Cincinatti Dana Oneil Jan

 Sean Kilpatrick is the most critical piece of the Cincinnati puzzle.

Not long ago, Kilpatrick was the epicenter of trouble. It was his comments on a Cincinnati radio show that reportedly lit the fuse to what would become the ugly brawl between Xavier and the Bearcats. Kilpatrick said he didn’t believe Tu Holloway would even start for Cincinnati, a nasty enough dissing to get Holloway’s tongue wagging during the game and ultimately, mayhem to ensue.

Now he’s the epicenter of the Bearcats’ turnaround. Cincinnati has won 10 of 11 since that ugly fight, losing only to St. John’s on a buzzer-beater. In those 10 games, Kilpatrick is averaging 17.7 points and kept the Bearcats afloat while Yancy Gates served his suspension.

It was Kilpatrick who hit the game-winning 3 against Connecticut, Kilpatrick who sunk a career-high 27 to beat Georgetown, and Kilpatrick whose 40 percent shooting from the arc will be absolutely critical against top-ranked Syracuse on Monday.