Cincinnati Set to Tangle with Temple in Philadelphia

CINCINNATI (11-7, 4-2 AAC) at TEMPLE (10-7, 2-4 AAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 19 // 7 p.m. ET
Liacouras Center // Philadelphia, Pa.
SERIES INFO: 32nd meeting; Cincinnati leads 22-9 overall; Cincinnati leads 7-4 in Philadelphia; 
Cincinnati leads 9-2 at home and 6-3 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 72-68 on Jan. 27, 2019 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa. 
STREAK: Cincinnati- 4
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (11-7); fifth season overall (93-59)
Aaron McKie is in his first season at Temple (10-7); first season overall (10-7)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 20): Cincinnati (--/--); Temple (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPNews; Kevin Brown provides play-by-play with color analyst Julianne Viani
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (11-7, 4-2 American) plays at Temple (10-7, 4-2) on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET on ESPNews and 700 WLW. 
• The Bearcats are coming off an 82-57 home win over East Carolina on Sunday. Trevon Scott posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jarron Cumberland tallied 13 points and a game-best seven assists. Jay Sorolla registered a season-high 11 points. 
• Temple dropped a 68-52 decision at SMU on Saturday. Jake Forrester led the Owls with 14 points and seven rebounds. 
• Cincinnati leads the series with Temple 22-9 overall, including a 7-4 mark in Philadelphia. The Bearcats have won the last five meetings, including the lone matchup last season, 72-68, in Philadelphia. 
• UP NEXT: UC has the weekend off before playing host to SMU on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Fifth Third Arena. Tip time is 7 p.m. ET on ESPNews and 700 WLW. 

// CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• Jarron Cumberland was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. He  averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 assists with five 3-pointers in a 1-1 week for the Bearcats. He scored a game-high 19 points with a trio of threes in UC's 60-49 loss at Memphis on Thursday. He also posted 13 points with a game-high seven assists in UC's 82-57 home win over East Carolina on Sunday. 
• Chris Vogt entered Monday's action ranked fifth in the nation and first in the AAC, shooting 67.6 percent (98 of 145) from the field.
• 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.
• Scott is averaging 9.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals with three double-doubles since the start of AAC play. 
• The UC coaching staff will wear sneakers Wednesday 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 TEMPLE

• Temple is 5-3 at home this season, highlighted by a 65-53 win over then-No. 16 Wichita State (1/15). 
• The Owls are led in scoring by senior guard Quinton Rose (14.4 points, 4,6 rebounds, 3.7 assists) and junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis (10.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists). 
• Rose ranks among AAC leaders in steals (6th at 1.9), assists (7th at 3.7), free throw percentage (7th at .802), assist-to-turnover ratio (8th at 1.5)and points (9th at 14.4) this season. 
• Nate Pierre-Louis is listed among the AAC's best in defensive rebounds (2nd at 7.2), steals (T4th at 2.0), rebounds (5th at 8.8) and minutes played (10th at 31.1). 
• Senior guard Alani Moore II ranks fourth in 3-pointers made (2.1) and 10th in 3-point percentage (10th at .383) among AAC leaders this season.
• The Owls entered the week ranked nationally in 3-point percentage defense (13th at .279) and field goal percentage defense (22nd at .382). 
• New head coach Aaron McKie played under Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney at Temple and served as an assistant coach for five seasons under Fran Dunphy.

// TEMPLE SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati leads the all-time series with Temple 22-9 overall. UC owns a 7-4 advantage in Philadelphia, a 9-2 lead at home and a 6-3 lead at neutral sites.
• The Bearcats won their fifth consecutive game in the series, a 72-68 decision in Philadelphia, in the only meeting between the schools last season. 
• Temple's last victory in the series came via a 67-65 double-overtime win in Philadelphia on Jan. 16, 2016.
• The Owls last won in Cincinnati, 77-70, on Dec. 29, 2015, in the conference opener for both teams. 
• Six of the last seven games in the series have been decided by seven or fewer points.   
• Prior to joining The American, the last time the two teams met came in an 80-71 Bearcats' win on Dec. 9, 2006 at the Lenape Trail Classic in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

// TIP-INS

• AAC'S WINNINGEST PROGRAMS MEET: Wednesday marks a matchup of the two winningest programs in The American. Temple ranks fifth with 1,936 all-time victories while Cincinnati ranks 13th with 1,827 wins. The two programs have combined for 3,763 all-time wins, 66 NCAA Tournament appearances, 95 postseason appearances and eight Final Fours. 
• SINCE THE START OF LEAGUE PLAY: Cincinnati continues trending upward six games into league play. Entering the week, the Bearcats rank among the league's top 3 leaders in 10 categories: scoring margin (1st at +11.7), rebounding defense (1st at 30.7), scoring defense (2nd at 57.0), rebounding margin (2nd at +9.2),  field goal percentage defense (2nd at .366), assists (2nd at 16.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd at 1.1), field goal percentage (3rd at .441), 3-point field goal percentage defense (3rd at .259) and rebounding offense (3rd at 39.8) in league games.
• Bearcats currently lead the league in field goal percentage (Chris Vogt - .679), free throw percentage (Keith Williams - .900) and steals (Trevon Scott - 2.8) in league games only.
• The Bearcats are averaging more assists (16.8 vs.13.9); slightly fewer turnovers (14.7 vs. 15.1); playing better defense from the field (opponents shooting .366 vs. .406) and beyond the arc (.259 vs. .331); and outrebounding their opponents at a higher rate (+9.2 margin vs. +3.4) since AAC play began. 
• Jarron Cumberland (35 to 29) and Trevon Scott (19 to 18) already have more assists in six league games than they tallied in 12 nonconference contests. 
• JARRON CUMBERLAND RECOGNIZED: Jarron Cumberland was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. He  averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 assists with five 3-pointers in a 1-1 week for the Bearcats. He scored a game-high 19 points with a trio of threes in UC's 60-49 loss at Memphis on Thursday. He also posted 13 points with a game-high seven assists in UC's 82-57 home win over East Carolina on Sunday. 
• Since the start of league play, Cumberland is averaging 14.2 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 47.5 percent (29 of 61) from the field and 44 percent (11 of 25) from 3-point range.
• In AAC games only, Cumberland ranks among the league leaders in seven categories: assists (third at 5.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (sixth at 1.7), 3-point percentage (seventh at .440), points (eighth at 14.2), 3-pointers made (eighth at 1.8), field goal percentage (13th at .475) and minutes played (14th at 32.3).