TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team will conclude its regular season Sunday at 2 p.m. when it hosts SMU.
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SENIOR DAY
Cincinnati will honor David DeJulius, Kalu Ezikpe and Rob Phinisee with 20 minutes on the pregame clock, the only three Bearcats who have exhausted their eligibility. Head student manager Will Smith and sports medicine intern Ross Beverly will walk as well.
Per tradition, fans are asked to wear red for the finale.
THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati, which entered the game 22nd nationally in fewest turnovers, committed a season-high 20 that stymied its bid for its biggest win of the season in a 76-73 defeat. The Bearcats trailed by 15 in the first half and cut it to two late, a valiant effort after Memphis shot 51 percent in the first half with only two turnovers in its house. UC is seeking its 40th, 20-win season, which would also close its AAC era with eight in its 10 years there.
DeJulius, the only multi-year member of the Senior Day trio, is the 35th Bearcat out of 56 in its 1,000-point club to accomplish the feat in three years and has been a fan favorite on and off the court for his dynamic efforts on and off the court. His 15-straight games of 5-plus assists lead the nation, which includes an AAC-best 6.8 per league game, with his 5.2 overall average the best since All-American Steve Logan in 2002.
Freshman Dan Skillings Jr. went 5-for-8 from deep over his last two games after having just 12 treys all season, including a career-high 15 in the OT win over Temple. UC hopes that added backcourt depth will complement Landers Nolley II (team-high 16.3 ppg and 20-straight double-figure scoring games) and others come AAC Tourney time. Ody Oguama is also shooting 81.1 percent over his last six games, which includes his first four double-figure scoring games of the season. Viktor Lakhin has also improved to 10th nationally at 63.0 percent shooting, while 1,000-point scorer Jeremiah Davenport has seen an 8.0 3FG% increase since his sixth-man transition.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati's 18-6 record against SMU includes a 16-5 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.
The Bearcats have won 11 of the last 12 in the series. The only loss in that span came in the 2022 regular-season finale in Dallas, where UC had a 10-point lead early in the second half. SMU was awarded 30 free-throw attempts in the second half out of 40 overall (its most since 2010), to get the 76-71 victory.
The first meeting this year was a 54-52 road win on Jan. 14, the Bearcats' fewest points in a win under Wes Miller. Cincinnati led the entire second half with the exception of the opening minute, but responded with an 8-0 run. Its largest lead of the first half was 29-22, and both teams opened a combined 8-for-31 from the field.
Landers Nolley II recorded his third double-double in four games (16 points, then-career-high 12 rebounds), while Mika Adams-Woods scored 16 and Viktor Lakhin blocked eight shots, the sixth-most in school history and the most in the AAC since November 2017. Lakhin and Ody Oguama's 10 boards gave UC its first trio of double-digit rebounders since 2016.
ESPN+ | Listen Live (700 WLW) | Live Stats | Tickets
SENIOR DAY
Cincinnati will honor David DeJulius, Kalu Ezikpe and Rob Phinisee with 20 minutes on the pregame clock, the only three Bearcats who have exhausted their eligibility. Head student manager Will Smith and sports medicine intern Ross Beverly will walk as well.
Per tradition, fans are asked to wear red for the finale.
THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati, which entered the game 22nd nationally in fewest turnovers, committed a season-high 20 that stymied its bid for its biggest win of the season in a 76-73 defeat. The Bearcats trailed by 15 in the first half and cut it to two late, a valiant effort after Memphis shot 51 percent in the first half with only two turnovers in its house. UC is seeking its 40th, 20-win season, which would also close its AAC era with eight in its 10 years there.
DeJulius, the only multi-year member of the Senior Day trio, is the 35th Bearcat out of 56 in its 1,000-point club to accomplish the feat in three years and has been a fan favorite on and off the court for his dynamic efforts on and off the court. His 15-straight games of 5-plus assists lead the nation, which includes an AAC-best 6.8 per league game, with his 5.2 overall average the best since All-American Steve Logan in 2002.
Freshman Dan Skillings Jr. went 5-for-8 from deep over his last two games after having just 12 treys all season, including a career-high 15 in the OT win over Temple. UC hopes that added backcourt depth will complement Landers Nolley II (team-high 16.3 ppg and 20-straight double-figure scoring games) and others come AAC Tourney time. Ody Oguama is also shooting 81.1 percent over his last six games, which includes his first four double-figure scoring games of the season. Viktor Lakhin has also improved to 10th nationally at 63.0 percent shooting, while 1,000-point scorer Jeremiah Davenport has seen an 8.0 3FG% increase since his sixth-man transition.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati's 18-6 record against SMU includes a 16-5 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.
The Bearcats have won 11 of the last 12 in the series. The only loss in that span came in the 2022 regular-season finale in Dallas, where UC had a 10-point lead early in the second half. SMU was awarded 30 free-throw attempts in the second half out of 40 overall (its most since 2010), to get the 76-71 victory.
The first meeting this year was a 54-52 road win on Jan. 14, the Bearcats' fewest points in a win under Wes Miller. Cincinnati led the entire second half with the exception of the opening minute, but responded with an 8-0 run. Its largest lead of the first half was 29-22, and both teams opened a combined 8-for-31 from the field.
Landers Nolley II recorded his third double-double in four games (16 points, then-career-high 12 rebounds), while Mika Adams-Woods scored 16 and Viktor Lakhin blocked eight shots, the sixth-most in school history and the most in the AAC since November 2017. Lakhin and Ody Oguama's 10 boards gave UC its first trio of double-digit rebounders since 2016.