Cincinnati Bearcats Senior Guard Sean Kilpatrick Leading The Way.

Feb 6, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Sean Kilpatrick (23) brings the ball down court in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at FifthThird Arena. Cincinnati defeated UConn 63-58. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Bearcats senior guard Sean Kilpatrick did not want Thursday night’s game to be billed as a showdown between him and Connecticut senior and leader scorer Shabazz Napier, despite both being American Athletic Conference player of the year candidates.

“I’m playing to win, not to outscore anyone, Kilpatrick said. “I don’t care about points. I’m just doing my job.” That’s what leaders do. The only thing that matters to me is the final score.”

Kilpatrick scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and 6 assists, as No. 7 Cincinnati defeated No. 22 Connecticut 63-58 in front of a ruckus 12,000 + fans at Fifth Third Arena last night.

“We’re on a mission.” Kilpatrick said. “To get where we want to go we need to win big games like this.”

There was not much that Kilpatrick did not do. He posted a double-double, hit five three pointers. He also went 5-7 from the free throw line.

“One mark of a great player is that they rise to the occasion, head coach Mick Cronin said. “I think Kilpatrick should be a candidate for the Wooden Award. But I might be biased.

Kilpatrick had a momentum shift play. He controlled a loose ball and sprinted in for a dunk that brought the roof off the arena, and brought the Bearcats to within three at 46-43 with 9:05 left.

While Kilpatrick, nears the end of his time at the University of Cincinnati, let’s just enjoy this special ride him and the team are doing.

No time to celebrate this win, Bearcats have a tough road game at SMU tomorrow night at 7:30pm on ESPNU. The mustangs are undefeated at the Moody Coliseum and their fans chanted after their win last night over Temple saying “We want Cincy!” Expect a rock fight battle in Dallas tomorrow night.