An ordinary nationally televised matchup for the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team on Sunday turned into the Bearcats' last home game of the season just a few hours before tipoff.
The American Athletic Conference announced Sunday morning that Thursday's SMU-Cincinnati game was canceled due to the continuation of a suspension of activities at SMU. So UC honored its seniors in an impromptu senior day and then took the court at Fifth Third Arena for the final time this season.
"I didn't even know it was senior day until literally like a couple hours before the game when we had walk-through," freshman Mike Saunders Jr. said. "We didn't even know until this morning. So it was like, man, now the game has even more meaning to it. It just sucks that we didn't get the win."
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Despite an 8-0 run to pull within 73-71 with 23 seconds to play, the Bearcats fell short, losing to the Memphis Tigers, 80-74.
"I told the guys, 'If you just show that fight for a longer period of time, we would have won the game,'" UC coach John Brannen said. "I felt like we should have won this game."
Senior Keith Williams scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. The 6-foot-5 guard added six assists and five rebounds in what was likely his final game inside "The Shoe."
"Today was about the seniors," Brannen said. "I'm really appreciative of Keith's effort today and his ability to try to will us to victory."
Next: With no game on Thursday, the Bearcats (9-9, 7-6) are now scheduled to end their regular season next Sunday at East Carolina (8-8, 2-8). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
What we learned from Sunday's loss:
Unusual senior day
UC's impromptu pregame senior day ceremony included the program honoring seniors Williams, Chris Vogt, Sam Martin and Adam Cook and red-shirt junior Mamoudou Diarra.
Senior student manager Jack Keller was also honored.
The five players, including walk-ons Martin and Cook, got the start. It was the first career start for Martin, Cook and Diarra.
[ UC senior Chris Vogt embracing mentor role with younger teammates during turbulent season ]
The lineup got a rousing response from the 1,135 fans in attendance, but Brannen quickly pulled the plug on the group after the Tigers scored the game's first six points.
UC closed the gap to 9-5 around the 16:00 mark and 17-15 with less than 10:00 to play in the first half before trailing 36-27 at halftime.
Cincinnati never owned a lead in the game.
Memphis is very long and very athletic
Memphis coach Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway has several players who will don an NBA uniform someday, including 6-foot-10 center Moussa Cisse and 6-foot-9 forward DeAndre Williams.
The pair used their length and athleticism to give Cincinnati fits inside. Cisse finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Williams had 10 points, 10 assists and seven boards.
The Tigers (14-6, 10-3), who had five different players score in double figures, outrebounded the Bearcats 45-32, including 18-8 on the offensive glass.
"Obviously the glass really hurt us," said Brannen, whose team played its fourth game in a seven-day span. "... We were playing on fumes a little bit tonight. I was concerned about that going in. But at the end of the day, we're getting better."
Memphis had a 24-5 advantage in second-chance points and a 44-32 edge in the paint.
Mike Saunders Jr. is ready
The freshman guard's career-high entering Sunday was eight points. Saunders scored eight points in 92 seconds to start the second half.
With the Bearcats trailing 40-29 early after intermission, Saunders went on a personal 8-0 run to pull Cincinnati within 40-37 with 16:40 to play.
The 6-foot Indianapolis native scored a career-high 19 points, including 11 after intermission, to power the Bearcats, who lost for only the second time in eight games since returning from a 25-day pause due to COVID-19 protocols.
"If I just look back to when I first started playing (at UC) to now, I see the game a lot more easier," he said. "Me and Coach Brannen, we always talk about changing my pace, like not always necessarily going fast. ... It definitely opened the game for me. It definitely slowed down for me. So I'm able to play my game and also play to what the team needs."
Saunders' efforts weren't enough to lead Cincinnati to the win, but it was more than enough to show he's shed that freshman youth and apprehension.
After coming off the bench early in the season, Saunders has started six of the last eight games.
"Mike Saunders is the future of our program," Brannen said. "He'll be one of the elite point guards here that we have at the university of Cincinnati. When he's in, we move the ball. That ball pops. That's the way I want to play."
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