League Leaders Clash Sunday in Houston

CINCINNATI (18-9, 11-4 AAC) at
No. 25 HOUSTON (21-7, 11-4 AAC)
Sunday, Mar. 1 // 1 p.m. ET
Fertitta Center // Houston, Texas
SERIES INFO: 39th meeting; Cincinnati leads 33-5 overall; Cincinnati leads 17-1 in Cincinnati;
Cincinnati leads 14-4 in Houston;
Cincinnati leads 2-0 at neutral sites 
STREAK: Cincinnati - 2
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 64-62 on Feb. 1 at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati
COACHES: John Brannen is in his first season at Cincinnati (18-9); fifth season overall (100-61)
Kelvin Sampson is in his sixth season at Houston (137-59); 31st season overall (637-329)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (FEB. 24): Cincinnati (--/--); Houston (25/RV)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN; Kevin Brown provides play-by-play with color analysts Bryce Drew
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

// GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (18-9, 11-4 American) battles co-league leader Houston (21-7, 11-4) on Sunday in Houston. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN and 700 WLW. 
• The Bearcats are coming off a 67-64 home win over Wichita State on Sunday, Feb. 23. Jarron Cumberland scored a game-high 24 points, including 16 of 22 shooting from the foul line. His cousin, Jaevin Cumberland added nine points. Trevon Scott had eight points and a team-best 11 rebounds.  
• Houston dropped a 60-59 decision at Memphis on Saturday, Feb. 22. Caleb Mills led the Cougars with 21 points while Marcus Sasser added 18 points. 
• Cincinnati rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to outlast Houston, 64-62, on Feb. 1 in the Queen City. The Bearcats lead the series with Houston 33-5 overall, having won the last two meetings. 
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati stays on the road to face USF on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW. 

// CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• Trevon Scott was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, marking the fourth time he's been recognized by the league since the start of conference play. 
• Over the last five games, Scott is averaging a team-best 18.8 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 55.2 percent (37 of 67) from the floor and 38.9 percent (7 of 18) from 3-point range.
• Jarron Cumberland ranks second the AAC in assists (6.2) and third in scoring (17.0) during league action. He has seven 20-point games this season, including five during AAC action. Ninety-three of his 122 assists in 2019-20 have come in conference play. 
• If Cincinnati wins its final three games of the season, the Bearcats will claim at least a share of the AAC regular-season crown. It would mark UC's third title in seven seasons of the league's existence (2014-share with Louisville; 2018-outright).
• The month of February saw all seven of UC's games determined either in overtime or on the final possession. Games were decided by an average of 1.7 points with the Bearcats posting a 5-2 record.
• Cincinnati's seven overtime games (4-3 record) this season are a school record (played six [5-1 record] in 1966-67); an AAC record; and are the most by a Division I team this season. 

// SCOUTING HOUSTON

• Houston enters Sunday's game having lost two of its last three after falling 60-59 at Memphis on Feb. 22. 
• The Cougars ranked among the nation's best in multiple categories: rebounding margin (1st at 9.7), offensive rebounds (5th at 13.9), 3-point field goal percentage defense (13th at .290) and scoring defense (14th at 62.0) entering Thursday.
• Five Cougars average more than nine points, led by Caleb Mills (13.2 points, .367 3-point field goal percentage), Quentin Grimes (11.8 points, 2.7 assists) and Nate Hinton (10.3 points, 9.0 rebounds). 

// SERIES HISTORY 

• Cincinnati leads its series with Houston 33-5 overall, including a 17-1 record in Cincinnati, 14-4 mark in Houston,  and 2-0 record at neutral sites. At least one team in the series has been ranked in the previous nine meetings. 
• Earlier this season, UC posted a 64-62 comeback win over Houston on Feb. 1 at Fifth Third Arena. 
• A year ago, Houston defeated UC 65-58 on Feb. 10, 2019 in Houston and 85-69 on Mar. 10, 2019 in Cincinnati. The Bearcats earned a 69-57 win over Houston in the championship game of the 2019 AAC Tournament on Mar. 17. 
• The Bearcats won two out of three games against the Cougars during the 2017-18 season. UC rallied from 18-points down to earn an 80-70 victory on Jan. 31, 2018 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky. It marked the largest comeback win of the Mick Cronin coaching era (2007-2019). Houston earned a 67-62 win at Houston on Feb. 15 that snapped UC's nation-leading 16-game overall win streak. UC claimed a 56-55 victory in the championship game of the American Championship on March 11.  
• Prior to both teams becoming members of The American in 2013-14, the last time the two teams met was on 
• Jan. 29, 2005 at Fifth Third Arena (UC won 87-68).
• The two teams played as members of the Missouri Valley Conference for three seasons (1958-60). Four nonconference games followed the next four years. The two teams also met for three consecutive seasons from 1973-75. 

// TIP-INS

• VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: Cincinnati is 2-2 this season against ranked foes with both losses coming on the road. The Bearcats dropped the season opener at then-No. 11 Ohio State (64-56 on Nov. 6), outlasted then-No. 21 Tennessee (78-66 on Dec. 18) at Fifth Third Arena, fell to then-No. 22 Memphis (60-49 on Jan. 16) in Memphis and rallied past then-No. 21 Houston in Cincinnati (64-62 on Feb. 1). 
• BONUS BASKETBALL: Through Wednesday's games, Cincinnati leads the nation, having played in seven overtime games this season. The number is also a school and AAC record.
• The previous school record was six overtimes set during  the 1966-67 season (5-1 record). 
• UC also played in four consecutive overtime games heading in February, tying for the NCAA record with Jacksonville (1982), Illinois State (1985) and Dayton (1988). 
• The NCAA record for most overtime games in a season is eight set by Western Kentucky (1978), Portland (1984) and Valparaiso (1993).
• Only 27 games into his UC coaching tenure, John Brannen already has tied Ed Jucker (4-5 in overtime games from 1960-65) for the fourth most overtime wins by a coach in school history (see page 11 of notes). 
• Trevon Scott owns the school record, having played in 11 overtime games (8-3 record) during his career. Jarron Cumberland has played in 10 OT games (7-3 record) as a Bearcat, having sat out the Valparaiso (11/25) OT affair earlier this season due to injury.
• WILD FEBRUARY FOR THE BEARCATS: The month of February saw all seven games decided either in overtime or on the final possession. Games were decided by an average of 1.7 points with the Bearcats posting a 5-2 record. 
• Cincinnati held off then-No. 21 Houston 64-62 on Feb. 1 when Cougar guard Caleb Mills missed a 20-footer just before the buzzer ... Five days later, Jarron Cumberland connected on a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left to give UC an 80-79 win at Wichita State on Feb. 6 ... Jarron Cumberland couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer as Cincinnati fell at UConn, 72-71, in OT on Feb. 9 ... The Bearcats rallied from a 10-point deficit to Memphis (Feb. 13) with 6:11 left in regulation to later win in overtime, 92-86 ... Keith Williams scored six of his game-high 17 points in overtime and ECU's Jayden Gardner missed a running 30-footer at the buzzer as UC held off the Pirates for a 70-67 OT road win on Feb. 16 ... Jarron Cumberland hit a half-court shot that came just after the final horn in UC's 89-87 double-overtime loss to UCF on Feb. 19 ... Mika Adams-Woods and Jarron Cumberland combined to make two free throws in the final three seconds and Wichita State's Jamarius Burton missed a half-court shot as UC posted a 67-64 win over the Shockers on Feb. 23.
• CHART CHASING: Jarron Cumberland needs 12 points to move past Pat Cummings (1,762 points from 1975-76, 1978-79) for seventh place on UC's all-time scoring list. With 404 career assists, Cumberland needs four more to climb into seventh place on UC's career assists list.