Bearcats Conclude Non-League Play Saturday at Georgia

CINCINNATI (2-3, 0-1 AAC)
at GEORGIA (5-0, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, Dec. 19 // 8 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum // Athens, Ga.
SERIES INFO: Second meeting; Cincinnati leads 1-0 in Athens, Ga. 
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 57-51 on Dec. 2, 2011 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
STREAK: Cincinnati - 1
COACHES: John Brannen - second season at Cincinnati (22-13); sixth season overall (104-65)
Tom Crean - third season at Georgia (32-37); 21st season overall (388-268)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 14): Cincinnati (--/--); Georgia (--/--)
RADIO: WEBN-FM 102.7; Mo Egger provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
TV: SEC Network; Tom Hart provides play-by-play with color analyst Jimmy Dykes
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (2-3) wraps up its nonconference schedule Saturday at Georgia (5-0). The game tips at 8 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. 
• Cincinnati is coming off a 74-71 setback at home to USF in its American Athletic Conference opener. Keith Williams led the Bearcats with 15 points. Chris Vogt added 13 points and three blocks. Tari Eason supplied 13 points and nine rebounds.
• Georgia posted a 79-75 home win over Samford on Dec. 12. Five Bulldogs reached double figures led by Justin Kier's 18 points and four 3-pointers. 
• Cincinnati claimed victory in the only game previously played in its series with Georgia, a 57-51 road win in Athens, Georgia, in December 2011.
• UP NEXT: The Bearcats return to AAC play Tuesday at UCF. Tipoff is 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+. 

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• David DeJulius has 24 assists with only five turnovers while averaging 25.2 minutes this season. His 4.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 29th in the nation entering Thursday.
• Chris Vogt ranked second in the AAC shooting 70.0 percent (21 of 30) from the field entering Thursday. He has shot 80 percent or better from the floor in four of five games this season.
• Of the five nonconference opponents on Cincinnati's 2020-21 schedule, three were picked to win their conference in the preseason: Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun), Furman (Southern Conference) and No. 12 Tennessee (Southeastern Conference). UC's non-league opponents own a combined record of 23-7 entering play Thursday.
• 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. 
• John Brannen is one of six active coaches in the nation to have won a conference regular-season championship in each of the past three seasons (Northern Kentucky [2018, 2019], Cincinnati [2020]).
• In November, CBS Sports named Cincinnati the 10th greatest college basketball program since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 

TIP-INS

• SOLID PLAY AT THE POINT: Michigan junior transfer David DeJulius has made a strong showing this season. 
• Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, DeJulius is averaging 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Bearcats. 
• Entering the weekend, DeJulius ranks among AAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 4.8), assists (third at 4.8) and minutes played (16th at 30.2).
• His 4.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 29th in the nation entering Thursday.
• He tallied seven points and a game-high nine rebounds and five assists in UC's 78-73 win over Furman (12/9)  and posted 11 points with seven assists and three steals at No. 12 Tennessee (12/12).
• He tallied 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers against Xavier (12/6).
• WILLIAMS LEADS SCORING EFFORT: Preseason AAC First Team honoree Keith Williams enters the weekend ninth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.6 points. 
• Williams has led the Bearcats in scoring in three games this season but also has battled foul trouble, logging 22 minutes or less in three games. 
• He scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five rebounds against Furman (12/9) and accounted for a team-high 18 points with six rebounds and three assists against city-rival Xavier (12/6).
• He went on a personal 12-0 run in the second half against USF on Wednesday to get the Bearcats back into the game. 
• EASON MOVES INTO STARTING LINEUP: Freshman Tari Eason started the first game of his young career against Furman (12/9), scoring eight points of 4-of-7 shooting with two blocks in 24 minutes.  
• Eason has led the Bearcats in rebounds in three of five games this season. 
• Eason posted the game best of his young career Wednesday against USF, tallying 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24 minutes. 
• SHOOTING STRAIGHT: Chris Vogt ranks second in the league shooting 70.0 percent (21 of 30) from the field entering Thursday.  He has shot 80 percent or better from the floor in four of five games this season.
• Vogt scored a season-high 13 points against USF on Wednesday.  
• SCOTT SIGNS WITH UTAH: Former UC forward Trevon Scott signed with the NBA's Utah Jass on Dec. 16. Terms of the deal were not released. Scott averaged 11.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals as a senior during 2019-10, earning AAC Defensive Player of the Year, AAC Most Improved Player, First Team All-AAC and the AAC's Sportsmanship Award.  
• 500TH GAME: Wednesday's contest against USF marked Cincinnati's 500th game at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats have registered a 415-85 record (.830 win percentage) at the arena since its opening for the 1989-90 campaign. The 2020-21 campaign marks the third season since Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena (capacity 12,012) reopened after a 20-month, privately funded $87-million renovation prior to 2018-19.