Loading

Cincinnati Greets East Carolina on Sunday Evening

Cincinnati plays host to East Carolina on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena. The game tips at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW.  

Opens in a new window Game Notes Opens in a new window Watch Opens in a new window Listen Opens in a new window Live Stats
Cincinnati Greets East Carolina on Sunday EveningCincinnati Greets East Carolina on Sunday Evening
ECU (8-9, 2-2 AAC) at CINCINNATI (10-7, 3-2 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 19 // 6 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 15th meeting; Cincinnati leads 12-2 overall; Cincinnati leads 7-0 at home and 5-2 in Greenville, N.C.
STREAK: ECU - 1
LAST MEETING: ECU won 73-71 on Jan. 5, 2019 at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (10-7); fifth season overall (92-59)
Joe Dooley is in his sixth season at ECU (75-82); 11th season overall (189-140)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 13): Cincinnati (--/--); ECU (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPNU; Matt Schumacker provides play-by-play with color analyst Sean Harrington
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 
  • Cincinnati (10-7, 3-2 American) returns home to face East Carolina on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW. 
  • Despite rallying from a 15-point, second-half deficit, UC suffered a 60-49 setback at No. 22 Memphis on Thursday. Jarron Cumberland led the Bearcats' effort with a game-high 19 points and a trio of 3-pointers. Keith Williams added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
  • ECU is coming off a 65-49 home loss to Tulsa on Wednesday. Jayden Gardner led the Pirates with 19 points while making 13 of 14 free throw attempts. 
  • UC owns a 12-2 record in its series with ECU. The Bearcats hold a 7-0 advantage in Cincinnati are 5-2 against the Pirates in Greenville, N.C. However, ECU claimed a 73-71 win over UC last season in Greenville. 
  • UP NEXT: UC plays at Temple on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNews and 700 WLW.
// CINCINNATI STORYLINES
  • Jarron Cumberland is averaging 15.0 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 47.7 percent (31 of 65) from the floor and 46.2 percent (12 of 26) from 3-point range over the last six games. 
  • Since league play (last 5 games) started he ranks third in the AAC with 5.6 assists and is tied for third, shooting 50.0 percent (9 of 18) from beyond the arc. 
  • Chris Vogt entered Friday's action ranked fourth in the nation and first in the AAC, shooting 68.8 percent (95 of 138) from the field.  
  • The Bearcats are 56-4 (.933) at home since the start of 2016-17, including a 27-2 (.931) mark against AAC teams.
  • Trevon Scott has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award, an honor given annually to a men's basketball student-athlete who excels both on and off the court.
  • The UC coaching staff will wear sneakers Sunday as part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week (Jan. 20-26) to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's mission to fight cancer. 
// SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
  • East Carolina saw its two-game win streak snapped Wednesday with its 65-49 home loss to Tulsa. A victory over the Golden Hurricane would have given the Pirates their first three-game AAC win streak. 
  • Prior to the Tulsa loss, ECU had taken part in three close conference games, falling at then-No. 24 Wichita State (75-69 on Jan. 1) before defeating USF (62-59 on Jan. 7) and SMU (71-68 on Jan. 11) at home. 
  • Sophomore forward Jayden Gardner was named the AAC Player of the Week on Monday. He ranks among the league's best in points (1st at 21.2), rebounds (3rd at 9.1) and field goal percentage (4th at .562). 
  • Entering Friday, he led the nation in free throw attempts (149) and free throws made (113). He also ranked 14th in scoring average (21.2) and 19th in double-doubles (19).  
  • Junior guard Tyrie Jackson and freshman swingman Brandon Suggs average 9.3 points each for the Pirates. 
  • ECU finished 10-21 overall and 3-15 in the AAC a year ago. 
  • Head coach Joe Dooley is in the second year of his second stint leading the Pirates' program after coaching ECU from 1995-99. 
// EAST CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY
  • Cincinnati owns a 12-2 record in its series with ECU. The Bearcats hold a 7-0 advantage in Cincinnati are 5-2 against the Pirates in Greenville, N.C.
  • ECU won the only meeting between the teams a year ago, claiming a 73-71 decision in Greenville on Jan. 5, 2019. The loss snapped a four-game series win streak for UC.
  • ECU and Temple are the last two AAC opponents who have not played in the newly renovated Fifth Third Arena as the Bearcats faced both foes on the road only a year ago. The new-look arena reopened for the 2018-19 campaign. Temple plays at Fifth Third Arena on Senior Day, March 7, later this season.   
  • Cincinnati claimed an 86-60 win over ECU on Jan. 20, 2018 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky., in the last game played in the series in the Cincinnati area. The venue on Northern Kentucky University's campus (about 10 miles away) served as UC's home arena for the 2017-18 campaign while Fifth Third Arena was undergoing renovations. 
  • The two teams played six times while members of Conference USA. The series began with a 105-69 Cincinnati win on Dec. 6, 1991 in the Queen City.  
// TIP-INS
  • SINCE THE START OF LEAGUE PLAY: Cincinnati continues trending upward five games into league play. Entering the weekend, the Bearcats rank among the league's top 3 leaders in eight categories: scoring defense (1st at 57.0), scoring margin (1st at +9.0), rebounding defense (1st at 30.0), rebounding margin (2nd at +8.6), field goal percentage (3rd at .438), field goal percentage defense (3rd at .375), 3-point field goal percentage defense (3rd at .259) and assists (3rd at 15.8) in league games. 
  • HOME SWEET HOME I: The Bearcats are 56-4 (.933) at home since the start of 2016-17, including a 27-2 (.931) mark against AAC teams.
  • HOME SWEET HOME II: In its two AAC home games this season, Cincinnati is outscoring the opposition by an average of 23.5 points (71.0 -47.5) while shooting 47.5 percent (56 of 118) from the floor. Defensively, the Bearcats are limiting foes to 32.2 percent (37 of 115) shooting from the field and 11.1 percent (4 of 36) from 3-point range.   
  • SUNDAY FUN DAY: The matchup with ECU marks the first of five Sunday games for the Bearcats during conference play in 2019-20. UC will play more league games on Sunday than any other day of the week this season with future games at UConn (2/9), at ECU (2/16), Wichita State (2/23) and at Houston (3/1). The Bearcats are 0-1 on Sunday this season, falling in overtime, 91-84, to Bowling Green (11/24) in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.   
  • JARRON CUMBERLAND HEATING UP: Jarron Cumberland is averaging 15.0 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 47.7 percent (31 of 65) from the floor and 46.2 percent (12 of 26) from 3-point range over the last six games. Since league play (last 5 games) started he ranks third in the AAC with 5.6 assists and tied for third, shooting 50.0 percent (9 of 18) from beyond the arc.