Cincinnati Set for Wednesday's NIT Opener with Hokies

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team is set for its 45th postseason appearance when it hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

ESPN2 | Listen Live (WCKY 1530) | Live Stats | Tickets

THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati is making its 11th NIT appearance by hosting former Metro Conference rival Virginia Tech. It also marks the Bearcats' 11th postseason appearance out of the last 13 years. UC has won six-straight games against ACC foes as well dating back to Maryland in the 2009 Maui Invitational, also defeating Florida State in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh, N.C. State twice and Louisville in Maui last November.

Landers Nolley II earned AAC All-Tourney honors, scoring team-highs of 22 points in the Temple blowout and 14 against No. 1 Houston. His 42.2 three-point percentage is 11th nationally. The 2021 NIT MVP (while at Memphis) has scored in double-figures 23-straight games, including 20-plus points in three of his last five, while his 89 three-pointers rank eighth in school history. David DeJulius, who scored a career-high 30 points in his final regular-season home game, saw his nation's best 16-game streak of five-plus assists end in the AAC quarterfinal. He ranks 10th nationally with a 2.97 assist-turnover ratio while continuing a perfect three-year increase in every statistical category. His 172 dimes (most since All-American Steve Logan in 2002) are eight away from the school's top-five.

The Bearcats have set school records for made three-pointers in back-to-back seasons. Their 35.6 percent clip is second in the AAC and 35th nationally. UC is also in the NCAA's top-30 for fewest turnovers after ranking 267 the year prior to Wes Miller's arrival. The Bearcats are 18-2 when winning the boards and 20-3 when up at the half. No. 1 Houston's win on Saturday dropped UC's record to 15-2 when holding its foe below 70 points.

NIT HISTORY / MILLER IN MARCH
Cincinnati is making its 11th NIT appearance and first since 2010. The Bearcats hold a 6-3 home record (8-10 overall), with its last appearance coming in 2010. UC opened by defeating Damian Lillard and Weber State, 76-62, before falling at home to eventual champion Dayton. 

This is Miller's sixth 20-win season out of 12 as a head coach. He led UNC Greensboro to the 2018 and 2021 SoCon titles and NCAA bids, in addition to NITs in 2017 and 2019.

SERIES HISTORY
Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 18-12, with all matchups coming between 1979 and 1991 as members of the Metro Conference.

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young is Wes Miller's longest-standing rival at 18 games head-to-head, with their last meeting in the 2019 Southern Conference Championship. They combined for five SoCon Coach of the Year honors and seven NCAA appearances out of the league with Young at Wofford and Miller at UNC Greensboro.

Miller's first win over a major-conference coach came at Virginia Tech, 55-52, on Dec. 28, 2013. The Spartans rallied from an 11-point deficit for their second-ever ACC win.

Nolley began his career in Blacksburg, first redshirting in 2018-19 and then averaging 15.5 ppg the following year to earn ACC All-Freshman honors. His 30-point outing at Clemson (featuring current UC teammate John Newman III) was the highest by any Hokie and fourth in ACC history for freshman debuts. Hokie starter Hunter Cattoor was a teammate of Nolley for the 2019-20 season. Reserve forward John Camden played with him at Memphis last year as well.