December 5, 2025 • 10 mins
Chad Brendel from BearcatJournal.com joined us to talk UC Basketball, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, and Jizzle James.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ten away from for This is ESPN fifteen thirty Muegger.
On Thursdays, we're joined by our guy, Chad Brendall. We
talk UC football and basketball and more. His website is
bearcad Journal dot com, where he's got Signing Day covered,
He's got the skyline Chile Crosstown shootout covered, He'll have
the Bowl selection for UC covered, covering a lot, and
(00:27):
he's going to cover some of that stuff with us.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Now, Hi, Chad, Hello, crossover season, it's fun. Let me
tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm sure it is. I'm sure it is a lot
going on.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Is Gisel James gonna play for the Bearcats this season?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I don't think so. That's the word I've gotten is
back around the program, not necessarily like figured in to
be part of the on floor product this year. But
I mean, I think you know as well as I do, Like,
(01:03):
got a coach that's fighting for something we'll see. So
I have been told not to expect him to play.
So in that sense, I don't expect him to play,
but this is college sports and I never rule anything
out anymore.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So we're not expecting him, but we wouldn't be surprised
if he does play.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I think that's probably the most fair assessment of the situation.
You would not see my shock face if we showed
up one day and it was like, just's playing tonight, Okay, what.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
If he played tomorrow?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I would be very surprised by that. To my knowledge,
Like there, he hasn't really practiced with the team since
like June, early July, so I think that would be
pretty surprising.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Okay, assuming then no Jizzle tomorrow. How did the Bearcats
win at the Centas Center for the first time in
twenty four years?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
They defend the three point line because that has been
the most reliable, consistent way X has been scoring since
they kind of readjusted the lineup, And credit to Richard.
I think he's done a fantastic job with this group
to this point because things look really bad, and I
(02:32):
mean they looked bad bad, and they don't look bad
bad anymore. Like I don't think they're jumping up to
compete with Yukon and Saint John's for the top of
the Big East this year. But he's taken a product
that looked like it was going to be a nightmare
and they're winning, Like they're doing some winning things. And
(02:53):
I mean, look you make sixteen threes a game, like
they've done a couple times, things are going to get
a lot easier on the win column. But uh, that's
a big one for me. And I think, you know what,
how does Cincinnati handle a team? I'm gonna it's gonna
be taken as a shot MO and I do not
intend this as a shot at all. Okay, right now,
(03:15):
Xavier's formula is they play a lot like a mid major.
They play five out, they spread you out. They don't
really have a lot of rim presence. They're not playing downhill,
they're not turning over, they're passing the ball well, their
assists numbers are high, and they're making jump shots. And
that's you know that, that's how a mid major like
(03:35):
wins games. Right How does how does Cincinnati defend that
with you know, Mustapha Chom and Bob A. Miller. Xavier's
going to try to drag those guys out on the
floor and make them defend shooters twenty two feet from
the basket. That's going to take away Cincinnati's ability to
protect the rim. They're one of the better two point
defenses in the country in large part because those two
(04:00):
are on the floor. So defensively, how does Cincinnati handle that?
And offensively and like you've got a much better seat
than I do. It has been hard to watch. There's
not a lot of continuity, there's not a lot of
It doesn't seem like there's a lot of trust between
(04:22):
the team. Yet. I thought we saw some signs of improvement.
The ball moved better on Monday night, but it wasn't
for forty minutes, So they got a lot of work
to do and not a lot of time to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I just it doesn't feel like from Game one on
November three to the eve of the Skyline Chili crossdown shootout,
it just doesn't feel like they've improved.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
That's part of the problem, right, Like we've talked about
this a lot over the past past week or so.
We're twenty five percent of the way through the season.
More than twenty five percent of the way through the season.
Where is that? You know, we talk a lot about, Hey,
it's a it's a brand new team, the transfer portal.
You know, they're they're they're doing this, they're doing that,
(05:11):
and then that's to me. By the time you get
into November and December, things should be trending up because
guys have got seven, eight, nine games together, they're a
little bit more comfortable with where everybody likes to shoot
and you know where to move the ball and how
the offense operates. Have we seen that really at all?
(05:32):
I mean not in not in enough consistent stretches to
feel good about it. And you know what I think
it is mo Unfortunately the team hasn't played very hard
and that's concerning that. They played hard against Dayton. They
played hard against Dayton, they played hard against Louisville. What
(05:53):
other of the the eight games could you look at
and say, man, they really they really were getting after
it tonight. I can't think of any.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I just you use the T word trust.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
So this is the first rough environment they're going to
go into, right, and it's going to be a rough
environment if you don't have trust.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
And was kind of a rough Yeah, I digress.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I get it, But I mean team that hasn't developed
that yet.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Good luck winning an environment like that against a team that,
say what you want about their limitations has improved.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
And I think that's where most Bearcat fans are right.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I think it's there, Like I don't know how you
could could legitimately say you feel good about this when
you've watched the ARC for Xavier over eight games or
whatever it is, and you've watched the ARC for Cincinnati
over eight games or whatever, like over eight games, Like,
I don't know how you could look at it and go,
I feel really good about where Cincinnati's act coming into this,
(06:53):
and you know Xavier's got work to do. Yeah, that's
you're lying to yourself if you think that's the situation
right now. Now, maybe Cincinatti comes out and plays really
hard and defends and they make some shots and they
don't look like the two hundred and fourteenth offense in
the country or whatever they're ranked right now, and you know,
(07:15):
we get to Saturday and Friday night and we're like, oh, okay,
that's what we wanted to see.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
But I don't have any faith in that right now,
And I don't know how you could.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
What happens to the intensity of whatever hot seat west
Miller is on if they don't win tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Boy, I mean, you've already lost the Louisville. If you
lose the Xavier, and I know you've paid attention Georgia
and Clemson are playing well, there is a chance you
go one in four in those five games, and then
(07:56):
you got to go into a big twelve that is
not only awesome at the top this year, but the
bottom has performed a lot better than I expected through
the first five weeks. So I would not recommend. And look,
they haven't won there since two thousand and one. I
(08:19):
don't feel great about saying they're going to go in
there and win. But if you're Wes, you have got
to go in there and get this done because it
gets late early if you've lost to Louisville and Xavier
and you've got Georgia and Clemson coming up on home neutral.
But there's going to be more Georgia fans in Atlanta,
there's going to be more Clemson fans in Greenville. Like
(08:43):
you're climbing up a steep, steep hill in December. Like
I said before the season, and I took a lot
of heat for this, I said, you know, when I
when asked if Cincinnati doesn't make the tournament, does West
Miller get fired? And I said, I need to see
what it looks like. I can't answer that question. And
so I know what it looks like. This looks bad
(09:05):
so far. The time to turn it around. Time to
turn it around. Starts tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Agreed, Because if you lose the Xavier.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Who they think that I've been using a Seinfeld reference
lately mo for the UC fan base. The sea was angry,
my friends.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, of course, I mean it's it's what his record
is against Xavier to this point. It's the quality of
the Xavier team that they lost to it sint Us
two years ago, which was not a very good team.
The caliber of the Xavier team now like nothing again.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Again.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I think Richard Patino's done a really nice job with
a team that I watched get destroyed home by Santa Clara,
nearly beating Georgia Housing West Virginia. They run good stuff,
like they're they're training in the right direction, which is
why there is all this unease. But it's not a
very talented, over talented Xavior team. You lose again to him,
on top of losing to Louisville, on top of how
(10:04):
this has looked, your message board is going to be
a dark, dark dark place. Yeah, on Saturday morning. Appreciate
it as always, man, We will talk next week.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Thanks Bob.
Ten away from for This is ESPN fifteen thirty Muegger.
On Thursdays, we're joined by our guy, Chad Brendall. We
talk UC football and basketball and more. His website is
bearcad Journal dot com, where he's got Signing Day covered,
He's got the skyline Chile Crosstown shootout covered, He'll have
the Bowl selection for UC covered, covering a lot, and
(00:27):
he's going to cover some of that stuff with us.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Now, Hi, Chad, Hello, crossover season, it's fun. Let me
tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm sure it is. I'm sure it is a lot
going on.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Is Gisel James gonna play for the Bearcats this season?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I don't think so. That's the word I've gotten is
back around the program, not necessarily like figured in to
be part of the on floor product this year. But
I mean, I think you know as well as I do, Like,
(01:03):
got a coach that's fighting for something we'll see. So
I have been told not to expect him to play.
So in that sense, I don't expect him to play,
but this is college sports and I never rule anything
out anymore.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So we're not expecting him, but we wouldn't be surprised
if he does play.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I think that's probably the most fair assessment of the situation.
You would not see my shock face if we showed
up one day and it was like, just's playing tonight, Okay, what.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
If he played tomorrow?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I would be very surprised by that. To my knowledge,
Like there, he hasn't really practiced with the team since
like June, early July, so I think that would be
pretty surprising.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Okay, assuming then no Jizzle tomorrow. How did the Bearcats
win at the Centas Center for the first time in
twenty four years?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
They defend the three point line because that has been
the most reliable, consistent way X has been scoring since
they kind of readjusted the lineup, And credit to Richard.
I think he's done a fantastic job with this group
to this point because things look really bad, and I
(02:32):
mean they looked bad bad, and they don't look bad
bad anymore. Like I don't think they're jumping up to
compete with Yukon and Saint John's for the top of
the Big East this year. But he's taken a product
that looked like it was going to be a nightmare
and they're winning, Like they're doing some winning things. And
(02:53):
I mean, look you make sixteen threes a game, like
they've done a couple times, things are going to get
a lot easier on the win column. But uh, that's
a big one for me. And I think, you know what,
how does Cincinnati handle a team? I'm gonna it's gonna
be taken as a shot MO and I do not
intend this as a shot at all. Okay, right now,
(03:15):
Xavier's formula is they play a lot like a mid major.
They play five out, they spread you out. They don't
really have a lot of rim presence. They're not playing downhill,
they're not turning over, they're passing the ball well, their
assists numbers are high, and they're making jump shots. And
that's you know that, that's how a mid major like
(03:35):
wins games. Right How does how does Cincinnati defend that
with you know, Mustapha Chom and Bob A. Miller. Xavier's
going to try to drag those guys out on the
floor and make them defend shooters twenty two feet from
the basket. That's going to take away Cincinnati's ability to
protect the rim. They're one of the better two point
defenses in the country in large part because those two
(04:00):
are on the floor. So defensively, how does Cincinnati handle that?
And offensively and like you've got a much better seat
than I do. It has been hard to watch. There's
not a lot of continuity, there's not a lot of
It doesn't seem like there's a lot of trust between
(04:22):
the team. Yet. I thought we saw some signs of improvement.
The ball moved better on Monday night, but it wasn't
for forty minutes, So they got a lot of work
to do and not a lot of time to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I just it doesn't feel like from Game one on
November three to the eve of the Skyline Chili crossdown shootout,
it just doesn't feel like they've improved.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
That's part of the problem, right, Like we've talked about
this a lot over the past past week or so.
We're twenty five percent of the way through the season.
More than twenty five percent of the way through the season.
Where is that? You know, we talk a lot about, Hey,
it's a it's a brand new team, the transfer portal.
You know, they're they're they're doing this, they're doing that,
(05:11):
and then that's to me. By the time you get
into November and December, things should be trending up because
guys have got seven, eight, nine games together, they're a
little bit more comfortable with where everybody likes to shoot
and you know where to move the ball and how
the offense operates. Have we seen that really at all?
(05:32):
I mean not in not in enough consistent stretches to
feel good about it. And you know what I think
it is mo Unfortunately the team hasn't played very hard
and that's concerning that. They played hard against Dayton. They
played hard against Dayton, they played hard against Louisville. What
(05:53):
other of the the eight games could you look at
and say, man, they really they really were getting after
it tonight. I can't think of any.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I just you use the T word trust.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
So this is the first rough environment they're going to
go into, right, and it's going to be a rough
environment if you don't have trust.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
And was kind of a rough Yeah, I digress.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I get it, But I mean team that hasn't developed
that yet.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Good luck winning an environment like that against a team that,
say what you want about their limitations has improved.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
And I think that's where most Bearcat fans are right.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I think it's there, Like I don't know how you
could could legitimately say you feel good about this when
you've watched the ARC for Xavier over eight games or
whatever it is, and you've watched the ARC for Cincinnati
over eight games or whatever, like over eight games, Like,
I don't know how you could look at it and go,
I feel really good about where Cincinnati's act coming into this,
(06:53):
and you know Xavier's got work to do. Yeah, that's
you're lying to yourself if you think that's the situation
right now. Now, maybe Cincinatti comes out and plays really
hard and defends and they make some shots and they
don't look like the two hundred and fourteenth offense in
the country or whatever they're ranked right now, and you know,
(07:15):
we get to Saturday and Friday night and we're like, oh, okay,
that's what we wanted to see.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
But I don't have any faith in that right now,
And I don't know how you could.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
What happens to the intensity of whatever hot seat west
Miller is on if they don't win tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Boy, I mean, you've already lost the Louisville. If you
lose the Xavier, and I know you've paid attention Georgia
and Clemson are playing well, there is a chance you
go one in four in those five games, and then
(07:56):
you got to go into a big twelve that is
not only awesome at the top this year, but the
bottom has performed a lot better than I expected through
the first five weeks. So I would not recommend. And look,
they haven't won there since two thousand and one. I
(08:19):
don't feel great about saying they're going to go in
there and win. But if you're Wes, you have got
to go in there and get this done because it
gets late early if you've lost to Louisville and Xavier
and you've got Georgia and Clemson coming up on home neutral.
But there's going to be more Georgia fans in Atlanta,
there's going to be more Clemson fans in Greenville. Like
(08:43):
you're climbing up a steep, steep hill in December. Like
I said before the season, and I took a lot
of heat for this, I said, you know, when I
when asked if Cincinnati doesn't make the tournament, does West
Miller get fired? And I said, I need to see
what it looks like. I can't answer that question. And
so I know what it looks like. This looks bad
(09:05):
so far. The time to turn it around. Time to
turn it around. Starts tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Agreed, Because if you lose the Xavier.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Who they think that I've been using a Seinfeld reference
lately mo for the UC fan base. The sea was angry,
my friends.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, of course, I mean it's it's what his record
is against Xavier to this point. It's the quality of
the Xavier team that they lost to it sint Us
two years ago, which was not a very good team.
The caliber of the Xavier team now like nothing again.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Again.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I think Richard Patino's done a really nice job with
a team that I watched get destroyed home by Santa Clara,
nearly beating Georgia Housing West Virginia. They run good stuff,
like they're they're training in the right direction, which is
why there is all this unease. But it's not a
very talented, over talented Xavior team. You lose again to him,
on top of losing to Louisville, on top of how
(10:04):
this has looked, your message board is going to be
a dark, dark dark place. Yeah, on Saturday morning. Appreciate
it as always, man, We will talk next week.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Thanks Bob.
Mo Egger News
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