TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team is geared for its second-to-last home game Saturday night when it hosts Kansas State at 7 p.m. The game also marks the UC's second-annual Nati Jam, featuring the Pacers Power Pack dunk team at halftime, arcade games in the concourse and many other attractions.
THE RUNDOWN
THE RUNDOWN
- The Bearcats answered Wes Miller's call to out-hustle Houston on the boards, winning that battle 42-30 after losing it by seven in the prior meeting at home. Despite 15 offensive boards, the second-most UH had allowed all year, there was a lid on the basket in holding UC to a 1-of-10 shooting start.
- Cincinnati's 25-point improvement from the first-to-second halves (17-42) matched the Bryant and Xavier games for the highest jump of the season.
- Viktor Lakhin, UC's leading returning scorer (11.6 ppg in 2022-23), came back in a big way for the Bearcats with 11 points and nine rebounds (both team-highs) over 21 minutes against the Cougars. Over his previous four games, he had a DNP and was averaging 8 minutes per game. Tuesday marked his most boards in a Big 12 game and most points since the Jan. 16 TCU win.
- Cincinnati's top-four shooting games in Big 12 play have come at home, led by 52.5 versus TCU and 50.0 its last-such contest against Oklahoma State. The free-throw line, however sees a plus-8.7 percent mark in league road games compared to at home.
- Simas Lukosius is shooting 39.5 percent from deep in Big 12 home games compared to 28.6 in road ones.
- Jamille Reynolds had seven-straight games of multiple field goals until the Houston game, a considerable mark of consistency in maximizing his reserve minutes in the post. Despite that, he is 13-for-14 from the foul line over the last four games (92.9 percent). He also had seven rebounds against the No. 1 Cougars.
- 13 of Cincinnati's 16 wins have come when scoring 70 or more points. The Oklahoma State game was UC's first loss when shooting 50 percent or better in the Miller era (14-1 overall).
- The Bearcats are eighth nationally, and tops in the Big 12, with an 8.9 rebounding margin, including 10th on the offensive glass. Guard and leading scorer Dan Skillings Jr., who prides rebounding as what gets him in an offensive groove, is second on the team with 6.4 per game, up from 3.3 as a freshman last year.
- Day Day Thomas had six assists to one turnover at Houston, his fourth game (third in league play) with six or more dimes. His 45 steals are the most by a Bearcat since Tre Scott's 46 in 2019-20.
- Cincinnati was 4-2 in March last year, with one of those losses to No. 1 Houston in the AAC Tourney. It was 1-3 the year prior. UC and Texas are the only Big 12 teams with more league road wins than home.
- Cincinnati leads the all-time series 7-1, with the first seven of those coming from 1958-68 and the other a 75-61 win in the 2017 NCAA First Round.
- Cincinnati shot 62.8 percent, including making its first 10 shots, in that 2017 meeting, a school NCAA Tourney record. Troy Caupain led all scorers with 23 points, while Kyle Washington and Gary Clark followed with 16 and 15, respectively.
- Oscar Robertson posted one of his 10 triple-doubles against the Wildcats in the 1959 NCAA Tournament (24 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists).
- The 1961 meeting, played at Allen Fieldhouse, was an Elite Eight victory for the Bearcats en route to their first of consecutive national titles.