TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team is back home for a Saturday night clash with South Florida (7 p.m.), which also features an exciting throwback, video-game atmosphere for Nati Jam.
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NATI JAM
Nati Jam was inspired by everyone's favorite childhood game: NBA Jam! This season, the University of Cincinnati partnered with Arcade1Up, being the first college/university to partner with this group in the country, to help bring the nostalgia of gaming arcades to Fifth Third Arena. Arena boards and graphics will make that vintage look of 90's arcades as well. Our creative team has worked hard to give a piece of Cincinnati flare to our NBA Jam arcade cabinets, so be sure to check that out. Arcade locations will located on the west entrance concourse and the east side in the upper levels between sections 215-216. The Pacers Power Pack Dunk team will perform at halftime as well.
THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati's first overtime game in nearly three years was a tough one to swallow, falling 101-94 at Tulane on Tuesday in an emotional battle. The Bearcats lost Viktor Lakhin and Rob Phinisee to injuries as well. UC went 17-for-48 from deep, the former matching a season-high while the latter tied the school record. Landers Nolley II led with 26 points via six treys, and David DeJulius' eight assists marked his 10th-straight game of five or more, which now ranks as the longest-active streak in the nation (via ESPN Stats and Info).
Ody Oguama and Kalu Ezikpe were exemplary in Lakhin's absence. Oguama had career-highs in points (16), rebounds (13) and minutes, becoming the fifth different Bearcat with a double-double. Ezikpe also had a season-high nine points. Nolley ranks 13th nationally, and atop the AAC, with a 44.0 three-point percentage, which would be third in single-season history at the moment. He is also 46.5 percent in AAC play. Jeremiah Davenport also has 970 points as he seeks to become UC's 56th 1,000-point scorer.
Even in the overtime setting, Cincinnati committed nine turnovers, its 11th game in single-digits, to climb to 23rd nationally at 10.7 per game. The Bearcats in league play are second in three-point percentage (36.6) and third in both overall (42.0) and three-point defense (31.2). DeJulius has also been the team's top perimeter performer in home games this season, averaging 16.4 ppg on 48.9 percent shooting (42.9 from deep). All of UC's wins have come when leading at the half, and it is 13-1 in both the rebounding battle and allowing-under-70 categories.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati leads the all-time series 36-10, including an 12-2 mark in the AAC. The programs were also C-USA (1995-05) and BIG EAST mates (2005-13). In fact, the teams' 28 consecutive years as league mates are second only to Memphis (1975-05) for the longest in Cincinnati history.
Each team's leading scorer (Tyler Harris, 16.6 ppg for South Florida) were teammates at Memphis in 2021-22. Cincinnati associate head coach Chad Dollar was a three-year letter winner at South Florida from 1990-93, including teams that reached the 1991 NIT and the 1992 NCAA Tournament. He completed his collegiate playing career at Milligan College (Tenn.).
Cincinnati claimed the Jan. 18 meeting, 85-69, behind efficient outings from Landers Nolley II (21 points, nine rebounds) and David DeJulius (21 points, 7-8 from the field, seven assists). The Bearcats went 27 minutes before their first turnover, finishing with a season-low four. UC shook off an early deficit with a 34-9 run that helped it to a 47-29 halftime lead. It eventually grew to 29 points in the second.
The Bearcats are seeking home retribution for last year's buzzer-beating, Senior Night defeat on Feb. 26.