AAC tourney preview: Bearcats' ball in Caupain's hands

Troy Caupain's stats aren't all that eye-popping. His scoring average isn't in double figures. His assists-per-game number is solid but not spectacular. Look across Caupain's stat line and there just aren't many think that stick out.

When you watch the University of Cincinnati basketball team, however, you understand just how important the sophomore point guard has been to the Bearcats. This is a team that started the season adjusting to life without its three top players from last season, including 2,000-point scorer Sean Kilpatrick. It had two role players back who had starting experience, then lost one of them in the first month of the season to an injury.

The jersey might read "Cincinnati" but with six of its top eight players in either their first or second year in the program this is a new Bearcats team that has had to learn a lot along the way.

Caupain has been a steadying influence while he's had to go through the tribulations of being a first-time starter.

It's all worked out well for UC, which enters the American Athletic Conference tournament at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., seeded No. 3. The Bearcats (22-9, 13-5 AAC) face host UConn Friday night at 9 in the final quarterfinal game of the day. UConn, seeded No. 6, beat South Florida 69-43 in Thursday's opening round. The teams split their two regular season games, each winning at home.

Caupain played in all 34 games in his freshman season. Only forward Jermaine Sanders played more minutes than Caupain without starting a game. No one else has played more than Caupain this season as he's started 29 of UC's 30 games. He was named honorable mention All-AAC this week.

"I think he's got the best perspective of any of the guys on our team coming into the year just because he'd played the most of any returners from last year," said associate head coach Larry Davis. "He knew how hard it was going to be. He knew how hard it was going to be to be good. As a result of that I think he's made great progress as the year has gone along. He's become much more aggressive and much more of a guy who understands that "I've got to play well, I've got to make plays for this team if we're going to win." That can translate into scoring, that can translate into assists or making sure, which we've done a much better job here lately, that we're pushing the basketball. That's due to Troy's will to push the ball because I've asked him to."

Caupain is averaging 9.4 points, 3.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He led the team in scoring eight times in the first 20 games, but none in the last 11. That's no knock on Caupain, just an illustration to Davis' point of how Caupain has been able to do whatever the Bearcats have needed him to do to win games. During UC's current win streak, Caupain has 22 assists and just eight turnovers.

This has coincided with UC's offense developing more options. Junior guard Farad Cobb has become more of a consistent threat, having scored in double figures seven times in the last 11 games and averaging 11.8 points per game in that span. Octavius Ellis is averaging 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds over the past seven games. Junior forward Shaq Thomas has scored in double figures four of the last eight games. UC's willingness to push the ball up the court faster works into Thomas' strengths as a player.

That's all part of Caupain's job.

"You see him growing up before your eyes and blossoming into I think one of the best guards in the league," said Davis. "Certainly this time of the year we need him to be one of the best guards in the league if we're going to advance in our own tournament and then if we're fortunate enough in the NCAA tournament to advance in that tournament we're going to need Troy to play his best and be one of the better guards in the country."

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WHAT: American Athletic Conference tournament

WHERE: XL Center, Hartford, Conn.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Sunday, 3:15 p.m.

TOP SEED: Southern Methodist (24-6) won the regular season title with a 15-3 record. The Mustangs are ranked No. 21 in this week's USA Today Coaches' poll

UC PATH TO TITLE: No. 3 seed Cincinnati (22-9, 13-5) opens the tournament vs. No. 6 seed (and host) UConn (18-13, 10-8) Friday night at approximately 9 p.m. The Bearcats and Huskies split the season series, with each team winning at home. UConn had beaten UC three straight times, including in last year's American semifinals, before the Bearcats won 70-58 on Jan. 29. Also on this half of the bracket is No. 2 seed Tulsa (21-9, 14-4), which will face No. 10 Houston (13-18, 4-14). Obviously beating UConn on its home court will be a tough task but UC is playing its best basketball of the season, having won five in a row and all by at least nine points. The Bearcats went 3-0 against top seeds SMU and Tulsa, with two of the wins coming on the road.

KEY PLAYER FOR UC: Point guard Troy Caupain. The sophomore has started all but one game this season. He leads the team in assists (3.6) and is second in scoring (9.4 ppg) but more importantly is how Caupain has grown into a leadership role as the season has progressed. The Bearcats have attempted to push the ball more after defensive stops in the last few weeks and Caupain is at the heart of that style.

TEAM TO WATCH IN TOURNAMENT: Larry Brown continues to do wonders wherever he coaches, this seasons leading SMU to its first league championship since capturing the Southwest Conference title in 1993. Now, can the Mustangs back it up in the postseason? Junior point guard Nic Moore runs the show for SMU, averaging 14.4 ppg and 5.3 assists.

PLAYER TO WATCH IN TOURNAMENT: UConn senior guard Ryan Boatright. The Huskies will need to win four games this weekend to return to the NCAA tournament and defend their national title from a year ago. Shabazz Napier was UConn's catalyst last season and Boatright is more than capable of leading the Huskies to a tournament title this season. He is the leading scorer in the American (17.8 ppg) while also averaging four assists a game. He played more minutes than any player in the conference this season, averaging 35.6 minutes a game. The moment isn't too big for him. UC will have to contain Boatright if it wants to advance.