Bearcats Return Home, Face Tulsa Wednesday

TULSA (9-5, 1-0 AAC) at CINCINNATI (8-6, 1-1 AAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 8 // 7 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 41st meeting; Cincinnati leads 28-12 overall; Cincinnati leads 17-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa; 
Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites 
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 88-64 on Jan. 24, 2019 at Fifth Third Arena 
STREAK: Cincinnati - 6
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (8-6); fifth season overall (90-58)
Frank Haith is in his sixth season at Tulsa (104-71); 16th season overall (291-200)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 6): Cincinnati (--/--); Tulsa (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPNU; Mike Corey provides play-by-play with color analyst Sean Harrington
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 

• The University of Cincinnati (8-6, 1-1 American) men's basketball team plays host to Tulsa on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW. 
• The Bearcats dropped a 76-71 decision Saturday at Tulane. Chris Vogt tied a career high, scoring 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Keith Williams netted 18 points. Jarron Cumberland added 10 points.   
• Tulsa (9-5, 1-0) cruised past Temple, 70-44, at home Saturday. Jeriah Horne scored a game-high 23 points with four 3-pointers.  
• Cincinnati won both meetings with Tulsa last season to improve its advantage in the series to 28-12 overall all-time. UC leads 17-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa.
• Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites. 
• The Bearcats have won six in a row and eight of nine against Tulsa as fellow members of The American. 
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati plays at UCF on Saturday, Jan. 11. The contest tips at noon ET on ESPN2 and 700 WLW. 

// CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• Chris Vogt averaged 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 81 percent (17 of 21) from the field last week. He entered Monday ranked fourth in the nation and first in the AAC, shooting 69.9 percent (79 of 113) from the field this season. He has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in 13 of 14 games this season and has shot 75 percent or better seven times. He tied a career high with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting at Tulane on Saturday. 
• The Bearcats are 55-4 (.932) at home since the start of 2016-17, including a 26-2 mark against AAC teams. 
• Cincinnati (Vogt [12th at 13.6 ppg], Jarron Cumberland [16th at 13.2], Keith Williams [20th at 12.4] and Jaevin Cumberland [29th at 10.1]) along with  Houston are the only two teams in the AAC with four players each listed among the top 30 scorers in the league entering Monday. 
• Williams tallied 18 points against Tulane Saturday, marking his second-best offensive output of the season behind only a career-high 23 points against Vermont (12/3). 

// SCOUTING TULSA

• Tulsa snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 70-44 home win over Temple in its AAC opener. 
• The Golden Hurricane is 1-3 in true road games this season with a win at Vanderbilt (67-58 on Nov. 30) and setbacks at UT Arlington (73-59 on Nov. 9), Arkansas (98-79 on Dec. 14) and at Kansas State (69-67 on Dec. 29).
• Tulsa is led in scoring by junior guard Brandon Rachal (14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and .521 field goal percentage), who played at Pearl River Community College a year ago. 
• Junior forward Jeriah Horne is averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 rebounds while leading the team with 26 3-pointers.
• Junior guard Elijah Joiner ranks fourth in the AAC with a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Tulsa was picked to finish 10th in the AAC in a preseason vote of the league's coaches. 

// TULSA SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati owns a 28-12 lead in its series with Tulsa. UC leads 17-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa. Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites. 
• The Bearcats have won six in a row and eight of nine against Tulsa as fellow members of The American. 
• Last season the Bearcats won both meetings, outlasting Tulsa 70-65 in overtime on Jan. 10, 2019 at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla., and posting an 88-64 win on Jan. 24, 2019 at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.  
• Tulsa's last win in the series came in Tulsa, 70-68, in overtime on Feb. 18, 2016.
• Tulsa's last win in Cincinnati came via a 65-64 overtime result on Jan. 5, 1967 in the Armory Field House.  
• The series dates back to a 43-42 Cincinnati home win on Dec. 31, 1946. 
• The two programs met each year as members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1957-58 to 1969-70. 

// TIP-INS

• ASSISTED BASKETS: Cincinnati handed out 18 assists on its 26 made baskets (69.2 percent) Saturday at Tulane. It marked the third highest percentage of assists on made baskets this season for the Bearcats behind only UNLV (75 percent [18 of 24]) and Alabama A&M (70 percent [21 of 30]).  
• RAREFIED AIR: Jarron Cumberland joined exclusive company on New Year's Day against UConn when he became only the fourth player in school history to eclipse at least 1,500 points and 300 assists for his career. He joined UC legend Oscar Robertson (2,973 points/425 assists from 1958-60), Steve Logan (1,985 points/456 assists from 1999-2002) and Deonta Vaughn (1,885 points/511 assists from 2007-2010).
• GETTING THE BALL INSIDE: Cincinnati is averaging 40.5 points in the paint over its last four games - Tennessee (46), vs. Iowa (38), UConn (42) and at Tulane (36) - marking it highest four-game average of the season.
• FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: UConn's 51 points against Cincinnati on New Year's Day were the fewest points allowed to a Bearcats' opponent this season and the fewest to an AAC opponent since UC's 52-49 win at SMU last season.