UC coach Cronin previews AAC basketball race/ Tom Groeschen
Top University of Cincinnati basketball scorer Jacob Evans III and his teammates realize that the fun is now over, more or less.
No more pleasure cruises against teams such as Savannah State, Coppin State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. For the No. 21-ranked Bearcats (11-2), the grind gets substantially tougher as American Athletic Conference play begins Sunday (4 p.m.) when Memphis (9-4) visits Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena.
"We know conference play is a different level," said Evans, a junior guard who leads UC with a 13.