EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tony Bobbitt was recruited to score. He was supposed to be a big-time shooter. Making 3-pointers was his game.

	Tony Bobbitt celebrates after draining one of his six 3-pointers.

Cincinnati expected him to replace Steve Logan's scoring. He was supposed to be a 20-point scorer like Logan. The Bearcats demanded it of him.

He finally delivered on his potential Tuesday night.

Bobbitt scored a career-high 29 points in 23 minutes in a shocking 77-52 victory over No. 5 Oregon in the nightcap of the Jimmy V Classic at the Meadowlands.

Bobbitt came off the bench to make six 3s, all five of his free throws and even came up with two steals. He was everywhere he needed to be on the court. When he was open, he took the shot. When he was on defense, he went for a steal or a tip. He dove into a press table midway through the second half, even when the Bearcats were up 30.

"I knew if you don't dive for loose balls, you sit on the bench,'' Bobbitt said. "Once I hit that first 3, I knew I could be on.''

Bobbitt scored 19 in the first half, including four 3s, all after entering this game with a total of 28 points in his first six games. Bobbitt was playing scared prior to Tuesday but against Oregon, he pumped his chest. He showed emotion. He gave the Bearcats the offensive energy they were lacking in the first six games.

"That's why we recruited him,'' Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "Tony had it in him.''

Surprised?

Well, Huggins was certainly stunned by the score. He said he wouldn't have believed it if he didn't attend the game.

Cincinnati's defense locked up the Lukes of Oregon with Ridnour and Jackson finishing 7-of-23 shooting for a combined 19 points after averaging a combined 39. Oregon shot only 18.5 percent on 3s. The Ducks were knocked back on their heels. No one had taken it to Oregon defensively, thus far. Not Kansas. Not Pepperdine. No one.

Oregon coach Ernie Kent was certainly shocked, by the result and Bobbitt. The Ducks didn't expect Bobbitt to go off on them. Cincinnati did; well, the Bearcats thought he would at some point this season.

The question had been, when?

Bobbitt averaged 12.3 minutes a game through the first six. He averaged only 4.7 points, making only seven out of 26 3s (26.9 percent). Those weren't the numbers the Bearcats expected when they signed him out of the College of Southern Idaho. Bobbitt was supposed to deliver big numbers when he came out of Daytona Beach High in Florida. He was a big-time signee for former Florida State coach Steve Robinson, but Bobbitt couldn't get eligible and made his way to CSI before he was given another chance at D-I ball by Cincinnati.

Bobbitt said "everyone makes mistakes.'' He said he learned from not taking care of his academic business. He was educated early by Huggins, too. He found out that he couldn't feel sorry for himself if he missed shots in practice or in games.

"There was nothing wrong with him, but he was afraid to make mistakes,'' Cincinnati associate head coach Dan Peters said. "I kept telling him to go out and play. He was so nervous to make a mistake. But what you saw is why we recruited him. We thought he would be the guy. But this is the first time he's done it. That's how he should be playing all of the time, but he hasn't been the last three or four weeks. He was playing like that in pickup games a few months ago.''

Cincinnati was looking for someone to be a big-time scorer, someone to make big shots. Logan was the Bearcats' crutch for the past two seasons. Cincinnati wasn't worried about defense; the Bearcats defended through the first six games, limiting teams to 56.3 points on sub-40 percent shooting. Xavier beat Cincinnati but scored only 60 points and shot 17.4 percent on 3s, 38.9 percent overall. Dayton beat Cincinnati and did go off with 15 3s. But that game was early and it was on the road.

The Bearcats and Huggins still felt comfortable that they could get production out of their post with Jason Maxiell producing double figures. Leonard Stokes, Field Williams and Taron Barker were able defenders on the perimeter. But none of them are go-to scorers right now.

We'll see if Bobbitt can sustain his newfound success when the Bearcats go to undefeated Clemson on Sunday. If he can, then the Bearcats may have the missing piece they need to once again be the team to beat in Conference USA. Marquette is still the favorite, but Cincinnati just got new life on its season.

"It's hard to replace Steve Logan, but all of us can score,'' Bobbitt said.

"We didn't do anything on Bobbitt in the first half,'' Kent said. "He got hot. We didn't pick him up once he got rolling. He had a spectacular game and I'm sure Bob would say it was the best he played all year. He was dead-on with his 3s. It really did catch us by surprise that he shot so well.''

Oregon, which got its statement win over Kansas in Portland but could use one on the road, helped Cincinnati find itself Tuesday night. The Bearcats discovered they've got a big-time talent in Bobbitt. Until Tuesday night, he wasn't prepared for the leap from JC to D-I.

Bobbitt has arrived, but the question remains: Will he have staying power or be a one-game wonder?

If he's here to stay, so is Cincinnati.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.