By Marisol Nicholson

3 5 2024

GAME NOTES

https://gobearcats.com/documents/2024/3/4/2023-24_MBB_Game_Notes.pdf

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team, following a thrilling, clutch win over Kansas State on Saturday night, will look to bring its momentum on the road to face Oklahoma on Tuesday night (7 p.m.).

THE RUNDOWN

• On a night in which leading scorer Dan Skillings Jr. was a gameday scratch, Cincinnati opened with six-straight stops (its second Big 12 game opening with a double-kill, also against Oklahoma), and led by as much as 13 before Simas Lukosius nailed the winning trey with 9.9 seconds left.
• It was Lukosius’ second-game winning bucket, also at No. 15 Texas Tech this year. He was one of four Bearcats to score in double-figures, led by John Newman III’s 18. Newman, whose defense is one of the best in the league, was averaging 4.6 ppg over his previous five before his 8-for-12 display.
• Day Day Thomas’ 14 points included a breakaway windmill dunk and five assists to two turnovers, putting him at 11:3 the last two games. He also collected four steals for the fifth time this season. With 49 now, it’s the most by a Bearcat since Gary Clark’s 51 in 2018. Next up from there is Justin Jackson’s 55 in 2014. Thomas is also 49th in KenPom with a 3.9 steal percentage.
• Aziz Bandaogo had a season-high three steals to go with his fifth-straight multi-block game.
• Turnover-wise, the offense’s six matched its season-low (Georgia Tech), while the 19 on defense matched a season-high. K-State’s Tylor Perry went 6-for-8 from deep, a rare sight against the Bearcats’ perimeter defense, while the rest of the Wildcats were 3-for-13 there.
• Cincinnati’s six turnovers came on the heels of 36 over a two-game road swing at TCU and No. 1 Houston, its most in any-such span this season. The Bearcats, who shot a modest 40 percent in the first half, adjusted well when K-State switched to zone in the second to shoot 54.8 percent over the final 20.
• Cincinnati’s defense is 24th in adjusted defensive effiency in KenPom and are 13th nationally with 8.2 rpg.
• With Skillings’ absence last game, only point guards Day Day Thomas and Jizzle James and wing John Newman III have played in every game this season. Most of the rotation has dealt with a blend of two players dealing with two-time transfer eligiblity, lengthy injury (CJ Fredrick, 14 missed games), and one-offs of Skillings, Viktor Lakhin and Simas Lukosius. Lakhin exited early against KSU due to injury and Newman went down with a midsection blow in the final 2 minutes in a 2-point game at WVU.
• Thomas and Jizzle James (season-high 28 minutes) shared the floor for a season-high 19:17 against KSU, an emergence over the past three games (8:58 at Houston, 14:57 at TCU). It was sparingly used since Dec. 16.

SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati is 4-3 against the Sooners, winning four in a row before a 69-65 home defeat on Jan. 20.
• Oklahoma was held scoreless on the first six possessions, but Cincinnati only held a 4-0 lead despite three blocks during its intense defensive display, and it allowed the Sooners to stay in the game.
• Oklahoma led by 9 in the second half, but the Bearcats got within 65-62 with 28 seconds left after four-straight foul shots.
• John Newman III had 14 points to go with four steals, while Simas Lukosius took 12 of the team’s 26 three-point attempts and finished with 17 with seven rebounds.
• The most recent non-conference matchup came in downtown Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center in 2011, completing a neutral home-and-home series.
• Oklahoma guard La’Tre Darthard was teammates with Aziz Bandaogo at Utah Valley last year, playing against the Bearcats in an NIT matchup.

LUKOSIUS: MR. CLUTCH

• Three of UC’s Big 12 wins have come with Simas Lukosius nailing the game-winner or an equally-impressive dagger in the final seconds.
• His pull-up jumper with 21 seconds left at No. 15 Texas Tech gave UC a 73-72 lead, and after a Red Raider miss, John Newman III was all alone in the backcourt to stall time before a dunk with 2 seconds left to close the 75-72 win.
• At UCF, Lukosius drove baseline and hit a tough layup to make it a 3-point game in that eventual victory.
• Finally, in a pivotal game for the Bearcats against K-State, he nailed an NBA-range, top-of-the-key triple over his defender with 9.9 seconds left to put UC ahead and win, 74-72. Even better, it came with his family in attendance.

LUKOSIUS: WINNING TIME IN NYC

• Reggie Miller isn’t the only player to come into Madison Square Garden and leave with a heroic performance.
• Lukosius scored 12 of his then-career-high 27 points in overtime of his Big East Tournament debut, leading Butler to an 89-82 win in 2022 as a freshman. His defensive rebound and succeeding free-throws with 4 seconds left extended it to OT as well.

SEVEN-NATION SIMAS

• Lukosius, by virtue of his father’s coaching career, has lived in seven countries: Lithuania, Russia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Germany, Bahrain and the United States.

COURTESY CINCINNATI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS