Bearcats Face No. 7 Houston in AAC Tournament Finals

2021 AAC CHAMPIONSHIP // FINALS
NO. 5  CINCINNATI (12-10)
vs  NO. 2  HOUSTON (23-3)
DICKIES ARENA // FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Sunday, Mar. 14 // 3:15 p.m. ET
SERIES INFO: 41st meeting; Cincinnati leads 33-7 overall; Cincinnati leads 2-0 at neutral sites ;
Cincinnati leads 17-1 in Cincinnati;  Cincinnati leads 14-6 in Houston; 
STREAK: Houston - 2
LAST MEETING: Houston won 90-52 on Feb. 21, 2021 in Houston
COACHES: John Brannen - second season at Cincinnati (32-20); sixth season overall (114-72)
Kelvin Sampson - seventh season at Houston (162-63); 32nd season overall (662-333)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (MAR. 8): Cincinnati (--/--); Houston (7/7)
RADIO: 102.7 FM WEBN; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN; Kevin Brown provides play-by-play with color analyst Dan Dakich
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB

GAME PREVIEW 

• Fifth-seed Cincinnati (12-10) plays its fourth consecutive AAC Championship title game Sunday when it takes on second-seed Houston (23-3) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. 
• The Bearcats are coming off a 60-59 upset of tournament top-seed Wichita State on Saturday. Mason Madsen hit a pair of threes for 10 points while Tara Eason tallied nine points, a game-high 11 rebounds along with three steals and three blocks. 
• Houston held off Memphis 76-74 Saturday behind Quentin Grimes' 21 points and five 3-pointers.
• Houston claimed the only regular-season matchup with UC this season, a 90-52 result at Houston on Feb. 21. 
• Cincinnati leads the series overall, 33-7, including back-to-back AAC Championship title games in 2018 and 2019. 
• UC also advanced to the 2017 AAC Championship title game before falling to SMU. 
• The Bearcats, who have won nine of the their last 12 games since starting the season 3-7, are a win away from earning a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive event. UC is one of six schools in the nation to appear in the last nine NCAA Tournaments along with Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and North Carolina. 

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• Cincinnati enters the AAC Championship finals having won nine of its last 12 games since starting 3-7 and going through a 25-day layoff due to COVID-19 issues within the program.
• The Bearcats are playing in their fourth consecutive AAC tournament championship game having defeated Houston in 2018 and 2019 after falling to SMU in 2017. 
• A win Sunday against Houston sends UC to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive time. Only five other schools have appeared in the last nine events: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and North Carolina.
• Keith Williams was named Second Team All-AAC while Tari Eason was tabbed to the AAC All-Freshman Team on Monday. 
• Jeremiah Davenport is averaging a team-high 13.5 points with 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two AAC tournament games. He's shooting 60 percent (6 of 10) from 3-point range.
• John Brannen is 8-2 in league tournament games as a head coach, including a 2-0 mark at Cincinnati. He led Northern Kentucky to Horizon League Tournament crowns in 2017 and 2019 during his four seasons with the Norse.

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• AAC TOURNAMENT NUGGETS: UC is playing in its fourth consecutive AAC Championship title game. The Bearcats defeated Houston in 2018 and 2019 and fell to SMU in the title game in 2017. It marks the second longest streak of conference tournament title game appearances for UC since it won five consecutive tournaments from 1992-1996 (four Great Midwest Conference and one Conference USA).
• UC has won eight consecutive AAC tournament games and 10 of its last 11 dating back to 2017. 
• In all, UC has won two AAC Tournament titles, played in four tournament championship games and advanced to the semifinals five times in the event's seven-year history.
• Cincinnati owns an 11-4 record all-time at the AAC Tournament, having won eight in a row and 10 of the last 11. Bearcats opponents at the event have included UCF (1-0), UConn (1-3), Houston (2-0), Memphis (1-0), SMU (3-1), Tulsa (1-0) and Wichita State (2-0). 
• The school record for most consecutive league tournament titles is five when the Bearcats won the Great Midwest Conference tournament crown during all four years of the league (1992-95) before winning the 1996 Conference USA tournament title during their first year in the league. 
• UC has won 12 league tournament titles in its history: Metro Conference (two: 1976-77); Great Midwest Conference (four: 1992-95); Conference USA (four: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004) and AAC (two: 2018-19).
• BRANNEN TOURNAMENT NUGGETS: John Brannen is 8-2 in league tournaments as a head coach, including a 2-0 mark at Cincinnati. He led Northern Kentucky to Horizon League Tournament crowns in 2017 and 2019 during his four seasons with the Norse. 
• BRANNEN IN FEBRUARY & MARCH: John Brannen-coached teams have performed well during the months of February and March. Over the last five seasons (including his last three at Northern Kentucky) his squads have compiled a 41-16 (.719) mark during the month, including a 16-6 (.727) record at Cincinnati. 
• AAC TOURNAMENT LEADERS: Jeremiah Davenport is averaging a team-high 13.5 points with 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two AAC tournament games. He's shooting 60 percent (6 of 10) from 3-point range ... Keith Williams is averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds at the AAC Tournament ... Tari Eason is averaging 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds with 2.0 blocks this weekend in Texas.  

HOUSTON SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati leads its series with Houston 33-7 overall, including a 17-1 record in Cincinnati, 14-6 mark in Houston,  and 2-0 record at neutral sites. At least one team in the series has been ranked in the previous 11 meetings. 
• Houston won the only regular-season meeting with UC this season, a 90-52 decision at Houston on Feb. 21. 
• The two teams have met in each of the last two AAC Tournament championship games. UC defeated Houston 56-55 in the 2018 AAC Tournament final and 69-57 in the 2019 AAC Tournament final.