March 05, 2021

CINCINNATI (9-10, 7-6 AAC)
at  EAST CAROLINA (8-9, 2-9 AAC)
Sunday, Mar. 7 // 1 p.m. ET
Minges Coliseum // Greenville, N.C.
SERIES INFO: 17th meeting; Cincinnati leads 14-2 overall; Cincinnati leads 8-0 at home and 6-2 in Greenville, N.C.,
STREAK: Cincinnati – 2
LAST YEAR’S MEETINGS: Cincinnati won 82-57 on Jan. 19, 2020 in Cincinnati and 
70-67 in overtime on Feb. 16, 2020 in Greenville, N.C.
COACHES: John Brannen – second season at Cincinnati (29-20); sixth season overall (111-72)
Joe Dooley – seventh season at East Carolina (86-101); 12th season overall (200-158)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (MAR. 1): Cincinnati (–/–); East Carolina (–/–)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN+; Chris Edwards provides play-by-play with color analyst Jay Sonnhalter
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB

GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (9-10, 6-6 American) wraps up regular-season play Sunday at East Carolina (8-9, 2-9). Tipoff is 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+. 
• The Bearcats are coming off a 78-64 home loss to Vanderbilt on Thursday. Keith Williams led UC with 20 points and a season-high three 3-pointers. Mika Adams-Woods tied a career-high with 16 points. Jeremiah Davenport added 15 points with a trio of threes, six rebounds and five assists. 
• The game was scheduled when SMU couldn’t play at UC on Thursday due to COVID-19 protocols within the program. 
• ECU fell short at home to UCF on Thursday, 64-60. Jayden Gardner and Tristen Newton scored 18 points each to lead the Pirates. 
• UC and ECU were to meet on Jan. 13 at Fifth Third Arena but COVID-19 issues within the Bearcats’ program canceled the game. 
• UC holds a 14-2 lead in the series with ECU, including a pair of wins last season. 
• UP NEXT: UC begins play in the AAC Championship, Mar. 11-14, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. 

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• Preseason AAC First Team honoree Keith Williams entered Friday ranked sixth in the AAC in scoring, averaging 14.9 points. Over the past four games he is averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 blocks.  
• Williams became the 54th member of UC’s 1,000-point club at Tulane (2/7) with a game-high 20 points against the Green Wave. He enters the ECU game with 1,109 career points, ranking 40th in school history. 
• Jeremiah Davenport was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 56.3 percent (18 of 32) from the field and 50 percent (9 of 18) from 3-point range for the week. 
• Davenport ranks among AAC leaders in 3-pointers per game (8th at 1.9), field goal percentage (11th at .464), 3-point field goal percentage (15th at .367), and points (17th at 11.2). He is averaging 15.2 points with a team-best 14 3-pointers over the last five games.
• Mika Adams-Woods has scored in double figures in each of the last three games, averaging 14.0 points while shooting 56 percent (14 of 25) from the floor with 10 assists. He matched a career-high with 16 points against Tulane (2/26) and Vanderbilt (3/4). 
• In November, CBS Sports named Cincinnati the 10th greatest college basketball program since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 

WBB BEARCAT HAS BIG GAME AT ECU 

• IImar’I Thomas (first name pronounced ee-MAR-ee) of the UC women’s basketball team had a huge game when the Bearcats visited ECU on Feb. 24, 2021. The senior forward scored a school- and AAC-record 51 points in a 76-61 UC victory. 
• The 51-point performance still ranks as the most points scored in a game by a men’s or women’s Division I basketball player this season. She joins Oscar Robertson as the only players in UC history to score 50 or more points in a game. Robertson eclipsed 50 points in a game six times. His last was a school-record 62-point showing against North Texas in 1960.
• Thomas went 20 of 27 from the field, 11 of 13 from the foul line, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out four assists against the Pirates. 
• She earned USBWA National Player of the Week accolades for the accomplishment.

TIP-INS

• WILLIAMS SIXTH IN AAC IN SCORING: Preseason AAC First Team honoree Keith Williams entered Friday ranked sixth in the AAC in scoring, averaging 14.9 points. 
• Over the past four games he is averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 blocks. He scored a game-high 24 points with a career-best six assists at Tulsa (2/25), tallied 20 points with a season-best three 3-pointers vs Vanderbilt (3/4) and poured in 19 points with six assists vs Memphis (2/28). 
• Williams has led the Bearcats in scoring in 10 games this season. He scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five rebounds against Furman (12/9).
• Williams became the 54th member of UC’s 1,000-point club at Tulane (2/7) with a game-high 20 points against the Green Wave. He enters the ECU game with 1,109 career points, ranking 40th in school history. 
• Williams was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll following his performance against UCF (12/22). He posted his first career double-double with a team-high 19 points and game-best 10 rebounds against the Knights.
• DAVENPORT NAMED TO AAC HONOR ROLL: Sophomore guard Jeremiah Davenport was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 56.3 percent (18 of 32) from the field and 50 percent (9 of 18) from 3-point range. 
• He tallied a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting with four triples and five assists against Tulane (2/26) and posted 14 points with four threes and seven rebounds at Tulsa (2/24).
• Davenport ranks among the AAC leaders in 3-pointers per game (8th at 1.9), field goal percentage (11th at .464), 3-point field goal percentage (15th at .367), and points (17th at 11.2).
• In his first career start against SMU (1/7), Davenport posted his first career double-double with 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds while hitting a trio of 3-pointers.
• Davenport is averaging 15.2 points with a team-best 14 3-pointers over the last five games. For the season, he ranks second on the team, averaging 11.2 points to go with 4.8 rebounds. He’s shooting 46.4 percent (78 of 168) from the floor with a team-best 36 3-pointers. 
• ADAMS-WOODS’ LAST THREE GAMES: UC sophomore guard Mika Adams-Woods has scored in double figures in each of the last three games, averaging 14.0 points while shooting 56 percent (14 of 25) from the floor with 10 assists. He matched a career-high with 16 points against Tulane (2/26) and Vanderbilt (3/4). 
• He was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 15. He averaged a team-best 12.5 points during the week while shooting 50 percent from both the field (8 of 16) and 3-point range (5 of 10) and averaging 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals two weeks ago helping UC to a pair of wins.
• EASON REGISTERS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Freshman Tari Eason posted his first collegiate double-double against Tulane (2/26) with a career-high 20 points and career-high 13 rebounds to go with three blocks. He finished 8 of 8 from the field with a 3-pointer. Eason, who has led UC in rebounds in eight games this season, ranks among the AAC leaders in blocked shots (4th at 1.2), offensive rebounds (7th at 2.1) and rebounds (11th at 5.5).

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA

• East Carolina played its first game in 24 days Thursday when it fell at home to UCF, 64-60. The Pirates have played 11 AAC games this season, the fewest in the league.
• Jayden Gardner is the only AAC player to rank in the 
• Top 5 in points (first at 18.1) and rebounds (second at 8.5). He has scored 20 or more points in five of the last six games. 

COURTESY UC SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS