Bearcats Tip Off Season with Lipscomb on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

LIPSCOMB (1-1) at CINCINNATI (0-0)
Wednesday, Dec. 2 // 5 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: Third meeting; Cincinnati leads 2-0 overall; Cincinnati leads 2-0 at home
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 91-68 on Nov. 26, 2016 at Fifth Third Arena
STREAK: Cincinnati - 2
COACHES: John Brannen - second season at Cincinnati (0-0); sixth season overall (102-62)
Lennie Acuff - second season at Lipscomb (17-17); 
31st overall (534-314 Overall/17-17 D1/437-214 D2/96-99 NAIA)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (Preseason): Cincinnati (--/--); Lipscomb (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Mo Egger provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN+; Matt Noonan provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (0-0) tips off the 2020-21 campaign by hosting Lipscomb (1-1) on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Fifth Third Arena. 
• Start time is 5 p.m. ET. 
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 700 WLW. 
• More information on ESPN+: HERE
• Cincinnati is coming off a 20-10 campaign that saw the Bearcats win a share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship, finishing 13-5 in league play. UC earned the top seed in the AAC Championship. However, the event was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The 2020-21 Bearcats return three starters from that unit. Keith Williams (12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds) was named First Team All-AAC in the preseason while Chris Vogt (11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds) was tabbed a Second Team All-AAC selection. Each player started 29 games while sophomore guard Mika Adams-Woods (5.0 points, 1.6 assists) started 19 of UC's final 20 games.
• The Bearcats were picked to finish fourth in a preseason poll of the league coaches, behind Houston, Memphis and SMU. 
• The preseason pick to win the Atlantic Sun Conference, Lipscomb has played twice this season, posting a 1-1 mark in the Tulane Classic over the weekend: defeating Lamar (76-73 on Saturday) and falling short to host Tulane (68-66 on Sunday). 
• Lipscomb finished 16-16 overall and tied for third in the Atlantic Sun at 9-7 last season, its first year under head coach Lennie Acuff. 
• UC leads the series with Lipscomb, 2-0, having won the latest meeting, a 91-68 victory on Nov. 26, 2018 at Fifth Third Arena. 
• UP NEXT: UC plays host to Xavier in the 88th annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, Sunday, Dec. 6 at Fifth Third Arena. Tip time is 3 p.m. ET on ESPN and WKFS (KISS 107.1). 

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• Wednesday tips off the 120th season of Cincinnati basketball and marks the latest season opener since the 1978-79 campaign (an 84-72 loss at Long Beach State 12/2/78). 
• UC was predicted to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference (behind Houston, Memphis and SMU) according to a preseason poll of the league coaches. 
• Senior guard Keith Williams earned preseason First Team All-AAC honors while senior center Chris Vogt was tabbed a Second Team 
• All-AAC selection according to league coaches. 
• Williams enjoyed his best season as a Bearcat a year ago, starting 29 of UC's 30 games while averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Vogt posted his best numbers at the collegiate level in 2019-20, his first in a Bearcats uniform. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and shot 64.8 percent from the field.
• The Bearcats won a share of the AAC regular-season crown with Houston last season, finishing 13-5 in the league and 20-10 overall. 
• John Brannen became the first UC coach since Tay Baker (Missouri Valley Conference) in 1966 to guide the Bearcats to a regular-season league crown in his first season at the helm.
• In November, CBS Sports named Cincinnati the 10th greatest college basketball program since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB

• Lipscomb was the preseason picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference according to polls of the league's coaches and media. 
• The Bisons have played in the ASUN Tournament championship game each of the last three events, winning the crown in 2018. 
• ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Ahsan Asadullah averaged 18.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists a year ago. KJ Johnson (11.2 points and 1.8 assists), Greg Jones (8.5 points and 2.8 rebounds) and Parker Hazen (4.4 points and 4.8 rebounds) also return for the Bisons. 

TIP-INS

• SEASON OPENERS: Cincinnati is 96-23 (.807) in season openers all-time, including an 85-11 (.895) mark at home and a 25-2 (926) mark at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats have won 10 of their last 12 season openers.
• LATEST SEASON OPENER SINCE: Wednesday marks Cincinnati's latest season opener since the 1978-79 campaign (an 84-72 loss at Long Beach State 12/2/78). Each of the last two Bearcat season openers have marked the earliest start dates in program history: 11/7/2018 vs. Ohio State and 11/8/2019 at Ohio State. 
• CLOSER LOOK AT NON-LEAGUE SCHEDULE: A challenging non-league slate awaits the Bearcats in 2020-21. Lipscomb (16-16, 9-7 ASUN): preseason ASUN favorite; Xavier (19-13, 8-10 BIG EAST): city-rival picked seventh in a preseason BIG EAST coaches poll; Furman (25-7, 15-3 SoCon): preseason SoCon favorite; at Tennessee (17-14, 9-9 SEC): Preseason SEC favorite and ranked 12th in preseason AP poll; at Georgia (16-16, 5-13 SEC): picked to finish 13th in SEC.
  The 2019-20 end-of-year NET rankings listed Cincinnati's overall (21) and nonconference (32) strength of schedule among the nation's best and tops among all AAC teams.
• AMONG GREATEST PROGRAMS EVER: Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.com ranked Cincinnati 10th in a ranking of the 68 greatest college basketball programs since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 
• The Top 25 ranking, which was announced on Nov. 19, 2020, was based on wins and losses, NCAA Tournament success, conference dominance, NIT titles and the cultivation of NBA talent. 
• Entering this season, the Bearcats had compiled a 1542-765 record with 25 regular-season titles, 33 NCAA Tournament appearances, two national titles, six Final Four appearances, 434 weeks nationally ranked and 39 Top-60 NBA picks since 1938-39. 
• Cincinnati's ranking places the Bearcats ahead of 70 of 79 programs who are current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, BIG EAST, BIG 12, Big Ten, PAC-12 and Southeastern Conference.  
• The Top 10 listing: 1. Kentucky; 2. North Carolina; 3. Duke; 4. UCLA; 5. Kansas; 6. Louisville; 7. Indiana; 8. UConn; 9. Villanova; 10. Cincinnati.