Cincinnati Travels to UCF on Saturday

CINCINNATI (9-6, 2-1 AAC) at UCF (9-6, 0-3 AAC)
Saturday, Jan. 11 // Noon ET
Addition Financial Arena // Orlando, Fla.
SERIES INFO: 14th meeting; Cincinnati leads 11-2 overall; Cincinnati leads 4-2 in Orlando; 
Cincinnati leads 5-0 at home; Cincinnati leads 2-0 at neutral sites
STREAK: UCF - 1
LAST MEETING: UCF won 58-55 on Feb. 21, 2019 in Orlando
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (9-6); fifth season overall (91-58)
Johnny Dawkins is in his fourth season at UCF (76-40); 12th season overall (232-155)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 6): Cincinnati (--/--); UCF (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN2; Dave LaMont provides play-by-play with color analyst Mark Adams
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 

• The University of Cincinnati (9-6, 2-1 American) men's basketball team plays at UCF (9-6, 0-3) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for noon on ESPN2 and 700 WLW. 
• The Bearcats are coming off a 75-44 home win over Tulsa on Wednesday. Jarron Cumberland tallied a game-high 22 points with four threes, seven rebounds and eight assists. Jaevin Cumberland posted 16 points with four 3-pointers. Chris Vogt posted his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Trevon Scott added 10 points and nine rebounds. 
• UCF suffered an 81-74 road loss at SMU on Wednesday. Cesar DeJesus, Collins Smith and Matt Milon scored 19 points each to lead the Knights.  
• Cincinnati and UCF split a pair of meetings last season with the home team winning each time. The Bearcats lead the series 11-2 overall and own a 4-2 mark in Orlando, Fla. 
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati plays at nationally ranked Memphis on Thursday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and 700 WLW.

// CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• Chris Vogt entered Thursday ranked second in the nation (behind Kansas' Udoka Azubuike [.800]) and first in the AAC, shooting 71.4 percent (85 of 119) from the field this season. During AAC play, Vogt is shooting 85.2 percent (23 of 27) from the floor. 
• Since the start of AAC play, Jarron Cumberland ranks among the league leaders in assists (4th at 6.3), 3-point percentage (7th at .545), scoring (T8th at 15.7), 3-pointers made (T8th at 2.0) and free throw percentage (10th at .818). 
• Trevon Scott is shooting 57.1 percent (24 of 42) from the floor over the last six games. He made 7-of-11 attempts from the floor against No. 21 Tennessee (12/18), scoring a game-high 15 points to go with seven rebounds. He also went 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 points against UConn (1/1).
• Bearcats legend Chuck Machock, who passed away Saturday, Jan. 4 at the age of 82, was a player, assistant coach and radio analyst for Cincinnati. During part of his 29-year coaching career, he spent two seasons as head coach at UCF (1983-84 and 1984-85).

// SCOUTING UCF

• UCF enters Saturday looking to snap a four-game losing streak that includes road setbacks at Oklahoma (53-52 on 12/21), at Houston (78-63 on 1/3) and at SMU (81-74 on 1/8), and a home loss to Temple (62-58 on 12/31). 
• The Knights are 6-2 at home this season. 
• Junior forward Collin Smith (13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds), junior guard Cesar DeJesus (11.1 points and team-high .525 shooting percentage) and  senior guard Dazon Ingram (9.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists) lead the way for the Knights. 
• Ingram ranks among AAC leaders in assists (4th at 3.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th at 1.8). 
• UCF went 24-9 overall and 13-5 in the AAC a year ago, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

// UCF SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati owns an 11-2 lead in its series with UCF, having won all five matchups in Cincinnati; four of six meetings in Orlando and both games at neutral sites.
• The Bearcats are 10-2 against UCF since the teams became members of the American Athletic Conference.
• Last season the two teams split a pair of meetings with the home team winning each game. Cincinnati earned a 60-55 win in Cincinnati (Feb. 19, 2019) while UCF posted a 58-55 victory in Orlando, Fla., on Mar. 7, 2019.  
• UC won the first eight meetings in the series and had won three in a row until the loss at UCF a year ago. 
• BRANNEN vs. UCF: John Brannen's NKU squad played at UCF last season, falling 66-53 on Nov. 24, 2018. UCF (0-1) and Memphis (0-1) are the only two AAC schools Brannen had previously coached against prior to leading Cincinnati's program.

// TIP-INS

• COUSIN COMBO: The cousin duo of Jarron and Jaevin Cumberland combined to tally 38 points Wednesday against Tulsa. It marked the duo's highest combined point total of the season. The previous high was 32 points against Bowling Green (11/24) in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The duo combined to shoot 13 of 24 from the field, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range, with four 3-pointers each, against Tulsa. 
• DEFENSE AT HOME: Cincinnati has tightened its defensive effort in its first two league home games, allowing opponents 47.5 points, a .323 (37 of 115) field goal percentage and an 11.1 (4 of 36) 3-point field goal percentage. The Bearcats own home wins over UConn (67-51 on Jan. 1) and Tulsa (75-44 on Jan. 8) two weeks into league play.  
• LAST THREE-LESS GAME: Tulsa went 0 for 17 from 3-point range at Cincinnati on Wednesday. It marked the first three-less game for a Bearcats' opponent since UCF went 0 for 14 from beyond the arc in a 77-49 UC win on Feb. 6, 2018 at Fifth Third Arena. UC's last game without a made 3-pointer (0 for 11) came in a 50-49 home loss to Tulane on Feb. 14, 2015. 
• FOUR OR MORE: Cincinnati has placed at least four players in double figures in 10 of its 15 games this season. The Bearcats saw a season-high six players score 10 or more points against then-No. 21 Tennessee (12/18), with a seventh player tallying nine points. Chris Vogt has scored 10 or more points in 14 of the first 15 games. Keith Williams has scored 10-plus nine times this season.