TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team will head to Dallas this afternoon in preparation for a Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. ET) contest at SMU.
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Cincinnati returned to the win column in a big way Wednesday, making 10 threes in the first half alone for an eventual 83-55 win over East Carolina. That alone (and later the 14 overall makes) were a season-high allowed by ECU on the year. Landers Nolley II (20 points, 10 rebounds) and David DeJulius (11 points, 12 assists) gave UC its second game of dual double-doubles, with the latter marking both DeJulius' first-career and UC's first in those categories since Troy Caupain in Feb. 2016. Jeremiah Davenport added 16 off the bench, meaning two of his three-highest scoring games have been in reserve duty after starting 52-straight since 2020-21.
In addition to his second double-double in three games, Nolley notched four treys for the second-straight contest. His 44.2 percent clip is up 10.6 percent from last year. It would also be the third-highest mark in school history. Viktor Lakhin, despite seeing his 13-game double-figure scoring streak end, is now 10-for-12 from the foul line in his last two games. He also added two more steals to come within one of DeJulius for the team lead, while already pacing the squad in rebounds (7.6) and blocks (18). He is 11th nationally (second in AAC) with a 64.6 FG%.
Cincinnati's 14 threes allows for four of the top-10 games in school history to fall under the Wes Miller era. UC is 7-1 this year when making 10-plus (only loss to No. 12 Arizona). In league play, it is first in 3FG% (41.1) and second in FG and 3FG defense (39.0 and 29.5, respectively). The Bearcats are also plus-34 in rebounding since the Temple loss, including plus-6 against now-No. 1 Houston.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati's 17-6 record against SMU includes a 15-5 mark as members of the AAC. UC previously held a 10-game win streak against the Mustangs, the longest against any AAC team, before its March 3 loss in the regular-season finale. Included in that was a 74-71 victory in the first round of the 2021 AAC Tourney.
Cincinnati won 77-60 in the Jan. 6 meeting, halting SMU's eight-game win streak. David DeJulius went for 22 points, while Mika Adams-Woods sank two treys to start the game en route for a then-career-high 17 points. UC led 44-27 at the break and held the Mustangs to their fewest points since Jan. 31, 2021. The Bearcats' 11 three-pointers in that January meeting remain a season-high allowed.
Jarrett Hensley's posterizing dunk at 18:04 gave UC a 38-28 lead in the March 3 battle, its largest of the night, and forced a timeout. The Mustangs pulled within one a couple of times, but Viktor Lakhin drove for a three-point play at 11:21 to push it back to 48-44. SMU went 33-for-40 from the foul line, its most attempts since 2010, with 30 in the second half alone. The Bearcats were 14-for-17.
ESPNU | Listen Live (700 WLW) | Live Stats
Cincinnati returned to the win column in a big way Wednesday, making 10 threes in the first half alone for an eventual 83-55 win over East Carolina. That alone (and later the 14 overall makes) were a season-high allowed by ECU on the year. Landers Nolley II (20 points, 10 rebounds) and David DeJulius (11 points, 12 assists) gave UC its second game of dual double-doubles, with the latter marking both DeJulius' first-career and UC's first in those categories since Troy Caupain in Feb. 2016. Jeremiah Davenport added 16 off the bench, meaning two of his three-highest scoring games have been in reserve duty after starting 52-straight since 2020-21.
In addition to his second double-double in three games, Nolley notched four treys for the second-straight contest. His 44.2 percent clip is up 10.6 percent from last year. It would also be the third-highest mark in school history. Viktor Lakhin, despite seeing his 13-game double-figure scoring streak end, is now 10-for-12 from the foul line in his last two games. He also added two more steals to come within one of DeJulius for the team lead, while already pacing the squad in rebounds (7.6) and blocks (18). He is 11th nationally (second in AAC) with a 64.6 FG%.
Cincinnati's 14 threes allows for four of the top-10 games in school history to fall under the Wes Miller era. UC is 7-1 this year when making 10-plus (only loss to No. 12 Arizona). In league play, it is first in 3FG% (41.1) and second in FG and 3FG defense (39.0 and 29.5, respectively). The Bearcats are also plus-34 in rebounding since the Temple loss, including plus-6 against now-No. 1 Houston.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati's 17-6 record against SMU includes a 15-5 mark as members of the AAC. UC previously held a 10-game win streak against the Mustangs, the longest against any AAC team, before its March 3 loss in the regular-season finale. Included in that was a 74-71 victory in the first round of the 2021 AAC Tourney.
Cincinnati won 77-60 in the Jan. 6 meeting, halting SMU's eight-game win streak. David DeJulius went for 22 points, while Mika Adams-Woods sank two treys to start the game en route for a then-career-high 17 points. UC led 44-27 at the break and held the Mustangs to their fewest points since Jan. 31, 2021. The Bearcats' 11 three-pointers in that January meeting remain a season-high allowed.
Jarrett Hensley's posterizing dunk at 18:04 gave UC a 38-28 lead in the March 3 battle, its largest of the night, and forced a timeout. The Mustangs pulled within one a couple of times, but Viktor Lakhin drove for a three-point play at 11:21 to push it back to 48-44. SMU went 33-for-40 from the foul line, its most attempts since 2010, with 30 in the second half alone. The Bearcats were 14-for-17.