WBB: Bearcats Welcome Marquette on Thursday

CINCINNATI (1-1) vs. MARQUETTE (2-1)
Thursday, Dec. 10 // 2 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 38th meeting; Marquette leads 23-14 overall; Marquette leads 11-6 in Cincinnati; 
Marquette leads 12-5 in Milwaukee; Cincinnati leads 2-1 at neutral sites. 
LAST MEETING: Marquette won 72-58 on Mar. 4, 2013 in Milwaukee
STREAK: Marquette - 1
COACHES: Michelle Clark-Heard is in her third season at Cincinnati (47-22); 11th season overall (225-102)
Megan Duffy is in her second season at Marquette (26-9); fourth season overall (70-29)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (Dec. 7): Cincinnati (--/--); Marquette (--/--)
TV: ESPN+; Matt Noonan and Mark Berger
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GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (1-1, 0-0 AAC) returns home to host Marquette (2-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) on Thursday at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
• The contest was scheduled following the cancellations of UC-Xavier (Dec. 10) and  Marquette-Prairie View A&M (Dec. 11) due to COVID-19 protocols.  
• The Bearcats are coming off an 81-58 setback at Florida on Saturday. IImar'I Thomas led UC with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Arame Niang recorded her first double-double as a Bearcat, tallying 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jillian Hayes had seven points four rebounds and three blocks. 
• Marquette posted an 89-40 home win over Providence on Friday. Selena Lott and Jordan King scored 18 points each. Lauren Van Kleunen added 17 points. 
• Marquette leads the series 23-14 all-time, including an 11-6 mark in Cincinnati. The two teams haven't played since the Bearcats joined the American Athletic Conference beginning with the 2013-14 campaign. 
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati plays at Central Michigan on Saturday at Noon ET. The game will be available on ESPN3.

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• The AAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, senior forward IImar'I Thomas, has tallying 57 points through UC's first two games this season. She tallied 34 points against Northern Kentucky (11/25) in the season opener before scoring 23 points at Florida (12/5).  
• Cincinnati was picked to finish in the preseason poll of league coaches behind USF, UCF and Tulane. The Bearcats did receive two first-place votes.
• UC's 2020-21 roster includes seven returning letterwinners and five newcomers. Redshirt-junior guard Addaya Moore (3.7 points, 4.4  rebounds, 32 games played, 12 starts) is the only returning Bearcats, besides Thomas, with more than 10 starts a year ago. 
• Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since stringing together three consecutive 20-win campaigns from 2001-03. 
• The Bearcats tied for second in the AAC regular-season standings a year ago with an 11-5 mark, the school's best finish in The American and its best league result since placing second in the Conference USA standings in 2004. 
• UC reached the championship game of the 2019 AAC Women's Championship, rallying from a 15-point deficit to post a 57-51 win over UCF. The effort resulted in the Bearcats first conference tournament championship game appearance since 2003 (Conference USA).
• Michelle Clark-Heard won more games (46) during her first two seasons at Cincinnati than any other head coach program history. She edged out Ceal Barry, who registered 45 wins combined through her first two seasons in Clifton (1979-80 and 1980-81). Clark-Heard is also the first coach in UC history to record 20-win seasons in each of her first two season on the job.

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• 20 POINTS 21 TIMES: IImar'I Thomas registered her 21st career game scoring 20 or more points against Florida, tallying 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five rebounds. 
• The senior forward  has scored in double figures in 29 of UC's last 34 games dating back to the start of last season. 
• 30 POINTS THREE TIMES: Thomas poured in 34 points in UC's 76-67 overtime win over Northern Kentucky (11/25).  
• Thomas has eclipsed the 30-point plateau on two other occasions during her UC career. She netted 32 points against UCF on Jan. 12, 2020 before posting a career-best 35 points against Houston on Jan. 22, 2020.  
• RECOGNITION REDUX: Thomas garnered two awards this week for performance against NKU. She was named to the NCAA Weekly Starting Five and also tabbed the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week. 
• It marks the second time in her career Thomas has been recognized with the NCAA's Weekly Starting Five award. She poured in 20 points and 18 rebounds against Xavier on Dec. 16, 2018 to claim the honor as a sophomore.
• A WBCA Honorable Mention All-American and unanimous First Team All-AAC selection last season, Thomas received AAC Player of the Week accolades three times and was a nine-time AAC Weekly Honor Roll recipient in 2019-20.  
• She also earned First Team All-AAC honors as a sophomore in 2018-19 and was tabbed AAC Freshman of the Year and a unanimous All-Freshman Team selection in 2017-18.
• NIANG DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Arame Niang recorded her second career double-double and the first as Bearcat at Florida (12/5), posting 12 points and 13 rebounds. With Western Kentucky during the 2018-19 campaign, Niang tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds against Morgan State. 

SCOUTING MARQUETTE

• Four Marquette players average double figures through three games: Camryn Taylor (15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds), Selena Lott (14.0 points, 4.7 assists, 2.7 3-pointers), Lauren Van Kleunen (13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds) and Jordan King (12.7 points, 4.0 assists). 
• The Golden Eagles, who return eight letterwinners and three starters, were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST according  to the league's preseason poll. Selena Lott was named to First Team All-BIG EAST in the preseason.  
• Marquette posted a 24-8 overall record and 13-5 league mark, finishing as the BIG EAST conference runner-up and BIG EAST tournament runner up.