Bearcats Open Season at No. 18 Ohio State

RV/-- CINCINNATI (0-0) AT 18/16 OHIO STATE (0-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 6 // 8:30 p.m. ET
Value City Arena // Columbus, Ohio
SERIES INFO: Ohio State leads 7-4 overall; Ohio State leads
3-2 in Columbus and 2-0 in Cincinnati;
Series is tied 2-2 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Ohio State won 64-56 on Nov. 7, 2018
at Fifth Third Arena
STREAK: Ohio State - Won last 3
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (0-0);
Sixth season overall (82-52)
Chris Holtmann is in his third season at Ohio State (45-24);
Ninth season overall (159-109)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (PRESEASON): Cincinnati (RV/--);
Ohio State (18/16)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with
color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: FS1; Tim Brando provides play-by-play
with color analyst Jim Jackson
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 

• The University of Cincinnati's men's basketball team tips off the 2019-20 campaign on the road at in-state rival No. 18/16 Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Start time is 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast by FS1 and 700 WLW.  
• The contest marks the first game of the John Brannen coaching era at Cincinnati. Named the Bearcats head coach on April 14, 2019, Brannen comes to Clifton after leading the Northern Kentucky program the past four seasons. He took the Norse to the postsesaon three times, the NCAA Tournament twice (2017, 2019) and won the Horizon League regular-season twice (2018, 2019). NKU owned a 72-30 combined record the past three seasons.
• Wednesday marks the first time Cincinnati has battled Ohio State in Columbus since Dec. 10, 1921, a 33-17 win for the Bearcats.
• Ohio State leads the series 7-4 all-time following a 64-56  win on Nov. 7, 2018, in the first game played in Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena following its 20-month, $87 million renovation. That contest marked the first time the two schools had met on UC's campus since 1920. 
• The 2019-20 Bearcats are led by American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, senior guard Jarron Cumberland. He earned the league's player of the year award last season, averaging 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists. Cumberland, along with redshirt-senior forward Trevon Scott (9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds) and junior guard Keith Williams (9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds), are the three returning starters from last year's squad that posted a 28-7 overall mark, finished second in the AAC at 14-4, won its second consecutive AAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive season. 
• UC was picked to finish third in The American by the league's coaches at media day on Oct. 14. The Bearcats received 94 points and one first-place vote, finishing behind Houston (113 points, seven first-place votes) and Memphis (113 points, four first-place votes), who tied for first.

// CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• Wednesday tips off the 119th season of Cincinnati basketball and marks the earliest season opener in program history. 
• The game also opens the John Brannen coaching era at Cincinnati. Brannen posted an 81-51 record in four seasons at nearby Northern Kentucky, including a 72-30 mark since 2016-17 with three postseason appearances, two NCAA showings and two Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships.  
• Cincinnati was predicted to finish third in the American Athletic Conference (behind Memphis and Houston, who tied for first) according to a preseason polling of league coaches in October. 
• Senior guard Jarron Cumberland was tabbed the AAC Preseason Player of the Year by the league's coaches. He also earned selection to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List. 
• Cincinnati opens a season on the road for the first time since a 69-62 setback at No. 18 Oklahoma State (11/16/2001). 
• Cincinnati's 89 wins since the start of 2016-17 are tied for the third most in the nation behind only Gonzaga (102) and Villanova (94) entering the season. 
• The Bearcats are one of six schools to make the NCAA Tournament each of the last nine years. 

// SCOUTING OHIO STATE

• Ohio State is led by junior forward Kaleb Wesson (14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds), who tested the NBA waters following last season but opted to return to Columbus. He was unanimously selected to the 2019-20 Preseason All-Big Ten Team by a panel of conference media members in October.  
• His brother, senior forward Andre Wesson, averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 30.0 minutes a year ago. 
• Redshirt-junior point guard CJ Walker is eligible this season after sitting out 2018-19 as a transfer from Florida State where he averaged 8.0 points and 2.4 assists as a starter. 
• Sophomore guard Luther Muhammad averaged 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 28 starts last season. 
• The Buckeyes also welcome highly touted newcomers in point guard D.J. Carton, forward E.J. Liddell and forward Alonzo Gaffney. 
• Ohio State posted a 20-15 overall record last season, tying for eighth in the Big Ten at 8-12. The Buckeyes advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row before losing to AAC member Houston, 74-59. 
• Chris Holtmann enters his third season (45-24) at Ohio State and ninth season overall (159-109). He was named 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading OSU to a 25-9 overall mark and second-place league finish at 15-3.  

// SERIES HISTORY

• Ohio State leads the all-time series with the Bearcats 7-4, including a 3-2 advantage in Columbus and 2-0 lead in Cincinnati. The series is tied 2-2 at neutral sites. 
• Ohio State earned a 64-56 win last season in Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams. It marked the first game played in newly renovated Fifth Third Arena and the first time Ohio State had visited Cincinnati in the regular season since 1920. 
• Wednesday marks the first regular-season meeting in Columbus since 1921, when the Bearcats earned a 33-17 win.
• Three of the last five meetings have come during NCAA Tournament competition. Ohio State was ranked No. 1 while Cincinnati was No. 2 in both the 1961 and 1962 NCAA National Championship games with Cincinnati winning the national title both times. 
• No. 4 Ohio State downed the Bearcats 72-50 in the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis on Dec. 16, 2006. 
• The No. 7 Buckeyes posted an 81-66 win at the 2012 NCAA East Regional Semifinals in Boston. 
• Wednesday marks the first time UC head coach John Brannen has coaches against Ohio State. Chris Holtman is 3-0 against Cincinnati. Holtman posted two wins over the Bearcats while serving as head coach at Butler to go along with last season's victory while leading Ohio State.

// LAST YEAR'S MEETING: OHIO STATE 64, CINCINNATI 56 (NOV. 7, 2018)

• Kaleb Wesson scored 15 points, and C.J. Jackson hit a driving bank shot and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds as Ohio State held on for a 64-56 victory at Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams. 
• The game marked the first played in Cincinnati's newly renovated Fifth Third Arena and the first in the series on Cincinnati's campus since 1920.
• Jarron Cumberland led UC with a game-high 22 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
• The Buckeyes led 27-18 at the intermission and grew their lead to 52-36 on a dunk by Kaleb Wesson with 6:23 left. After the two teams traded three-pointers, the Bearcats clawed back to within 55-47 at 3:29 on a dunk by Trevon Scott that capped a 9-0 run. 
• Cumberland scored or assisted on all of Cincinnati's remaining 12 points as the Bearcats edged closer. His three with one minute left brought UC within 60-56. However, OSU's Jackson made a basket and a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the win. 

// THE BEARCATS ON OPENING NIGHT

• Wednesday's regular-season opener at Ohio State officially begins the 119th season of Cincinnati men's basketball.
• Basketball formally debuted as a selected varsity sport in 1901-02, with Cincinnati playing nine games and finishing with a 5-4 record. 
• UC is 96-22 (.814) in season openers, including an 85-11 (.885) mark at home, a 25-2 (.926) mark at Fifth Third Arena and an 11-10 (.524) mark on the road. The Bearcats started the 1979-80 season at a neutral site event. 
• UC's last season opener away from home resulted in a 69-62 setback at No. 18 Oklahoma State (11/16/2001). 
• UC head coach John Brannen is 3-1 in season openers. His only season opener on the road resulted in a 107-61 setback at West Virgina (11/13/2015), in his first season at Northern Kentucky when the school still played at the NCAA Division II level.   

// TIP-INS

• EARLIEST SEASON OPENER: Wednesday marks the earliest season opener in the history of UC basketball. Last year's opener against Ohio State on Nov. 7, 2018 held the record previously.
• TOUGH NON-LEAGUE SCHEDULE: Wednesday's matchup with Ohio State is one of several difficult non-league games on the 2019-20 Cincinnati schedule. The Bearcats are slated to play at preseason No. 19 Xavier (12/7), host 2019 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Tennessee (12/18), battle 2019 NCAA tournament participant Iowa in Chicago (12/21), host 2019 Missouri Valley co-champion Drake (11/11), host last year's American East Conference champion Vermont (12/3) and host 2019 Patriot League co-champion Colgate (12/14). A contest with 2019 NCAA tournament participant Nevada (11/25) is also possible at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  
• TWENTY-SOMETHINGS: Even with nine newcomers, a new coach and a new system to learn, the makeup of the 2019-20 Bearcats features a mature group of players with Division I playing experience. The average age is 20.7 years with the oldest player being Jaevin Cumberland (23-years old). Other elder statesmen include: Jarron Cumberland (22), Mamoudou Diarra (22), Chris McNeal (22), Trevon Scott (22) and Jaume "Jay" Sorolla (22).   
• Seven players have seen action at least 68 collegiate games, including  Jarron Cumberland (106), Trevon Scott (106), Jaevin Cumberland (96), Jaume "Jay" Sorolla (89), Trevor Moore (69), Keith Williams (68), Chris McNeal (68).
• 3-POINTER STREAK: UC grad transfer guard Jaevin Cumberland enters the season having made at least one 3-pointer in 33 consecutive games, making one in every game last season. It marks the seventh longest streak in the NCAA entering the season. Eastern Illinois' Mack Smith ranks first at 49 consecutive games.
• Jaevin Cumberland ranked among the nation's leaders in 3-pointers per game (22nd at 3.3), three attempted (28th at 273) and 3-point FG% (50th at 39.9) a year ago.
• BRANNEN AGAINST OHIO: UC head coach John Brannen owns a 21-15 (.583) record against teams from Ohio: Cincinnati (0-1), Cleveland State (5-4), Miami [Ohio] (2-0), Tiffin (1-0), Toledo (0-1), Wilmington (1-1), Wright State (5-5), Xavier (0-1) and Youngstown State (7-2).   
• CINCINNATI TIES: Ohio State play-by-play broadcaster Paul Keels is a Cincinnati native and former voice of the Bearcats, calling UC men's basketball and football games for seven years in the 1990s. 

// UP NEXT

• Cincinnati welcomes Drake to Fifth Third Arena for the home opener on Monday, Nov. 11. The game tips at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Ohio, ESPN3 and 700 WLW. 
• Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase at GoBearcats.com/Tickets or by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX.