TicketsFeb. 28, 2013
| Cincinnati Game Notes | WatchESPN.com | CW Cincinnati Channel Info | UC Sporting Events on Campus Saturday
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati plays Connecticut for the second time in 10 days Saturday at Fifth Third Arena. The game tips at 2 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on the CW Cincinnati as the BIG EAST Conference Game of the Week. The contest also can be heard on 102.7 FM WEBN.
The contest is considered a "Black Out" as fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. The UC women's team plays host to Rutgers following the men's game at 5 p.m.
UC (19-9, 7-8 BIG EAST) is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after dropping a 62-41 decision at Notre Dame on Feb. 24. JaQuon Parker led the Bearcats with 12 points while Titus Rubles tallied seven points and seven rebounds and Shaquille Thomas added seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
Connecticut (19-8, 9-6 BIG EAST) suffered a 79-78 overtime home loss to No. 7 Georgetown on Wednesday. Deandre Daniels posted a double-double to lead the Huskies with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Shabazz Napier added 16 points with four three-pointers.
The Huskies outlasted the Bearcats 73-66 in overtime on Feb. 21 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. Sean Kilpatrick had a team-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds for UC. Parker (14 points) and Cashmere Wright (10 points and five rebounds) also reached double figures is scoring. UConn's Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with a game-high 27 points thanks in part to six three-pointers.
The Huskies lead the series 8-3, including a 3-1 edge in games played in Cincinnati.
Game at a Glance
Series Info: 12th meeting; Connecticut leads 8-3 overall. UConn leads the series 3-1 in Cincinnati,
3-2 in Connecticut and 2-0 at neutral sites. STREAK - UConn won the last meeting.
Last Meeting: UConn won 73-66 in overtime on Feb. 21 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
Coaches: Mick Cronin is in his seventh season at Cincinnati (132-97); 10th season overall (201-121).
Kevin Ollie is in his first season as head coach at Connecticut (19-8); first season overall (19-8).
Rankings: Cincinnati and Connecticut are not ranked in either the AP or USA Today polls.
Radio: 102.7 FM WEBN; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Chuck Machock. Mo Egger produces.
TV: BIG EAST Game of the Week on CW Cincinnati; Anish Shroff provides play-by-play with color analyst Bob Wenzel. Lori Mancini produces and Dennis Lanius directs.
UC Twitter Page: @GoBEARCATS
Cincinnati Storylines
-Senior guard JaQuon Parker is leading the scoring for the Bearcats over the last four games averaging a team-best 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent from the field (22 of 43). He has led the Bearcats in scoring in three of those contests.
-Parker also leads all BIG EAST guards and ranks 15th among all league players, averaging 2.04 offensive rebounds this season.
-Sean Kilpatrick was named one of 30 candidates for the 2013 Naismith College Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
-Kilpatrick ranks among the BIG EAST Conference leaders in scoring (fourth at 17.6 points per game), three-pointers per game (second at 2.54) and rebounding (19th at 5.4).
-Cashmere Wright is only five games shy of becoming the all-time leader in games played. He is currently in third place with 133 career games played behind only Dion Dixon (137 from 2009-12) and Steve Logan (135 from 1999-2002).
-Wright already owns the school record for career steals (192), ranks third in career assists (466) and is No. 27 on the all-time scoring list (1,242 points).
-Wright is the only player in school history to tally at least 1,200 career points, 450 assists and 175 steals.
-A win Saturday against Connecticut would give UC at least 20 wins in a season for the third consecutive year. The Bearcats were 26-9 in 2011 and 26-11 a year ago. The last time the Bearcats' program won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons was 2004-06 under Bob Huggins.
-The last time UC played an opponent twice in as few as a 10-day span came against Georgetown in 2009 when the Bearcats swept the Hoyas with a 65-57 home win on Jan. 28 and followed with a 64-62 overtime victory in the nation's capital on Feb. 7.
Scouting Connecticut
-Prior to Wednesday's overtime loss, Connecticut had won seven of its last nine games - including four of its last five.
-UConn has four players averaging double figures in scoring: Shabazz Napier (17.6), Ryan Boatright (14.5), Deandre Daniels (12.2) and Omar Calhoun (12.1).
-Napier is fifth in the league in scoring and ranks among the BIG EAST's top 10 players in three-pointers (third at 2.44), minutes played (third at 37.0), steals (fifth at 1.93), three-point shooting (sixth at 40.7 percent), free-throw shooting (sixth at 82.6 percent) and steals (seventh at 4.63).
-Boatwright is fifth in the conference in minutes played (35.7), ninth in assists (4.44) and 10th in scoring.
-As a team, UConn ranks among the league leaders in free-throw shooting (first at 75.1 percent), three-point shooting (35.9 percent), blocked shots (fourth at 4.44), steals (fourth at 7.74), field-goal shooting (fifth at 45.3 percent) and turnover margin (fifth at +1.81).