arena.

The other No. 1 seeds in the 2010 NIT are Arizona State (22-10), Mississippi State (23-11), and Virginia Tech (23-8).

UC’s opponent, Weber State, owns an overall record of 20-10 and claimed the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship before falling in the championship game of its league tournament, 66-65, to Montana. Weber State is coached by Randy Rahe who is in his fourth year mentoring the Wildcats. Weber State is making its second straight and third appearance overall in the NIT.

The Wildcats rank second in the Big Sky Conference in scoring, averaging 76.6 ppg, and boasting the league’s MVP and leading scorer, Damian Lillard, who averages 19.7 ppg. Franklin Session leads the team in rebounding with 6.0 rpg.

Wednesday’s meeting between UC and Weber State will be the first meeting between the schools.

This is Cincinnati’s 10th appearance in the NIT and it owns a record of 7-9. The tournament, which began in 1938, is the oldest in college basketball and was the first national postseason collegiate tournament to be played in the country, predating the NCAA Tournament by one year.

The Bearcats last trip to the NIT came in 2006 as it advanced to the quarterfinals, knocking off Charlotte (86-80) and Minnesota (76-62) before losing to South Carolina (65-62). UC has made it to the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden once in program history, finishing third in 1955.

Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson, left, is fouled with 1.8 secs. remaining by Rutgers' Dane Miller, center, as Rutgers' Hamady Ndiaye helps defend in the second half of their first round NCAA college basketball game in the Big East Conference Championships, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, in New York. Stephenson made one of two fouls shots [...]]]> Associated Press

Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson, left, is fouled with 1.8 secs. remaining by Rutgers' Dane Miller, center, as Rutgers' Hamady Ndiaye helps defend in the second half of their first round NCAA college basketball game in the Big East Conference Championships, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, in New York. Stephenson made one of two fouls shots to give Cincinnati a 69-68 victory.

NEW YORK — Lance Stephenson picked up the hardware, then helped Cincinnati finally get a Big East tournament win.

The New York native was selected the conference’s Rookie of the Year on Tuesday afternoon. About 6 hours later, he backed up the choice by making the game-deciding free throw with 1.8 seconds to play and the Bearcats beat Rutgers 69-68 in the opening round.

“This is the best conference in college basketball, and I just wanted to get everybody ready and everybody prepared in the gym so we could win this game,” said Stephenson, who finished with 13 points — 10 in a 4-minute span of the second half — nine rebounds and five assists.

The 11th-seeded Bearcats (17-14) entered 0-3 all-time in the conference tournament. Now they will face sixth-seeded Louisville, the defending champion, in the second round.

“We got a one-point blowout tonight and we’re proud of it,” Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. “We did a great job offensively taking care of the basketball. If we get shots off, we’re going to rebound. We needed to get this win so we have a chance to play Louisville again tomorrow night, a team we lost a tough game against at Freedom Hall earlier this season.”

Mike Rosario had 26 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (15-17), who end the season losing five of six.

“This has been a team all year long with an unbelievable amount of heart,” Rutgers coach Fred Hill said. “We knew this would be a game that goes down to the wire.”

The Bearcats seemed to have the game in hand when a 15-2 run gave them a 62-54 lead with 3:56 left. Cincinnati was ahead 65-59 with 44 seconds to go, but Rutgers, playing without any timeouts, managed to tie it at 68 on a a 3-pointer by Rosario with 15 seconds to play.

“I thought our guys were phenomenal the last 2 minutes of the game,” Hill said. “You talk about execution, no timeouts left, they did everything they were supposed to do offensively and defensively. That’s what got us into the game and gave us a chance to win.

“They put themselves in position to win the game and really deserved a shot to come away with a great win in the Garden. I wish we could have gotten it to overtime and given them 5 more minutes, they were playing really well.”

Stephenson ended any thoughts of overtime when he drove to the hoop and was fouled with 1.8 seconds left. He made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second, not leaving Rutgers with enough time to get off a good shot.

“I learned early in the season against Xavier not to settle for the jump shot, so I did what I did against UConn, went hard and got a foul,” Stephenson said of his winning free throws against the Huskies with less than a second left on Dec. 30.

“I’m just wanting to play hard and win the game, that’s all I’m trying to do, win the game. I knew I was going to make the first free throw, I had confidence in myself. I knew I was going to make the first one, so I could miss the second and make it a tougher shot. That was big-time, and that was why I came to Cincinnati, to change the program around and play hard and just win games.”

Rutgers, (15-16, 5-13 Big East) vs Cincinnati, (16-14, 7-11 Big East), 9:00 PM ET, March 9, 2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

NEW YORK, NY — The Cincinnati Bearcats (16-14, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 11-seed in the BIG EAST Championship, open postseason play vs. Rutgers (15-16, 5-13 BIG [...]]]> Staff and Wire Reports

Rutgers, (15-16, 5-13 Big East) vs Cincinnati, (16-14, 7-11 Big East), 9:00 PM ET, March 9, 2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

NEW YORK, NY — The Cincinnati Bearcats (16-14, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 11-seed in the BIG EAST Championship, open postseason play vs. Rutgers (15-16, 5-13 BIG EAST), the No. 14 seed on Tuesday, March 9 at 9 p.m. EST.

The Bearcats come into the BIG EAST Championship losing five of its last six games, including their last three in a row to nationally-ranked teams (West Virginia, Villanova, Georgetown). Cincinnati will look to the hot hand of freshman Lance Stephenson, who is averaging 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over his last four contests, to help get the Bearcats back on track. Rutgers, which has lost four of its last five and two in a row, is coming off an 83-54 loss at No. 17/18 Pittsburgh on the final day of the regular season.

The Scarlet Knights have lost four of their last five games, including a 83-54 decision at Pittsburgh last Saturday (March 6) on the last day of the regular season. Rutgers is ranked 14th overall in the BIG EAST, averaging 67.5 points per game with two players averaging in double figures.

Tuesday’s game will be the 14th meeting between Cincinnati and Rutgers and the seventh since UC joined the BIG EAST Conference.  The Bearcats hold a 10-3 lead in the series, which began in 1971-72.  The Bearcats have won the last three meetings and earlier this season took a 65-58 decision in New Brunswick, N.J., on Jan. 2. Senior guard Deonta Vaughn led the Bearcats in scoring with 17 points and is UC’s leading active scorer vs. the Scarlet Knights, averaging 19.5 points per game.

Senior guard Deonta Vaughn is the only current Bearcat averaging in double figures vs. Rutgers. Vaughn has posted 19.5 ppg in four career games vs. the Scarlett Knights. His single-game high vs. RU came in 2008-09 when he scored 24 points as UC rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit for a 71-59 victory.