TicketsMarch 2, 2012
BIG EAST Championship Scenerios
Cincinnati Wraps Up Regular Season at Villanova
The University of Cincinnati concludes regular-season play Saturday when it visits Villanova at The Pavilion for a 2 p.m. contest. The game will be televised by ESPN and can be heard on WEBN 102.7 FM.
The Bearcats (21-9, 11-6 BIG EAST) have won six of their last eight games and will attempt to set the school record for BIG EAST wins in a season with 12. UC is coming off a 72-61 home win over No. 8/7 Marquette on Wednesday. Jaquon Parker scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting while Dion Dixon poured in 21 points and four steals. Yancy Gates tied a season-high with 13 rebounds.
The Wildcats (12-17, 5-12 BIG EAST) snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a 77-71 win at Rutgers. Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by JayVaughn Pinkston and Maalik Wayns who each scored a game-high 18 points.
Villanova leads the all-time series 6-2, including a 3-0 mark in Philadelphia. Cincinnati snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats earlier this season, claiming an 82-78 win at Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 14. Dixon scored a team-high 22 points for UC while Wayns scored 39 points for the Wildcats, a Fifth Third Arena record for points scored by an opponent.
GAME AT A GLANCE
Series Info: Ninth meeting; Villanova owns a 6-2 lead overall in series history. The Wildcats lead 3-2 in Cincinnati and 3-0 in Philadelphia. The teams have not played a neutral site contest in series history.
Last Meeting: Cincinnati won 82-78 at Fifth Third Arena on Jan.14.
Coaches: Mick Cronin is in his sixth season at Cincinnati (108-86); ninth season overall (177-110). Cronin is 2-4 vs. Villanova. Jay Wright is in his 11th season at Villanova (236-128); 18th season overall (358-213).
Rankings: UC and Villanova are not ranked in the Associated Press or the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll for Feb. 27.
Radio: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play alongside color analyst Chuck Machock. Pat Conneen engineers.
TV: ESPN; Mike Crispino provides play-by-play alongside color analyst Tim Welsh. Steven Stetz serves as producer.
UC Twitter Page: @GoBEARCATS
STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
-A win Saturday gives UC 12 conference wins for the first time since joining the BIG EAST Conference (prior to 2005-06 season). Last year, the Bearcats were a school-best 11-7 in the league, tying West Virginia for sixth place in the standings.
-UC will enter Saturday's contest at Villanova with a 6-5 road record this season, tying Marquette, Louisville, and Georgetown for the second-most road wins (all games) in the BIG EAST. Syracuse is first with nine.
-Senior forward Yancy Gates needs 13 points to become only the seventh player in school history to amass at least 1,400 career points and 850 career rebounds. He enters play Saturday with 1,387 points and 866 rebounds.
-Senior guard Dion Dixon moves into a tie for third place in career games played with 131 on Saturday. Dixon ties Keith Gregor and will rank behind only Steve Logan (135) and Larry Davis (132).
-Cincinnati has played in a BIG EAST-high 12 games decided by five or less points or in overtime this season. Its seven wins in such games also lead the conference. Five of UC's nine losses this season have been decided by a margin of two points or in overtime.