Bearcats Host SMU Thursday in Late-Night ESPN Battle

CINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team is burning the midnight oil Thursday night when it hosts SMU at 9:30 p.m. It will air on ESPN as the team's first nationally-televised home contest of the year.

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UC defeated Tulsa, 70-69, last season in its only 9 p.m. game. The Bearcats have won six of their last seven games that started that late, and this is the team's latest tip-time since facing UCLA (10:15 p.m.) in the Second Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

THE RUNDOWN
Tulane's unconscious first-half shooting (57 percent, and 9-of-14 from deep) gave it a 26-point lead it would not relinquish despite a massive second-half flip. The Bearcats held the Green Wave to just 19.2 percent from the field (matching season-low against Illinois) over the final period, cutting the deficit to 11 at 13:48 and nine with two to play. UC turned its rebounding margin from minus-2 to a plus-11 in the second period, its first loss out of 11 games in which it won that battle.

Jeremiah Davenport's 19-point, 10-rebound double-double was his second (the other against SMU on Jan. 7, 2021). His season-high three assists made him the first Bearcat this season to lead the team all three categories. He has 11 double-figure scoring games after 13 in his breakout sophomore season, while his 5.1 rebounds per game lead the team ahead of Viktor Lakhin (5.1) and Abdul Ado (4.9).

UC (26 attempts versus Tulane) is 4-1 when getting 20-plus foul shots. The Bearcats have also had 12 or fewer turnovers in all but one game, leading the AAC and ranking 16th nationally (10.1). They have led at the half in all but two games (Xavier, Tulane). SMU's offense averages 7.5 more ppg than UC, but the Bearcats are 7.1 ppg better on the defensive front. Mika Adams-Woods is second nationally in assist-turnover ratio (4.90), while Cincinnati is 15th in field-goal defense (37.4) and 33rd in scoring defense (60.9).

SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati's 16-5 record against SMU includes a 14-4 mark as AAC members. UC boasts a nine-game win streak against the Mustangs, with the last meeting a 74-71 victory in the first round of last year's AAC Tourney. The Bearcats led by 20 with six minutes left, holding on for its seventh-straight AAC Tourney win.

Davenport last season averaged 18.5 points (13-for-23 from the field) and 8.5 rebounds over his two SMU games. He earned his first-career double-double in the Jan. 7 matchup before registering a career-high four steals in the next one, paving the way for All-AAC Tournament honors. Mike Saunders Jr. scored 12 points in the second SMU matchup, one of his two double-figure scoring games as a freshman (Memphis as the other).

MASK UP AND STAY SAFE
While the University of Cincinnati transitions online through Jan. 24, this will not affect the Bearcats athletic teams' schedules. Events are expected to go on as currently scheduled and teams will continue to be allowed to practice, meet and workout.

We ask all fans attending our events to follow the University of Cincinnati's requirement to wear masks or facial coverings indoors (unless you are eating or drinking) in an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus and keep our student-athletes, our staff and our fans safe and healthy.

Additionally, we will limit our standing-room areas and eliminate congregating on the concourse.