Men's Basketball Opens New Year Hosting Tulsa

TULSA (5-3, 2-1 AAC)
at CINCINNATI (2-5, 0-2 AAC)
Saturday, Jan. 2 // 3 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 42nd meeting; Cincinnati leads 29-12 overall; Cincinnati leads 18-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa; 
Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites 
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 75-44 on Jan. 8, 2020 at Fifth Third Arena 
STREAK: Cincinnati - 7
COACHES: John Brannen - second season at Cincinnati (22-15); sixth season overall (104-67)
Frank Haith - seventh season at Tulsa (121-79); 17th season overall (326-208)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 28): Cincinnati (--/--); Tulsa (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard 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 (2-5, 0-2 AAC) ushers in 2021 by playing host to Tulsa (4-3, 2-1) on Saturday, Jan. 2. Tipoff is 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+. 
• The Bearcats are looking for their first league win of the 2020-21 campaign, after dropping a 75-70 result at UCF on Dec. 22. Keith Williams registered his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Zach Harvey added a career-high 15 points. 
• Tulsa upset No. 5 Houston, 65-64, on Tuesday in Tulsa. Brandon Rachal scored a game-best 20 points, including two free throws  with 0.1 seconds left, to lead the Golden Hurricane.
• UC owns a 29-12 advantage in its series with Tulsa, having won the last seven meetings. 
• UP NEXT: UC plays at currently unbeaten SMU (6-0, 2-0)on Thursday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.  

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• Senior guard Keith Williams was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll Monday after registering his first career double-double with a team-high 19 points and game-best 10 rebounds against UCF (12/22).
• Junior transfer David DeJulius ranks first on the team in assists (4.3), second in points (9.0) and third in rebounds (4.4). Entering play Wednesday, DeJulius ranked among AAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5-to-1) and assists (T4th at 4.3).
• The Bearcats' first league win this season will mark Cincinnati's 100th victory in the American Athletic Conference. UC has won more AAC games than any other league member since the conference formed prior to the 2013-14 campaign. 
• 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. 

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• LOOKING FOR 100TH AAC WIN: The Bearcats' first league win this season will mark Cincinnati's 100th victory in the American Athletic Conference. UC has won more AAC games than any other league member since the conference formed prior to the 2013-14 campaign. 
• The UC men's basketball program has been a member of  nine leagues (not including three stints as an independent) during its 120-year history. The Bearcats have 100 or more conference wins in two other leagues: 128 in the Missouri Valley Conference (1957-58 through 1969-70) and 123 in Conference USA (1995-96 through 2004-05).   
• WILLIAMS LEADS SCORING EFFORT: Preseason AAC First Team honoree Keith Williams entered Wednesday seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 15.1 points. 
• Williams was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday following his performance against UCF (12/22). He posted his first career double-double with a team-high 19 points and game-best 10 rebounds against the Knights. 
• Williams has led the Bearcats in scoring in four games this season. 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).
• STEADY PLAY AT THE POINT: Junior transfer David DeJulius ranks first on the team in assists (4.3), second in points (9.0) and third in rebounds (4.4). 
• Entering play Wednesday, DeJulius ranked among AAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5-to-1) and assists (T4th at 4.3).
• He was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 14 after posting 11 points and seven assists at then-No. 12 Tennessee.
• He tallied 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers against Xavier (12/6).
• EASON'S CONTRIBUTIONS GROWING: Freshman Tari Eason continues to make an impact for the Bearcats whether it's as a starter or reserve. 
• Foul trouble limited Eason to 10 minutes of action at UCF (12/22), but prior to that contest, he was averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 51.6 percent (16 of 31) from the field over the previous four games. 
• Entering play Wednesday, Eason ranked among AAC leaders in offensive rebounds (10th at 2.1), blocked shots (T10th at 1.0) and rebounds (18th at 5.6). 
• Eason has led the Bearcats in rebounding in four of seven games this season. 
• Eason posted the best game of his young career against USF (12/16), tallying 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24 minutes. 

SCOUTING TULSA

• Tulsa enters Saturday's contest having won four consecutive games following a 65-64 home win over No. 5 Houston on Tuesday. 
• Preseason First Team All-AAC selection Brandon Rachal leads Tulsa, averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. Entering play Wednesday, he ranked ninth and 10th in the AAC in points and rebounds, respectively.
• Other Tulsa players among the league's statistical leaders through Wednesday included: Darien Jackson (1st in FG% at .722 and 4th in steals at 1.8); Rey Idowu (5th in FG% at .587) and Elijah Joiner (6th in assists at 4.1).
• Tulsa tied Cincinnati and Houston for first place in the 2019-20 AAC regular-season standings at 13-5 while posting a 21-10 overall mark. 
• Seventh-year head coach Frank Haith (121) recently passed Nolan Richardson (119) for third place in most coaching victories at Tulsa.