Tickets2018 AARON'S AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP - SEMIFINALS
No. 1 seed CINCINNATI (28-4) vs. No. 5 seed MEMPHIS (21-12)
SERIES INFO: 76th meeting; Cincinnati leads 43-33 overall; Memphis leads 22-14 in Memphis;
Cincinnati leads 24-10 at home and 5-1 at neutral sites; First meeting at the American Championship
STREAK: Cincinnati - 3
2017-18 MEETINGS: Cincinnati won 82-48 on Dec. 31 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
Cincinnati won 62-48 on Jan. 27 at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
Tubby Smith is in his second season at Memphis (40-25); 27th season overall (597-301)
Mick Cronin is in his 12th season at Cincinnati (264-139); 15th season overall (333-163)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (MARCH 5): Cincinnati (8/8); Memphis (--/--);
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: CBS; Jim Nantz provides play-by-play with color analyst Bill Raftery & Grant Hill. Tracy Wolfson reports
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// CINCINNATI STORYLINES
- Cincinnati is looking for its first league tournament title since 2004 (Conference USA).
- The Bearcats' 28 wins this season are tied for sixth most in school history. UC has won at least 26 games in five of the last eight seasons.
- Cincinnati won at The American regular season title and tournament's top seed for the second time in five seasons (shared with Louisville in 2013-14).
- Gary Clark was named The American's 2018 Player of the Year, unanimous First Team selection (only player in league), Defensive Player of the Year and claimed the Sportsmanship Award as voted upon by the league's coaches earlier this week.
- Clark needs four rebounds to pass Paul Hogue (1,088) for third place in career rebounds at UC. Only National Basketball Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson (1,338) and Jack Twyman (1,242) would rank ahead of Clark.
- UC head coach Mick Cronin was named the national coach of the year by Sporting News on Thursday and is a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Award.
- Cane Broome is averaging a team-best 12.7 points while shooting 61.7 percent (29 of 47) from the field and 50.0 percent (8 of 16) from three-point range with 12 assists and five turnovers during the last six games.
- Kyle Washington is averaging a team-best 12.5 points while shooting 53.2 percent (58 of 109) from the floor with 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks during the last 11 games.
- Cincinnati is one of eight teams to appear in the NCAA Tournament each of the last seven seasons (along with Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, VCU and Wisconsin).
The American Athletic Conference regular-season champion, eighth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (28-4) battle Memphis (21-12) on Saturday in semifinals action at the 2018 Aaron's American Championship at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS and 700 WLW.
The top-seeded Bearcats outlasted No. 9 seed SMU 61-51 on Friday in the quarterfinal round. Kyle Washington scored a team-high 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds. Cane Broome had 13 points while Gary Clark registered his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Fifth-seed Memphis claimed a thrilling 67-64 win over fourth-seed Tulsa in the quarterfinals Friday. Kareem Brewton Jr. hit a floating three-point try at the buzzer to give the Tigers their second win in as many days in Orlando. Brewton and Kyvon Davenport led Memphis with 15 points each. Mike Parks Jr., added 14 points.
Cincinnati owns a 43-33 lead in its series with Memphis having won the last three meetings, including both matchups during the regular season: 82-48 on New Year's Eve at BB&T Arena and 62-48 on Jan. 27 at FedEx Forum in Memphis.
The Bearcats have won five of six meetings on a neutral court but haven't faced the Tigers in the postseason since an 89-79 Cincinnati win on March 9, 2001 in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals.
// RECAPS FROM RECENT MEMPHIS MEETINGS
EARLIER THIS SEASON AT CINCINNATI - CINCINNATI 82, MEMPHIS 48 - (Dec. 31, 2017)
Cincinnati posted its largest win over Memphis in the 75-game history of the series, earning an 82-48 victory over the Tigers.
Jarron Cumberland led four Bearcats in double figures with 15 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Gary Clark registered his 22nd career double-double with 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds. Jacob Evans III added 12 points and a game-high six assists. Trevor Moore poured in a season-high 12 points with a trio of threes.
Kareem Brewton Jr., led Memphis with 17 points while Mike Parks Jr., added 10 points for the Tigers.
UC shot 52.5 percent from the floor for the game, recording 23 assists on 32 made baskets. The Bearcats out-rebounded the Tigers 45-30 and held Memphis to 32.1 percent shooting (18 of 56) for the game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON AT MEMPHIS - CINCINNATI 62, MEMPHIS 48 - (Jan. 27, 2017)
(AP) - Cincinnati held Memphis to 31.1 percent shooting, kept the Tigers from getting in an offensive flow much of the game and the combination helped the Bearcats win their 12th straight with a 62-48 victory over Memphis.
Gary Clark had 18 points and nine rebounds and Jacob Evans III added 14 points -- including a pair of 3-pointers to break Cincinnati out of a second-half shooting slump, when Memphis got within 36-32.
Evans' 3-pointers were part of a 15-2 Cincinnati rally that put the game away as Memphis lost its second straight after a four-game winning streak.
Memphis fell behind by 19 points in the first half before Cincinnati carried a 34-21 lead into the break. The Tigers were able to put a dent in the Bearcats' advantage in the early stages of the second half. Cincinnati missed its first five shots, leading to a timeout from Cronin.
Eventually, the Bearcats would miss 10 of their first 11, allowing Memphis to creep as close as 36-32 before Cincinnati let loose with its 3-point barrage.
Jeremiah Martin led the Tigers with 20 points, while Kareem Brewton Jr. finished with 10 for Memphis.
// NOTES & TRENDS
Cincinnati put in another strong defensive performance holding its opponent below 40 percent shooting for the 21st time in 32 games this season ... SMU became the 21st Bearcat foe to manage 60 or fewer points.
Kyle Washington scored in double figures for the third consecutive game Friday and the eighth time in the last 11 games. He is averaging a team-best 12.5 points while shooting 53.2 percent (58 of 109) from the floor with 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks during the stretch.
Gary Clark registered his AAC-best 10th double-double of the season and the 28th of his career (most career double-doubles of any Bearcat during the Mick Cronin coaching era [since 2006-07]).
Jarron Cumberland tied a career-high with eight assists against SMU. He is averaging 5.5 assists over his last four games.
Cane Broome tallied 13 points and has scored in double figures five times in the last six games. He is averaging a team-best 12.7 points while shooting 61.7 percent (29 of 47) from the field and 50.0 percent (8 of 16) from three-point range with 12 assists and five turnovers during the stretch.
Justin Jenifer has 80 assists with only 22 turnovers, averaging 19.4 minutes this season. He has committed only two miscues in his last 157 minutes of play; zero in his last 55 minutes on the court.
Cincinnati improved to 4-4 in the American Championship overall and 3-2 in quarterfinals action.
The Bearcats won't face UConn in the league tournament for the first time in the 5-year old event.