TicketsJan. 29, 2010
THE MATCH-UP
The Cincinnati Bearcats (13-7, 4-4 BIG EAST) have registered back-to-back BIG EAST Conference wins over Notre Dame (60-58) and USF (78-70) in its last two home games and look to continue the trend when it hosts Providence (12-8, 4-4 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m., as part of a men's and women's doubleheader. The women's game against USF tips at Noon. The Friars come to town fresh off a 15-point victory over No. 19/19 Connecticut on Wednesday, Jan. 27, which evened their conference record at 4-4. . The game will be telecast on ESPNU with Justin Kutcher (pxp), Dickey Simpkins (analyst) , and Anthony Buford (analyst) handling the call. Dan Hoard (pxp) and Chuck Machock (analyst) will call the game on 700 WLW.
THE SERIES
Cincinnati and Providence are meeting for just the sixth time in series history and for the fourth time in Cincinnati. The Friars have won four straight games against the Bearcats, including two wins over UC a year ago. Cincinnati's lone win in series history occurred in Fifth Third Arena on Feb. 17, 2006, when Devan Downey hit two free throws with three seconds to play to secure the 66-64 victory for the Bearcats. Despite the Friars leading the series 4-1, the series has been tight as three of the five games have been decided by two points or less and only once has the winning team won by double digits.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
· Providence is 12-8 overall and 4-4 in the BIG EAST heading into Saturday's game vs. Cincinnati.
· Providence comes to UC on the heels of a 81-66 defeat of No. 19/19 Connecticut at home on Jan. 27.
· The Friars enter Saturday's contest with a 2-2 record on the road in BIG EAST play making Providence just one of five teams in league play to have a .500 winning percentage or better on the road (Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Providence).
· Providence leads the BIG EAST in rebounding averaging 42.2 rpg, 1.5 rpg ahead of Cincinnati. The Friars also average a conference-best 17.15 offensive rebounds per game.
· Sophomore Jamine Peterson leads the team, ranks second in the BIG EAST, and is tied for 21st nationally in rebounding, avergaing 10.3 rpg. Peterson has posted two of the Top 10 rebounding performances in the NCAA this season grabbing 22 rebounds against Mercer (Nov. 15) and 20 against Rutgers (Jan. 9).
· Entering the week, the Friars rank ninth nationally in scoring offense averaging 83.1 points per game. Providence has three players scoring in double figures led by Peterson's 17.9 ppg in overall games.
· Junior Marshon Brooks and senior Sharaud Curry also average double-figures in points, putting in 15.0 ppg apiece. Curry has upped his scoring in BIG EAST play, averaging 17.9 ppg.
· Peterson has 11 double-doubles on the season and is the only player in the conference to average over 15.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
· Providence ranks 50th nationally in turnovers per game averaging 12.5 per game.
ALL-TIME VS. PROVIDENCE
· Cincinnati has three players averaging 10-plus points per game for their careers against Providence.
· Senior Deonta Vaughn averages 13.3 ppg in his career against the Friars in four career games, while sophomores Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates both average 11.0 points apiece in two career outings against Providence.
· In addition to his 13.3 ppg, Vaughn is also averaging 5.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, and 1.8 spg against Providence.
· The most points a UC player has scored against the Friars in series history is 22 points by James White on Feb. 17, 2006.
· The most points scored by any player in series history is 24 points by Providence's Sharaud Curry on Feb. 6, 2007. Nine of Curry's points came in the final 1:45.
COACHES LACING UP FOR COACHES VS. CANCER
· BIG EAST coaches will be participating in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend Saturday and Sunday.
· The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, is encouraging coaches and their staffs to wear sneakers with their regular game attire to raise awareness of the fight against cancer.
JAN. 24 - LOUISVILLE GAME NOTES
· Cincinnati closed within four points with 2:42 to play, but Louisville closed the game on a 7-3 run and defeated the Bearcats, 68-60.
· The game between the Bearcats and the Cardinals was the last meeting between the two in Freedom Hall. Cincinnati fell to 15-27 all-time against Louisville in Freedom Hall.
· The Bearcats made 10-of-20 attempts from behind-the-arc, tying their season-high for most 3-pointers made. The 50 percent shooting from three-point range is a season high.
· Louisville made 15-of-19 attempts from the charity stripe, while Cincinnati made just all four of its attempted free throws.
· UC outrebounded the UofL, 32-25, with 14 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. UC is now 11-4 on the season when outrebounding its opponents.
· After turning the ball over a combined six times in the first half of its last two games, Cincinnati committed seven turnovers in the first half against the Cardinals compared to three for UofL. The Bearcats had 17 turnovers on the day compared to seven for Louisville.
· Following Louisville's run, UC went on a 12-2 run from the 9:28 mark to the 6:40 mark to cut its deficit to two points, 54-52. Freshman Cashmere Wright scored seven of the 12 points during the spurt.
· UC went on a 15-4 run over the opening 6:02 of the first half.
· Freshman Lance Stephenson finished the contest with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The double-digit scoring effort was his 11th of season. Stephenson scored all of his points in the first 6:02 of the game.
· Sophomore Yancy Gates added 12 points, his 13th double-figure scoring game of season and his sixth in BIG EAST play.
· Off the bench, Wright tacked on a career-high tying 12 points, marking his third-double-figure scoring effort of the season.
· Senior Deonta Vaughn was the final Bearcat player to score in double figures with 12 points. He also added five assists, moving him past Steve Logan for second on UC's career assists chart with 458.
· Vaughn moved past Roger McClendon (1984-88) for second all-time in UC history in career starts with 109 career starts.
TOUGH TIMES ON THE ROAD
· The Bearcats are 1-5 in away games this season and have a record of 8-32 (.200) in road games under Mick Cronin.
· UC's game vs. Xavier at the Cintas Center was its first "official" road game of the season.
· The Bearcats' three games in Maui were considered neutral site contests, while the Miami (OH) game at U.S. Bank Arena is considered a "home" game since Cincinnati moved a home contest to an arena within the city limits.
· Cincinnati picked up its first road win of the season at Rutgers, knocking off the Scarlet Knights, 65-58. It was UC's first road win since Feb. 7 of last year when the Bearcats beat Georgetown, 64-62, in overtime at the Verizon Center.
· UC has shot 41.4 percent and averaged 63.1 points per game on the road this season compared to 47.7 percent shooting and 76.3 points in Fifth Third Arena.
· Cincinnati's 3-point shooting struggles the most on the road as the Bearcats are converting just 28-of-114 (.246) treys away from home, compared to 33.8 percent at home (73-of-216).
· Taking care of the ball is also a weakness on the road as UC is giving up 15.7 turnovers per game, compared to its season average of 13.7, an increase of two per game.
FIFTH THIRD ADVANTAGE
· The Bearcats are 276-56 (.831) in games at Fifth Third Arena since the building opened in 1989-90.
· Under Mick Cronin, UC is 40-22 in Fifth Third (.645).
· UC is 10-1 at home and 9-1 in Fifth Third Arena this season. The Miami (OH) game is considered a home game despite being played at U.S. Bank Arena.
· The seven consecutive wins to start the year matched the best home winning streak for the Bearcats since 2004-05, when they won nine games, spanning two seasons.
· The Bearcats are averaging 76.3 points per game at home led by Lance Stephenson's 12.3 points per game.
TALE OF THE TAPE — CONFERENCE HOME VS. AWAY
· Cincinnati has a record of 4-4 in the BIG EAST entering Saturday's game against Providence. UC is 3-1 at home compared to 1-3 on the road in league action.
· The Bearcats are shooting better on the road (45.3 percent) than at home (44.0 percent) in conference play, but UC has been turnover prone away from Fifth Third Arena.
· UC averages 10.0 turnovers per game at home compared to 16.3 turnovers per game on the road, and Cincinnati's turnover margin is -7.3 in away contests.
· While the Bearcats are shooting better from the free throw line in road games (72.5 percent) than in home games (67.6 percent), UC has been able to get to the free throw line almost 18 times per game at home compared to 13 times on the road.
· Cincinnati also has done a much better job defending the three-pointer in Fifth Third Arena than in road contests. Opponents are shooting 34.7 percent (25-of-72) on their home floor compared to 29.1 percent (16-of-55) on UC's home floor.
RESUME BUILDING — UC VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
· UC is 3-1 vs. teams ranked in the AP Poll this season after knocking off No. 24/24 Vanderbilt and No. 21/22 Maryland in the first and second rounds of the 2009 EA Sports Maui Invitational, respectively, and No. 10/10 Connecticut at home on Dec. 30. The loss was to No. 23 Pittsburgh, 74-71, on Jan. 4, and Cincinnati's first at home this season.
· Cincinnati is 114-169 (.403) all-time vs. opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a 23-21 (.523) record in Fifth Third Arena.
· The wins vs. Vanderbilt and Maryland marked the first time since the 1999-00 season that Cincinnati defeated ranked opponents in consecutive games. That year, UC defeated No. 25 Gonzaga 75-68 on Dec. 4, 1999, before defeating No. 7 North Carolina 77-68 on Dec. 8, 1999.
· UC is 6-17 vs. ranked opponents under Cronin.
FINDING THEIR STROKE
· Before the start of BIG EAST Conference play, Cincinnati found times tough at the free throw line, converting on 61.1 (124-of-203) percent of its attempts from the charity stripe.
· In its eight BIG EAST games and the Cal State Bakersfield game, the Bearcats are a combined 99-of-142 (.697) — 8.6 percent higher.
· Deonta Vaughn (20-for-20), Lance Stephenson (17-for-23) and Dion Dixon (13-for-14) are a combined 50-for-57 (.877) in the last nine games.
· Stephenson was perfect (7-for-7) for Cincinnati in the win over then-No. 10/10 Connecticut on Dec. 30, including the game winning free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining.
· After starting the year 15-of-20 from the line and going 0-for-2 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 25, Vaughn has converted 24 consecutive free-throw attempts, including 7-for-7 vs. USF.
· Vaughn is first in BIG EAST-only games (1.000 - 18-of-18) in free throw shooting.
EXPERIENCE IN THE POST
· Yancy Gates went against a talented group of post players during his freshman year, playing against the likes of Hasheem Thabeet, DeJuan Blair, and Luke Harangody. That experience has been beneficial for Gates in his second year in the BIG EAST.
· The Cincinnati product finished his freshman season of conference action averaging 10.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg, but Gates started a bit slow in conference play averaging 9.6 ppg and 5.4 rpg over the first seven conference games.
· Through eight conference games this season, Gates has gotten off to a better start averaging 11.1 ppg and 7.3 rpg, while shooting .583 percent from the field.
· Gates has scored in double figures in six of eight conference contests and posted double-doubles vs. Pittsburgh (16 points and 14 rebounds) and Notre Dame (11 points, 13 rebounds).
· Gates' defense has shown improvement as well in 2009-10. Against Notre Dame's Luke Harangody on Jan. 16, Gates and teammate Steve Toyloy combined to hold the nation's second-leading scorer at the time (29.4 ppg) to 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting — 15.4 points below his season average.
· Gates has also become the team's top shot blocker, averaging 1.2 per game.
· Despite playing in the paint, Gates has made it to the free-throw line just 11 times in UC's last eight games. Four of those attempts came against Seton Hall on Jan. 9 where he was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
PARKER GETS THE POINT
· After playing a reserve role for most of the season playing behind Cashmere Wright and Deonta Vaughn, freshman guard Jaquon Parker earned his first BIG EAST Conference start on Jan. 20 vs. USF and made the most of his opportunity.
· The 2009 Mr. Basketball in Virginia, Parker played a career high 35 minutes at the point guard spot vs. the Bulls and scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and dished out a career-high five assists.
· Parker followed up the USF game by making his second consecutive start against Louisville. Against the Cardinals, Parker scored three points and grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes.
· Parker has dished out five assists and only committed two turnovers in his last 56 minutes of action.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
· After getting off to a tough start to the season averaging 9.7 points per game through the first 10 games, two-time all-BIG EAST performer Deonta Vaughn has begun to find his shooting stroke over the last nine games.
· Vaughn struggled with his 3-point shot (.258, 16-of-62) through UC's first 10 games, but is 28 for his last 57 (.491) from 3-point range in the last 10 games.
· Vaughn posted his first 20-point game of the season at Seton Hall on Jan. 9 with a 7-for-13 shooting performance, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range. He has since posted 15 points vs. Notre Dame and another 20 vs. USF.
· The Bearcats are 9-3 this season and 43-40 (.518) during Vaughn's career when he scores in double figures.
· Below is a comparison of Vaughn's stats over the first 10 games of the 2009-10 season, first three seasons at UC, and the last eight games of 2009-10:
Points FG Pct. 3-PT Pct. APG RPG
First 10 9.7 .340 .258 4.1 4.4
Career Avg.* 15.7 .400 .344 4.1 3.4
Last Nine 14.2 .489 .491 2.9 3.4
* - First three seasons.
DEFENSIVE STOPPERS ...
· One of the major reasons for Cincinnati's success this season has been its defense, which has held its opponents to 63.4 points per game.
· 13 of UC's 20 opponents this season have scored 64 points or less.
· Despite giving up 83 points to Xavier, Cincinnati limited XU to 61 points in regulation.
· Opponents are shooting 39.1 percent (442-of-1130) vs. UC.
· Even in UC's seven losses, UC's defense has held its opponents to 43.1 percent shooting overall and 32.5 percent from 3-point range.
· The Bearcats rank 29th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.391) and 71st in scoring defense (63.4 ppg).
· On Jan. 16 vs. Notre Dame, the Bearcats held the Irish to 58 points on 22-of-54 (.407) shooting. The Irish came into the game scoring 82.1 ppg and were one of the nation's top shooting teams converting on 49.6 percent of their shots.
... AND REBOUNDING FIENDS
· Besides defense, the other main characteristic of UC basketball has been rebounding.
· The Bearcats are seventh in the nation in rebounding margin at +8.6 per game.
· Cincinnati is pulling down 40.7 boards per game, while limiting opponents to 32.2 rebounds.
· Six times this season UC has posted 45 or more rebounds in a game (Prairie View A&M - 47, Vanderbilt - 53, Maryland - 47, Texas Southern - 47, Xavier - 52, Notre Dame - 50).
· Sophomore Yancy Gates has posted double-digit rebounds five times this season and UC is 4-1 in those games (Prairie View A&M, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame). His 14 rebounds in the loss to Pitt are a career high.
· Dion Dixon and Lance Stephenson have Cincinnati's other two double-figure rebounding performances.
· UC is 11-4 when outrebounding its opponents this season and 2-3 when its opponent outrebounds the Bearcats.
BENCH STRENGTH
· Now in his fourth year, Coach Cronin has developed a bench that has 10 players averaging 10 minutes or more a game and another posting 9.5 a game.
· Cincinnati's depth has afforded Coach Cronin to use 13 different starting lineups in 20 games.
· UC is outscoring its opponents bench 547-299 (27.4-14.9 per night).
· UC's bench outscored Cal State Bakersfield's bench 56-11. The 56 bench points are the most bench points scored in the Cronin era.
· UC's bench has been outscored three times this season. All three instances have come in conference games — losses to Pittsburgh (Jan. 4), Seton Hall (Jan. 9), and St. John's (Jan. 13). In the three games, the opponent's bench has outscored Cincinnati's bench, 91-56 (30.3 - 18.7). The 18.7 ppg from its bench is 9.2 ppg lower than its season average.
A CAREER MAN
· Senior guard Deonta Vaughn currently ranks fourth among active NCAA players from 2006 to the present in 3-point field goals made with 285.
The top five active leaders are:
Name, College No.
Ryan Wittman, Cornell 330
Tajuan Porter, Oregon 317
Corey Lowe, Boston University 287
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati 285
Joe Zeglinski, Hartford 278
VAUGHN IN SEARCH OF HISTORY
· Senior guard Deonta Vaughn has started all four years at Cincinnati for head coach Mick Cronin where he has twice been named all-BIG EAST Conference (1st team in 2007-08; 3rd team in 2008-09) and led the team in points and assists all three years.
· In UC's game vs. USF on Jan. 20 he became the sixth player in school history to score 1,700 points in his career.
· Only Oscar Robertson, Steve Logan, and Deonta Vaughn have scored 1,700 points and dished out 400 assists in their career in Clifton.
Currently Vaughn is climbing several career lists at UC and needs:
• 47 points to tie Pat Cummings (1974-79) for fifth on the career scoring list.
• 42 assists to tie Eddie Lee (1976-80) for first on the career assists list with 500.
• Four starts to move ahead of Dwight Jones (1979-83) for first all-time in career starts with 113.
• Nine steals to tie Eddie Lee (1976-80) for third on the career steals list with 163.
• 58 minutes to tie Steve Logan (1998-02) for second in career minutes played with 3,902.
• 22 made 3-pointers to surpass Darnell Burton (1993-97) for first in career 3-pointers made with 307.
ALL-AROUND EFFORT
· The maturation of junior forward Rashad Bishop and his flexibility to play the four spot on the floor has given Coach Cronin many options, offensively and defensively.
· After averaging 5.4 points per game as both a freshman and sophomore, Bishop has become a bigger scoring option for UC, posting 7.8 points per game — fourth-best on the team.
· He scored a career-high 20 points vs. Toledo on Nov. 18.
· Bishop scored 15 points for the Bearcats vs. USF on Jan. 20, his fifth double-figure scoring effort of the season. It is the first time this season and the first time in a year that he has scored 10-plus points in consecutive games. Bishop last registered back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts on Jan 4, 2009 and Jan. 7, 2009, scoring 11 points against Marquette and Providence, respectively.
· Bishop has a keen sense for shot selection and is the Bearcats third-best shooter, converting 48.8 percent of his shots (62-of-127).
· Bishop is also third on the team in rebounds (4.7) and is fourth in assists (1.8 apg).
· On defense, Bishop is considered the Bearcats top defender and typically draws the opponent's toughest assignment.
STEPHENSON PRESEASON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
· Freshman Lance Stephenson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard who was named the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Preseason Rookie of the Year, committed to the Bearcats on June 30 after a highly-decorated prep career at Lincoln High School (Brooklyn, N.Y.), where he averaged 28.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists to earn Class AA New York State Sports Writers Association (NYSSWA) Player of the Year honors his senior year.
· He graduated high school as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the state of New York with 2,946 points, passing fellow Lincoln High grad Sebastian Telfair, who was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
· Stephenson is among the team's top three in points (1st, 12.2ppg), rebounds (2nd, 4.8 rpg), assists (2nd, 2.7 apg), and steals (2nd, 1.0 spg).
· He is also 30th in the BIG EAST in overall scoring, the highest scoring freshman in the league.
· Stephenson made his college debut starting the season opener vs. Prairie View A&M. He scored seven points, pulling down four rebounds and dishing out two assists vs. the Panthers.
· Stephenson earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season after leading the Bearcats in scoring against local foes Miami (OH) and Xavier. He scored 11 points in a 63-59 win over the RedHawks. In an 83-79 double-overtime loss at Xavier, Stephenson scored a collegiate-high 22 points and grabbed six boards.
· Stephenson is looking to become the first UC freshman to lead the team in scoring since his teammate Deonta Vaughn did it in 2006-07 with 14.5 points per game.
· After starting UC's first 18 games, he missed his first game as a Bearcat vs. USF on Jan. 20 after rolling his ankle in practice the day before. Stephenson availability is listed as day-to-day.
UC VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
· UC finished with a record of 9-3 vs. non-conference opponents this season.
· All three losses came away from Fifth Third Arena (vs. Gonzaga at Maui Invitational; at Xavier; at UAB).
· Since Mick Cronin took over the program in 2006-07, Cincinnati is 33-18 (.647) vs. non-conference opponents, including a record of 28-6 (.824) at home.
· UC has won 15 of its last 17 non-conference games at home with the losses coming vs. Xavier and Memphis the last two seasons.
BEARCATS INK TWO IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
· The University of Cincinnati men's basketball program has signed Justin Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla./Arlington Country Day) and Kelvin Gaines (Ocala, Fla. /Arlington Country Day) to a National Letters of intent for the 2010-2011 season during the early signing period.
· Jackson is ranked No. 92 among the top ESPN 100 recruits and was the first player to sign during the early period with the Bearcats.
· Jackson, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward with strong defensive and rebounding skills, starred last season for Montverde Academy and head coach Kevin Sutton where he posted 15.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.1 blocked shots per game as a junior. He was named to the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Florida Sports Writer's Association (FSWA) State All-Independent team (for players not participating in district competition).
· Gaines, a 6-foot-10, 225 pound center, averaged 10.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.2 blocks in 2008-09 playing for Jason Niblett at Heat Academy in Martinsville, Va. The Heat finished the season with a record of 50-8 and was ranked as high as No. 12 in the national prep school polls.
· This season, Gaines transferred to Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., where he will team with fellow Bearcat signee Justin Jackson. The Indians were ranked No. 31 in country in ESPN's Preseason poll.
KILPATRICK TO REDSHIRT
· In his pregame radio interview prior to the season opener vs. Prairie View A&M, head coach Mick Cronin announced that he is planning to redshirt 6-foot-4, 215 pound, freshman guard Sean Kilpatrick (White Plains, N.Y./Notre Dame Prep).
· Kilpatrick averaged 28.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists over his four-year high school career at White Plains High School and finished as the school's all-time leading scorer.
· Three times he earned all-state, all-section, all-league and all-county honors.
· He played one season of prep ball at Notre Dame Prep for Ryan Hurd.
SAND, SUN, AND HOOPS
· After opening up with Prairie View A&M (Nov. 16) and Toledo (Nov. 18), the Bearcats made their first appearance in the EA Sports Maui Invitational hosted by Chaminade University on Nov. 23-25 at the Lahaina Civic Center.
· In the first two rounds, the Bearcats knocked off nationally-ranked opponents No. 24/24 Vanderbilt, 67-58, and No. 21/22 Maryland, 69-57, marking the first time since the 1999-00 season UC has beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back games.
· The wins propelled UC into the championship game of the Maui Invitational vs. Gonzaga. With UC leading by as many as 10 points midway through the second half, Gonzaga rallied and forced UC into overtime for the first time this season where the Bulldogs came away with a 61-59 victory.
· Sophomore forward Yancy Gates and senior guard Deonta Vaughn were named to the all-tournament team. Gates was the Bearcats top scorer and rebounder in the tournament, averaging 14.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. Vaughn averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
· The Maui Invitational was Cincinnati's fifth trip to the Hawaiian Islands for an early-season tournament. They played in the 1975-76, 1989-90 and 1994-95 Rainbow Classics hosted by the University of Hawaii and won the 1999-00 Big Island Invitational tournament.
· UC now owns a record of 9-6 in the islands.
BEARCATS PICKED SEVENTH IN BIG EAST
· For the first time since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06, the University of Cincinnati was picked to finish in the upper division of the league in the preseason poll being selected to finish seventh by the coaches.
· The Bearcats also earned individual preseason honors as senior guard Deonta Vaughn earned first-team all-BIG EAST plaudits and freshman Lance Stephenson was named the league's Rookie of the Year.
UP NEXT
The Bearcats hit the road on Thursday, Feb. 4 to take on Notre Dame (15-6, 4-4 BIG EAST) at 9 p.m. Prior to the meeting between the Irish and the Bearcats, Notre Dame travels to Piscataway, N.J., to take on Rutgers at 6 p.m. on Jan. 30. ND and UC met on Jan. 16, with Cincinnati defeating Notre Dame, 60-58, in Fifth Third Arena.