By Henry Rawn

2 8 2025

UC GAME NOTES

https://gobearcats.com/documents/2025/2/6/2024-25_Game_Notes_vs._BYU.pdf

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team is looking to stay in the win column when it hosts BYU on Saturday night at 6 p.m.

THE RUNDOWN

• Day Day Thomas’ season-high 20 points, which included 18 in the first half, led UC to a huge 93-83 win at UCF. The Bearcats’ 58.5 percent shooting was its best in a Big 12 game this year, and it matched a season-high 56 points in the paint. UC improved to 12-1 when leading at the half, and the 43-point jump from game-to-game was its highest since 2014 (45 at UConn, 97 vs. Memphis).
• Wes Miller postgame: “I think they did a good job resetting this week. I think sometimes people can perceive what they watch in a game in different ways. The thing I’ve noticed is we’ve been carrying too much on our shoulders, whether it’s pressure individually, as a team or wanting it too bad.”
• Dillon Mitchell’s 19 was a season-high as well, in front of numerous family and friends in his Florida return. He had only 17 over the prior three games combined. He exited briefly after an awkward fall on a layup attempt but returned and at full go. His nine field goals matched a career-high set last year against national champion UConn. Mitchell is UC’s leader in rebounding (6.6 per game) and steals (33).
• Arrinten Page, nursing a foot injury, played 33 seconds in Mitchell’s absence after only four minutes Sunday.
• Aziz Bandaogo’s 16 points were his most in a Big 12 game. UC is now 13-2 when he scores in double-figures, including 7-1 this year. He also upped his free-throw improvement from last year to 10.4 percent.
• Jizzle James scored seven-straight points in two minutes down the stretch to help ice it. Of the two games he has had with no field goals (the first against Xavier, though he made two free-throws on the final possession to extend the lead to 3), he returned with 14 against No. 22 Dayton and 15 at UCF, both wins.
• Cincinnati is 8-1 when Simas Lukosius scores 14 or more points, and the only loss was at BYU. His seven at UCF put UC at 1-5 this year and 4-10 over the last two years when he is held to single-digits.
• Tyler Betsey has returned to early-season form. The freshman was 11-for-20 from deep his first five games, and after starting 2-of-15 in Big 12 play, he is 5-of-11 the last three games to provide a valuable spark.
• Cincinnati entered its Jan. 21 game against Texas Tech as the nation’s second-best three-point defense (26.9 percent). After the next four opponents combined to shoot 47.6 percent, the Bearcats buckled down and held UCF to 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) on its own floor. The Knights entered fourth in the league with 9.0 makes per game, including 14-of-36 (38.9) at Kansas two games ago.
• Cincinnati has trailed only 13:37 out of its three Big 12 wins, leading by double-digits in all three.

DODGEBALL, ANYONE?
Wes Miller channeled his inner Patches O’Houlihan on Monday afternoon, taking the team from the arena to the practice gym with unclear motives. The players and coaches then spent around an hour playing dodgeball to get away from the game while keeping competition alive.

“The truth is this, it is simpler than dodgeball. We played dodgeball at practice on Monday. It was the first time they all smiled, having joy competing. Heck, Even the coaches competed. We all fell in love with basketball when there was no pressure and expectations. It was good to get them back to competitions and said you guys have to go play basketball like you played dodgeball. At some point, that is how you play basketball all the time and don’t really carry that extra weight on your shoulders. I thought our guys practice that way yesterday and played that way today. We have to continue and play free and have fun.”

SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati trailed 28-23 at the break before BYU went 11-of-15 from deep in the second half (15-of-24 for the game) to win 80-52 in the Jan. 25 matchup.
• Those 28 points were the fewest BYU had in any home half this season, but the first five minutes of the second went the opposite way.
• This is the sixth all-time meeting between the teams with BYU leading 3-2.
• Cincinnati stunned the No. 12 Cougars in Provo last year, the first-ever Big 12 contest for both teams.
• The Bearcats claimed their highest-ranked win since the 2019 AAC title game, as well as its highest on the road since No. 11 Wichita State in March 2018.
• BYU (12-2, 0-1), previously 9-0 at home, entered as the national leader in scoring (90.4 ppg) and rebound margin (13.8). Cincinnati, second in rebounding, held the Cougars to their season-low while winning the boards, 45-36.
• The Cougars’ 46 three-point attempts marked the most all-time by a Cincinnati opponent.
• James’ 12 points included 10 over a 3:36 span. Skillings scored 10 in his first-career start, while Aziz Bandaogo posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
• That meeting was the first since the 2001 NCAA Tournament, when No. 5 Cincinnati won 84-59 over No. 12 BYU to open play in San Diego.
• Steve Logan led the Bearcats with 21 points, while Kenny Satterfield followed with 14 at Viejas Arena.
• The Cougars’ last win came in Lawrence, Kan., in 1971 as the nation’s No. 6 team.

COURTESY UC SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS