By Skip Coopersmith

2 10 2024

GAME NOTES

https://gobearcats.com/documents/2024/2/8/2023-24_MBB_Game_Notes.pdf

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team is geared up for another sellout, this time against No. 5 Houston on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2. Fans are asked to wear BLACK for Neon Night and to arrive early due to high traffic. One benefit is $5 Cincy Light beer and $3 pretzels and hot dogs up to 30 minutes before tip-off.

THE RUNDOWN

• Simas Lukosius’ pull-up from inside the elbow with 21 ticks left served as Cincinnati’s game-winner Saturday at No. 15 Texas Tech, its first home loss after starting 11-0. Big 12 teams are now 0-9 after facing UC.
• Dan Skillings Jr.’s 14 points at Texas Tech (with three blocks to boot) marked his fourth-straight game in double-figures, the longest of his career. UC is 15-3 (11-3 this year) when the sophomore does so. He has also overtaken the team scoring lead in overall (12.1) and Big 12 (13.4) scoring.
• Skillings has risen to the hype, seeing improvements of 6.8 ppg and 2.8 rpg from his freshman year. He is averaging 17.0 ppg in his four starts, all in Big 12 play, while his two highest-scoring games were off the bench (25 vs. NKU, 29 vs. Stetson).
• John Newman III was purely a game-time decision to play at TTU due to a late midsection injury at West Virginia. He responded with 11 points and lockdown defense in holding Pop Isaacs to 5-of-19 shooting.
• Newman, a master’s grad, currently boasts career-highs in scoring (10.0 ppg), shooting (51.6 percent), 3-point shooting (35.4 percent) and rebounds (5.3). The 51.6 FG% is up 11.1 from his 2021-22 season after playing only one game last year.
• Cincinnati ranks 10th in rebounding margin (9.7), losing that battle only twice this year (TCU, Oklahoma), and that figure includes ranking 10th on the offensive glass with 14.3 per game.
• Those offensive boards have paved the way for an offense that has been short-handed all year. Cincinnati’s 7.3 treys per game are the fewest by a Wes Miller team since 2014-15, yet the Bearcats have built success behind what also has been the No. 17 defensive effiency in KenPom.
• Cincinnati’s defense is fifth in Big 12 play for scoring defense (68.2 ppg) and field-goal defense (42.2). It still maintains the honor of holding BYU and Baylor to its season scoring lows, both in its home arenas.
• The Bearcats exorcised some free-throw struggles in Lubbock, going 10-for-10 at the line. It was the program’s first perfect game on 10 or more makes since 2006. Fifth Third Arena has also been kind to its home team on the shooting end, as UC is 37.3 percent from deep and averaging 80.1 ppg with its 12-2 record.
• A win would be Cincinnati’s highest-ranked since beating No. 2 Syracuse in the 2012 Big East Tournament. It would also be the fourth over a ranked team, the most since having four in 2013-14.

SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati leads the all-time series 33-14, and the two teams’ 125 AAC wins are tied for the league record.
• The two teams were in the Missouri Valley together from 1956-60, then Conference USA from 1996-05 before becoming charter AAC members from 2013-23.
• The Bearcats also won 27 of the first 28 meetings (1957-2016). These now-Big 12 foes faced each other in three-straight AAC Championship games, with UC coming out on top in 2018 and 2019. The two teams were also the top seeds in 2020, but the tourney never began due to COVID-19. UH won in the 2021 clash.
• Cincinnati was close to knocking off the No. 3 Cougars in their home arena last year, falling 75-69 after it was tied with 1:21 left. UC reeled off a 16-0 run early in the game to lead 19-6.
• The teams met again in the AAC Semifinals in Fort Worth, but Houston turned around its defensive fortunes to hold Cincinnati to 26 percent from the field in a 69-48 win.
• Viktor Lakhin averaged 15.5 ppg on 52.4 percent shooting in the two regular-season meetings.

COURTESY UC SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS