TicketsNo. 9/8 CINCINNATI (18-2, 7-0) at MEMPHIS (13-7, 4-3)
SERIES INFO: 76th meeting; Cincinnati leads 42-33 overall; Memphis leads 22-13 in Memphis;
Cincinnati leads 24-10 at home and 5-1 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 82-48 on Dec. 31, 2017 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
STREAK: Cincinnati- 2
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 12th season at Cincinnati (255-137); 15th season overall (324-161)
Tubby Smith is in his second season at Memphis (32-20); 27th season overall (589-296)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 22): Cincinnati (9/8); Memphis (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: CBS Sports Network; Brent Stover provides play-by-play with color analyst Steve Smith. Gary Parrish reports
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By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – A little over three weeks ago, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats strolled into BB&T Arena and beat up on the Memphis Tigers like they were Savannah State in early November.
The 34-point margin of victory in UC's 82-48 win was the largest for either team in a rivalry that began in 1968 and has spanned 75 games.
Now it's time for the rematch at FedEx Forum in Memphis on Saturday at 6 p.m., and like any good coach UC's Mick Cronin has been urging his players to forget about their complete domination in that first game lest they be lulled into thinking they're in for another cakewalk.
"Memphis is way better than they were," Cronin said. "Four of their last five they've won. They're plus-8 and a half on the glass and their offense is more efficient. They're shooting 48 percent from the field. They really struggled to score against us. Jeremiah Martin, their point guard who was our big concern (the first game), is averaging 24 a game in their last five games. They've found a rhythm a little bit. They kind of got their rotation.
"With all those new guys, I think they needed to get into the league and figure out what it took to win in this league, with coach (Tubby) Smith figuring out his rotation of players, who to go with. It's such an unknown when you have that many new players."
But is that enough to enable the Tigers to erase all of the disparities that resulted in a 34-point loss on New Year's Eve? Anything is possible, so to press his case with his players, Cronin has trotted out as exhibit A the fact that Wichita State beat Houston, 81-63, at home on Jan. 4, then turned around and lost to the Cougars, 73-59, in Houston 16 days later.
"It's hard to beat a team that you blew out at home the second time you play them and you go on the road if you have the wrong mindset," Cronin said. "The first game doesn't matter at all. You don't get to take any of those points with you. Because of what happened, they are really going to be ready and we have got to be mature enough to know that it's a whole new ballgame and the score is 0-0 again. It's just a different deal the second time you play."
No. 9 UC (18-2 overall, 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference, will take an 11-game winning streak to Beale Street, where the Bearcats lost to Memphis the last time they played there, 63-59, on Feb. 6, 2016. The Tigers, who lost, 64-51, at Tulsa in their last game, are 12-1 at home this season. They're 13-7 overall, 4-3 in the American, in their second season under Smith.
The Bearcats, the pre-season favorites to win the league, have dominated the AAC this season, and own a two-game lead over second-place Wichita State and Houston, but the toughest part of their schedule awaits them. They still have to play both Houston and Wichita State home and away, and at SMU, which presents one of the toughest road environments in the league.
Cronin seems to have discovered a new weapon he plans to use more extensively in the person of 6-foot-9, 220-pound freshman Eliel Nsoseme, who has emerged as a force on the glass despite limited playing time in recent games. Nsoseme had five rebounds and two blocked shots in four minutes against East Carolina and followed that with four points and five rebounds in 11 minutes against Temple. Cronin said he will try to continue to find more minutes for Nsoseme.
"I think he's earned it," Cronin said. "He is a polar opposite from Kyle (Washington). Eliel is an elite rebounder, defender, shot blocker, where Kyle's an elite scorer. (Nsoseme) injects a lot of energy, intensity and toughness when he comes in there. You could argue I probably should have been playing him all along. But you've got three of them, so it's hard."
The UC coach has a similar combination working for him at point guard with Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome. Jenifer, the starter, is a better defender and does a better job of taking care of the ball, but Broome is more adept at scoring.
"If you struggle to score early (Broome) gives you a chance to inject offense right away," Cronin said.
Jenifer hasn't scored in his last three games, going 0-for-6 during that span, but Cronin has made it clear from the start that Jenifer's primary role is not that of a scorer.
"He sprained his thumb a couple of weeks ago and he doesn't want to talk about it because he's a tough kid," Cronin said. "He's better now. It's not a concern of mine. What he brings to the table for our team is invaluable with his (defensive) ball pressure. He and Trevor Moore are probably our two best guys at blocking out defensively. He does a lot of things to help us win. And he doesn't turn the ball over. The lid will come off the basket for him. That's not a concern of mine. I don't want him thinking about him because I know I'm not thinking about it. I don't want him to feel any pressure. He's doing a great job for us."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.