Marcus Sikes' role

You need look no further than Marcus Sikes to gauge the improvement this year in the UC basketball team. Last year, when Sikes was pressed into service as a center after Adam Hrycaniuk and Hernol Hall were declared ineligible by the NCAA, Sikes averaged 29.2 minutes per game, with 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. This year, his minutes are down to 15.8 per game and he’s averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds. And he’s no longer being forced to guard opposiong post players.

"He's become a role player," Mick Cronin said, "which is probablywhat his talent dictates playing at the highest level in the Big East. Marcus struggles shooting the ball and he doesn't have great athleticism. "He's tried to help us in any way he can, which I think embodies our team’s attitude this year, but there’s obviously a lesser role for him. There's a reason why we’re better. It's because we're not playing a 6-6 guy (actually Sikes is listed at 6-8) at center who’s not very athletic. We’re using him in the role he needs to be in coming off the bench."