TicketsFeb. 17, 2012
The University of Cincinnati welcomes Seton Hall to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday for a 4 p.m. ET contest. The game will be televised by the BIG EAST Network locally by FOX Sports Ohio. It also can be heard on 700 WLW-AM.
The Bearcats (18-8, 8-5 BIG EAST) posted their third win in four games Wednesday when they defeated Providence 81-66 at Fifth Third Arena. Sean Kilpatrick led UC scorers with 22 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Yancy Gates contributed 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Seton Hall (18-8, 7-7 BIG EAST) has won three consecutive games after topping St. John's, 94-64, on Tuesday. Six Pirates scored in double figures with Jordan Theodore leading the way with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four three-pointers. Herb Pope registered his 33rd career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cincinnati-Seton Hall series is tied 6-6 overall. The Bearcats own a slight 2-1 lead in games played in Cincinnati. The Bearcats won last season's meeting, 70-53, at Fifth Third Arena on New Year's Eve.
GAME AT A GLANCE
Series Info: 13th meeting; The series is tied 6-6 overall. UC leads 2-1 in Cincinnati and 4-2 at neutral sites; Seton Hall leads 3-0 South Orange, N.J. STREAK - Cincinnati won the last meeting.
Last Meeting: UC won 70-53 at Fifth Third Arena on Dec. 31, 2010.
Coaches: Mick Cronin is in his sixth season at Cincinnati (105-85); ninth season overall (174-109). Cronin is 2-3 vs. Seton Hall. Kevin Willard is in his second season at Seton Hall (31-26); fifth season overall (76-75).
Rankings: UC and Seton Hall are not ranked in the Associated Press or the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls for Feb. 13.
Radio: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play alongside color analyst Chuck Machock. Mo Egger engineers.
TV: BIG EAST Network/FOX Sports Ohio; Tom Gelehrter provides play-by-play alongside color analyst John Celestand.
Todd Kulis serves as producer. Vic DeLouerio directs.
(To find the FOX Sports Ohio station in your area visit: www.foxsportsohio.com/pages/channelfinder).
UC Twitter Page: @GoBEARCATS
STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
-A win Saturday against Seton Hall would give Cincinnati as many as nine conference wins in a season for only the second time since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2005-06 season. Last season, UC posted an 11-7 league record en route to tying West Virginia for sixth place in the final standings.
-Cincinnati has out-rebounded its last three opponents by a combined margin of 135-84.
-Yancy Gates ranks third among current BIG EAST players with 21 career double-doubles. Seton Hall's Herb Pope has 33 while West Virginia's Kevin Jones has 28.
-Gates has recorded four double-doubles while averaging 12.3 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds during the last 12 games (10 starts). During the stretch, he is shooting 51.3 percent from the field (60-of-117).
-Sean Kilpatrick leads the Bearcat attack averaging 15.3 points this season. He averages 2.73 three-pointers a contest and is shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. He has scored 10 or more points in 22 of 26 games this season and has netted 20 or more points six times.