Macon looks to clean up mess at Binghamton

"And then they'll be nights like tonight, when they have a chance to steal some games," he said. "Hopefully along the way, they'll steal some of those games to keep them believing and keep them fighting. But the challenge will be on those long nights, when they don't play well and they don't have a lot of answers on the bench and they run into a team that does play really well. They're going to get blown out here and there. But there's no sign that they've stopped playing. If they can continue to do that, they'll find a way to win some games."

None of the Bearcats came out of the locker room to discuss the game, the state of the team or even the choice of movies on the bus. In fact, Macon himself has been standoffish with the press to some degree. When he does stand still for an interview, he steers clear of the controversy the program has been steeped in and keeps it simple. "What it comes down to is just being yourself," he said. "From day to day, we are showing progress. We are improving."

Is that lack of depth Dempsey spoke of going to be a problem?

Macon grinned and said no.

"You only play seven or eight guys anyway and we have seven or eight guys that we play," he said. "Our walk-ons give us extremely good practices. If need be, they can get out there on the floor and hold their own. It may not look great, but they can hold their own."

Exactly how Macon will be judged at the end of the season is hard to say. Chaney hopes that, in light of the circumstances, it would be on more than just wins and losses, and that it would have something to do with how well the players comported themselves. "Then I think Mark will do well in that regard, if they use some other measurement than just winning," Chaney said. "Because he is not going to win games to any significant degree this year. He has to get his own players."

Still . . .

The Bearcats did beat Bloomsburg.

And Arkansas-Monticello.

Even Bucknell.

Chaney laughed.

"An old coach used to say, if you have a mouse running around the house, go get the biggest thing you can find and crush them," Chaney said. "The point is that regardless of who the wins come against, it is important for them to find a way to win something."

Macon shrugged and said, "It just takes time." *