The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 33

INSIDE Coverage of the Cincinnati Classic boys' basketball games, CIO SECTION 4 SUNDAY, DECEMBER E3, 007 rww9sw -wwtM. pMfWrl PapaJohns.com Bowl UC 31, Southern Miss 21 Close, but no win for Xavier Muskies' late lead can't last vs. No. 12 Vols Reds insider Bedard's price tag remains too steep Reds might prefer less costly option The Josh Hamilton trade doesn't mean the Reds are out of the race to get Erik Bedard. But it does mean they're much less likely to get him.

The Orioles have backed off their demand for Jay Bruce. But they still want three top prospects proba I As I f.X 4 bly Homer Bailey, Joey Votto and Johnny Cue-to for Bedard. As much as the XT VJ: )pr hid st i Keas want to LfNjl win in 2008, AiJt The Enquirer Jeff Swinger UC players douse head coach Brian Kelly after the Bearcats' 31-21 victory over Southern Mississippi in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. It was the Bearcats' third straight victory in a bowl game and second under Kelly, who took over before the International Bowl in January. Bats opy (Mi By Dustin Dow ddowUenquirer.com If satisfaction can come from exerting valiant effort, even after losing a second straight game, then Xavier can be satisfied today.

But this is major-college basketball, and there often is little reward for a well-played loss, no matter how talented the opponent. Senior guard Stanley Bur-rell, the most emotive of Xavi-ers players, waved his arms to Cintas Center fans and pounded his chest in celebration during Saturday's game against No. 12 Tennessee. But about an hour later, Bur-rell sat on a press conference stage, wiping his hand over his face in frustration, while trying to explain how Xavier let a late-game lead and an opportunity to regain a national ranking disappear in an 82-75 loss to the Volunteers. "If you're up four points with 3:41 to go, you don't lose like that," Burrell said.

"You don't blow games like that, not when you're on a mission and you're trying to win a championship. This is a hard one to swallow." Tennessee made it that way with its vaunted pressure that coach Bruce Pearl called on intermittently. Xavier handled it imperfectly but well enough to lead the game 73r69 when the teams went to the sidelines for a timeout with 3:47 left in the game. Xavier (8-3) was less than four minutes from its second victory against a Top 25 team, a result that would look sterling to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Tennessee was less than four minutes from losing its second game of the season.

rati tte toppi John 1S too steep a price Fay to pay. The Reds will continue to pursue a veteran to add to the rotation, but it looks like they'll aim lower than Bedard, the left-hander who was 13-5 with a 3.19 ERA for the Orioles last season. As good as Bedard was, I don't give up Cueto and Bailey in any deal for him. Bedard can leave as a free agent after 2009. Even if he re-signs, it's going to be at a steep price.

If Bailey and Cueto develop into what they're projected to be, they'll be good for a long time and they'll be relatively cheap for the next five years. So unless the Orioles back off their demands for Bedard, the Reds are likely to settle for a veteran who is less costly. Cleveland's Cliff Lee is said to be available in a trade, as is Oakland's Joe Blanton. Free agents like Jon lieber, Josh Fogg and Dvan Hernandez are still out there. But the Reds aren't going to mortgage the future in terms of giving up young players in a trade or tying up a lot of payroll for a second-tier free agent So there's a decent chance the Reds will go to spring training with what they've got: Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and the Question Marks.

V- 1 I Victory seals 10-win season, likely 1st spot in final Top 25 By Bill Koch bkoch9enquirer.com BIRMINGHAM, Ala. After studying the Southern Miss defense and seeing how the Golden Eagles put so many players near the line of scrimmage to stop the run, University of Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly knew what had to be done Saturday. "We were comfortable if we had to throw it 50, 60, 70 times," Kelly said. "We were prepared to throw the ball on each and every down if we had to." They didn't have to throw on every down, but quarterback Ben Mauk did heave a career-high 52 passes, completing 30 of them for 334 yards and four touchdowns to lead the 20th-ranked Bearcats to a 31-21 victory over Southern Miss in the PapaJohns.com Bowl before 35,258 fans at Legion Field. Shaking off shoulder pain, Mauk delivers MVP numbers By Bill Koch bkochenquirer.com BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

Ben Mauk said it with a straight face. There was never any doubt he was going to play in the Papajohns Bowl against Southern Miss on Saturday, even though he left the field during pregame warmups and returned to the locker room. "I was warming up and then I had to go to the bathroom," Mauk said, "so I ran in and then I came back and I felt a lot better." If only it were that simple. To hear UC coach Brian Kelly tell it, there were serious doubts about whether Mauk would be able to play after the pain in his surgically repaired right shoulder flared up. "We sent him back in during pregame because he couldn't throw the football," Kelly said.

See XAVIER, Page C8 See REDS, Page C3 DIM THE REDS Next for XU Xavier vs. Delaware State, 7 p.m. Friday Paul Daugherty column: Losses to teams like Tennessee better than easy wins. C8 More college basketballC8-9 UK wins, but coach Billy Gillispie not entirely happy. Miami Red Hawks fall to No.

3 Kansas. UC hopes to build on progress today against N.C. State. The Enquirer Jeff Swinger Ben Mauk eludes Matavlus Prince to throw for a first down. "He's a slippery little guy," Southern Miss' Matthew Chatelain said.

See MAUK, PageC4 See UC, Page C4 INSI0E: Full page of coverage from the PapaJohns.com Bowl, C4 ONLINE: Photo gallery and fan faces from UC's victory at Cincinnati.Com Bengals the hurdle in Browns' best path to playoffs Bengals vs. Browns Klckofh 1 p.m. today, Paul Brown Stadium TV: CBS Hey kids, is David Ross your favorite Red? Draw and color a picture of him or another Red and share it with The Enquirer. Please include your name, age and a way we can reach you. Mail artwork to The Enquirer sports department Draw the Reds, 312 Elm Cincinnati, OH, 45202.

Or e-mail it to drawthereds yahoo.com. Radio: WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (1530), W0FX-FM (92.5) Inside: Preview, plus more NFL, C5-7 game. We can just come out and swing all over the place and really have fun with it and just try to knock these guys off the pedestal they're on right now." Recent Bengals-Browns series history and poorly ranked defenses would suggest a high-scoring game. Temperatures should be mild for late December, with highs in the mid-40s. Showers could slow the offenses more than the defenses.

The Bengals, a disappointing 5-9 and long out of playoff contention, promise to play loose and relaxed. "It's an exciting game for us to play because we have nothing to lose," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We're coming out firing on all cylinders and really playing like we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. "Cleveland's in a spot where they have everything to lose. They have to win this By Mark Curnutte mcurnutteenquirer.com In 2003, the Bengals entered their final game needing to defeat Cleveland that afternoon at home and watch Pittsburgh win at Baltimore that night.

Neither would happen. Today at Paul Brown Stadium, the roles are somewhat reversed. Cleveland is in the playoffs if it defeats the Bengals or Tennessee loses at home to the Jets. "Our goal is to make it hard for them and easier for Tennessee," Bengals wide receiver J. Houshmandzadeh said of the Browns.

The pressure is on the Browns, even though they are likely to have a healthy following of fans at the game. If the Bengals win, the Browns could beat the 49ers on the final day of the regular season, finish 10-6 and still miss the playoffs. They would lose tiebreakers to Tennessee and Jacksonville. All three teams would finish 10-6 if the Jaguars lose their last two and the Titans win their last two, and all three would be 7-5 in the AFC. The Jaguars and Titans would have better records against common opponents.

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