Ticketsrv/rv HOUSTON (16-4, 6-2) vs. 8/8 CINCINNATI (19-2, 8-0)
SERIES INFO: 32nd meeting; Cincinnati leads 29-2 overall; Cincinnati leads 15-0 at home;
Cincinnati leads 14-2 in Houston
LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Cincinnati won 67-58 on Jan. 7, 2017 at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston
Cincinnati won 65-47 on March 2, 2017 at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati
STREAK: Cincinnati- 2
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 12th season at Cincinnati (256-137); 15th season overall (325-161)
Kelvin Sampson is in his fourth season at Houston (72-44); 29th season overall (572-314)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 29): Cincinnati (8/8); Houston (RV/RV)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: CBS Sports Network; Carter Blackburn provides play-by-play with color analyst Pete Gillen. Allie LaForce reports
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
TICKETS: A limited number of $25 general admission seats in the lower-level bleachers are available at the BB&T Arena ticket office beginning two hours before tipoff. Arena doors open 90 minutes prior to start time.
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – After the University of Cincinnati Bearcats surrendered 89 points in a loss to Xavier on Dec. 2, UC coach Mick Cronin didn't know what to make of his team's defensive capabilities.
"If you would tell me my team would ever play that bad defensively as we played in our last game," Cronin said several days later, "I wouldn't believe it."
He had good reason to be incredulous. Defense has been the trademark of UC basketball ever since Cronin arrived as the head coach in 2006. But his frustration was short-lived.
The Bearcats, who own the nation's longest home winning streak at 37, haven't allowed 70 points in any game since and have given up more than 60 only three times. During their current overall 12-game winning streak, their opponents have averaged only 51.9 points. UC has held three of its last four opponents to fewer than 50.
As No. 8 UC (19-2 overall, 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference) prepares to face Houston (16-4, 6-2) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena, Cronin has reached a more favorable conclusion about his defense.
"Up 'til now," he said, "it's the best defensive team probably that's played at Cincinnati ever."
That's quite a proclamation coming from Cronin, who was an assistant coach at UC under Bob Huggins, whose teams were also known for their stingy defense. But the numbers lend Cronin plenty of support. The Bearcats rank second in the nation in scoring defense (56.2 points) and field goal percentage defense (36.2 percent).
That stellar defense will be tested by Houston, which ranks second in the AAC in scoring with 78.4 points per game and third in field goal percentage (46.5 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (39.8 percent) and free throw percentage (72.1 percent). The Cougars also boast the league's leading scorer in senior Rob Gray, who averages 18.7 points.
UC leads the all-time series with Houston by a whopping, 29-2, including 15-0 in Cincinnati, but Cronin warns that this is a different Cougar team from the one Bearcats have encountered in most of those games.
"By far this is the best Houston team since we've been in the same conference," Cronin said. "And that goes back to when I was an assistant here. They play 11 guys. Rob Gray is an elite scorer and he's a fifth-year senior. Devin Davis, a fifth-year senior, is a high-rated player who's finally healthy. Corey Davis is as good a guard coming out of (junior college) as I've seen in a while."
The Cougars were in Conference USA with UC from 1996 until the Bearcats left for the Big East in 2005 and have been a member of the AAC since it was formed in 2013-14 after the old BIG EAST broke up.
Before the season, when discussing his team's improved offense, Cronin said it was important that a more productive offense didn't lead to his players losing their traditional edge on defense. Obviously that hasn't happened.
"We're not relying on playing one defense," Cronin said. "Contrary to popular belief, we play multiple defenses. We just don't talk about it. There's been times (in the past) when we've been able to defend certain types of teams well. Other than Xavier, we've really defended everybody well this year."
Gary Clark, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year two years ago, is the leader of the defense.
"He can defend five positions," Cronin said. "Jacob Evans can defend five positions. (Jarron) Cumberland is by far the most improved player on our team this year and it's on the defensive end. Kyle (Washington) has gotten better. Nysier (Brooks) is way better, Tre (Scott) is better, Eliel (Nsoseme) really plays defense. And having two point guards that can pressure the ball (Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome) helps us disrupt other people. We've got good defensive players."
Said Evans: "We try to stay together as a whole. We know we've got some individual defenders on the team, but you can't really guard good players one on one. You need help. That's what we try to do every game is shut the opponent's best player down and try to take every team out of their comfort zone as a whole, not just individually shutting down one person, but disrupting their whole offensive scheme."
Like most freshmen who enter the program, it didn't take Trevor Moore long after his arrival to find out how much emphasis Cronin puts on defense and how much it means to the success of the program.
"I knew about defense coming here," Moore said, "so when I got on the floor I just wanted to play defense. You come in the game, get a couple of stops, grab a couple of rebounds, that's the way to get on his good side."
As the conference season reaches the halfway point, pre-season favorite UC is threatening to run away with the regular-season title. The Bearcats hold a two-game lead in the loss column over both Houston and Wichita State. The Cougars will try to slow their momentum with the biggest threat to the Bearcats' defense since the Xavier game.
"They've just got a lot of answers on offense," Cronin said.
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.