TicketsCINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team will look to build off Tuesday's season-opening win when it hosts Georgia at 7 p.m. Saturday. It also serves as the team's Whiteout game, with fans encouraged to dress accordingly.
Per university policy, masks are required unless actively eating or drinking.
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TUESDAY REWIND
The Bearcats began the Wes Miller in a big way, limiting Evansville to 25.9 percent shooting in a 65-43 win. It was the lowest field-goal percentage allowed in a season-opener since Howard in 2006, Mick Cronin's first game as head coach. UC faced some initial butterflies on the offensive end but ultimately pushed an 18-1 run in the first half to run away with it.
Mason Madsen got the party started with a trio of three-pointers off the bench. The Bearcats are 3-0 when the sophomore hits three or more. David DeJulius had nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists, the last matching the second-most of his career (12 against SMU last season). UC also utilized 11 players in the first half alone, with Viktor Lakhin highlighting the reserves with his first-career points after sitting out due to injury last year.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Cincinnati is home the first four games of the season, its most since doing the same to open the 2018-19 season (3-1). While at UNC Greensboro, Wes Miller won his last three season openers. UC boasted a 32-10 scoring margin in the paint and 36-14 off the bench. UC has had a considerable amount of history with the SEC, facing Tennessee, Georgia and Vanderbilt last season. It did pick up wins against Tennessee (78-66) in 2019-20 and Mississippi State (65-50) in 2017-18.
GEORGIA HISTORY
The series is tied 1-1, with both games in Athens. UC pulled out a 57-51 win on Dec. 2, 2011. Sean Kilpatrick and Dion Dixon scored 22 and 19 points, respectively, with four three-pointers apiece to rally UC from a 30-21 halftime deficit. Georgia made only six of its 21 second-half shot attempts. The Bulldogs got the best of the Bearcats in last year's meeting (Dec. 19), reeling off a 27-4 run to close the first half and ultimately winning 83-68.
This game will be a reunion of sorts for assistant coach Chad Dollar and director of operations Jake Thelen. Dollar spent the last three years on Tom Crean's staff, recruiting and coaching No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards. Thelen was also there the last three seasons, and at the time of his hiring (25) was the youngest Director of Operations at a Power 5 school.
When the Bearcats host Georgia, it will be the first time the top-two teams in the AP's football poll meet during the basketball seasons since Clemson played Alabama on Dec. 13, 2015. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs did finish in the top-two in 2017 and of course met during the SEC hoops season.