Remember when ... Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson scored 43 points vs. KU in NCAAs?
One can envision a men’s basketball rivalry developing between Kansas and new Big 12 addition Cincinnati in coming seasons as the Bearcats settle into their new conference.
That’s mainly because both programs are rich in hoops tradition.
KU, the second-winningest program of all time, has won NCAA Tournament titles in 1952, 1988, 2008 and 2022. Cincinnati, the 12th-winningest program throughout history, won NCAA Tourney crowns back-to-back in 1960-61 and 1961-62.
Thus far, the two teams, which will meet at 8 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse (ESPN), have met just seven times throughout history with Cincinnati leading the series of games, 4-3.
The last meeting was in the Great Eight event in Chicago on Dec. 5, 1996. KU, which was ranked No. 1 in the country, tripped the No. 4 Bearcats 72-65.
An even more compelling game in the series came on March 12, 1960, in Manhattan, Kansas. The Bearcats defeated KU in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional finals, 82-71. Yes, that loss prevented coach Dick Harp’s Jayhawks from a berth in the 1960 Final Four.
Here’s a look at those two memorable contests as the teams (KU is 15-3, 3-2 Big 12; Cincy is 13-5, 2-3) prepare to meet for the first time as members of the Big 12.
Cincinnati 82, Kansas 71, March 12, 1960, Manhattan, Kansas
Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson scored 43 points on 19-of-30 shooting. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Robertson also pulled down 14 rebounds in an epic performance.
The Jayhawks, who led 42-40 at halftime, were led by Bill Bridges and Wayne Hightower, who scored 22 points apiece.
The 6-6, 230-pound Bridges hit 8 of 14 shots and was 6-of-7 from the line with nine rebounds. The 6-8, 190-pound Hightower was 8-of-24 shooting and 6-of-7 from the line with nine rebounds.
Jerry Gardner, a 5-11 KU guard, scored 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting with six rebounds. Al Correll, a 6-3 guard, scored 11 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting (3-of-4 from the line).
Robertson was not a one-man show, but definitely the star of the Bearcat team. Paul Hogue scored 11 points in the regional final with 10 rebounds, while Ralph Davis and Larry Willey had eight points apiece.
Earlier that season, Robertson scored a school record 62 points versus North Texas State. Robertson claimed national player of the year honors for the third straight year in leading Cincinnati to its third straight Missouri Valley title.
The Bearcats, coached by George Smith, made their second straight trip to the Final Four, losing to California 77-69 in the semifinals. Robertson was just 4-of-16 shooting, good for 18 points, in that setback after torching KU the previous game.
Robertson holds the record for most points scored in a game in Allen Fieldhouse. The opponent was not the hometown Jayhawks. He scored a fieldhouse-best 56 points on 21-of-36 shooting in a 97-62 win over Arkansas in an NCAA Tournament contest on March 15, 1958. He hit 14 of 16 free throws.
Kansas 72, Cincinnati 65, Dec. 5, 1996, Chicago
The Bearcats raced to a 35-23 halftime lead over the top-ranked Jayhawks, stunning a crowd of 21,062 in a Great Eight contest at the United Center.
KU’s Paul Pierce scored 15 points in the second half and finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Scot Pollard had 14 points and seven rebounds. Billy Thomas scored nine points, while Raef LaFrentz, Jerod Haase and Ryan Robertson each scored eight points.
Cincinnati was led by Danny Fortson, who scored 25 points. He was 11-of-15 from the free throw line. Damon Flint had 12 points and Ruben Patterson 11 for Cincy.
KU point guard Jacque Vaughn missed the contest because of a wrist injury.
“The second-half (performance) gives coaching too much credit. It wasn’t a very pleasant halftime talk, but I think it boiled down to we played our basketball game in the second half,” KU coach Roy Williams said after the game.
“In the first half we were too tentative. They were more aggressive. They were quicker to the rebounds, quicker to the loose balls. We dropped passes. We kicked it off our foot out of bounds. We turned around and handed it to them, and we were not very intense in the first half. Then in the second half I thought we were totally opposite. We were very intense. We even had some plays that weren’t successful but still we were right there with them.
“Fortson had 16 points at halftime and just about fouled out our whole team. Danny’s a heck of a player, and what I like about him is he’s not a prima donna. He’s a guy that brings his lunch pail. He works for his stuff. He doesn’t talk trash. He just plays his butt off.”
Cincy was coached by Hall of Famer Bob Huggins, who was not pleased his team was outscored 49-30 the final half.
“I told our guys, ‘Roy is a great coach, and that’s a great team. If you think they’ll lay down, they won’t.’ We didn’t match their emotion. They took us out of what we wanted to do in the second half,” Huggins said. “Kansas deserves to be the No. 1 team. They’ve got a great coach and great players. They took the fight to us. In the second half we didn’t respond.”
The other results in the KU-Cincy all-time series …
Cincinnati 56, Kansas 54, Dec. 15, 1949, in Cincinnati; Cincinnati 64, Kansas 49, Dec. 15, 1962, in Lawrence; Kansas 51, Cincinnati 47, Dec. 7, 1963, in Cincinnati; Cincinnati 76, Kansas 72, Dec. 17, 1964, in Cincinnati; KU 64, Cincinnati 61, Dec. 15, 1967, in Lawrence.
