Loading

Men's Basketball Hosts Bryant Tuesday Night

The Cincinnati men's basketball team will look to continue its undefeated home record Tuesday night when it hosts Bryant at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Opens in a new window Game Notes
Men's Basketball Hosts Bryant Tuesday NightMen's Basketball Hosts Bryant Tuesday Night
CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team will look to continue its undefeated home record Tuesday night when it hosts Bryant at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

ESPN+ | Listen Live (700 WLW) | Live Stats | Tickets

THE RUNDOWN
  • Cincinnati's best start since 2017-18 (and longest win streak since 2018-19) came to an end at the Cintas Center to Xavier on Saturday, 84-79.
  • The Bearcats had trouble matching Xavier's energy to start, trailing by 8 early but staying within striking distance despite 30 percent shooting in the first half. UC opened on a 16-5 run through the first possession following the media timeout for a 43-40 second-half lead.
  • Cincinnati had 50 points in the paint for the third-straight game, out-shooting the Musketeers 60-43 percent in that territory. The 28.8 FG% increase from the first-to-second half well-past bested the 12.7 at Howard.
  • Viktor Lakhin scored in double-figures for the sixth-straight game, the longest stretch by a Bearcat this year. With three more assists, he has already exceeded his dimes total from last year. He was 7-for-10 inside the arc. His 59.5 FG% is 45th nationally.
  • Jizzle James dazzled off the bench once again with a career and team-high 19 points, making two of his three deep attempts and blocking a shot. He is up to 10.3 ppg on 48 percent shooting for the season. Cincinnati is 10th nationally with 35.6 bench ppg. Fellow reserve Ody Oguama added three blocks at XU.
  • John Newman III, five years older than the freshman point guard, willed UC with season-highs of 18 points and eight rebounds. That and his last Xavier game (14 points on road in 2021) are his highest scoring games as a Bearcat. He went 7-for-10 from the field, and all three of his offensive boards were cashed in for second-chance points. His 57.1 percent shooting is 16.7 more than his last season, in addition to his elite defense.
  • Simas Lukosius returned to the rotation amid back-to-back injuries (right ankle at Howard, hit by a car two days later in left leg). He added a nice first-half finger roll at Xavier.
  • Thirteen of Day Day Thomas' 15 points at Xavier came in the second half, his fifth double-figure game.
  • Cincinnati had only two losing streaks last year: one including the Maui Invitational in November and another in January that included Memphis and No. 3 Houston (9-3 after losses overall).
  • The Bearcats' top strength remains its ball control, ranking seventh in assist-turnover ratio (1.91) and 12th in overall turnovers (9.2).
SERIES HISTORY
  • Cincinnati has won all four meetings, including a 97-71 decision last December.
  • Bryant is the only non-conference foe besides Xavier that the Bearcats have played each of Wes Miller's three years at the helm.
  • This is the only one in that stretch without Jared Grasso leading the Bulldogs on the opposing bench.
  • Earl Timberlake, Bryant's second-leading scorer at 12.2 ppg, did not play against Cincinnati last year but played 11 minutes for Memphis against UC in 2021-22.
  • Last season saw UC hold Bryant to just 20.5% shooting in the first half. The Bulldogs missed 19 straight field goals during a near-12-minute stretch and shot 3-of-24 from behind the arc as UC built a 40-24 lead at the break.
  • Six Bearcats scored in double-figures, led by Dan Skillings' first double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) and another from Lakhin (16 and 13).