TicketsKANSAS CITY -- Another late night at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships await for the Cincinnati men's basketball team, this time in the quarterfinals against No. 14 Baylor at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and 700 WLW.
THE RUNDOWN
- Cincinnati matched Kansas' largest Big 12 Tourney defeat of all-time in the 72-52 win and in the process became the seventh program to boast a winning head-to-head series against KU (minimum 8 meetings).
- The defense, a game after WVU shot 55.4 percent, held Kansas to 33.9 and only a pair of 3-pointers until the final minute. From Bill Self: They're strong on the perimeter and athletic, and I think their size and athleticism bothered us. And they're good. Statistically, they're one of the better teams in America defensively, efficiency. I think they're 18th."
- And that comes in spite of joining the nation's top conference. Cincinnati is 12th nationally in rebound margin at 8.2 after ranking 101 last year and 211 in 2021-22, Wes Miller's first. Not only that, Cincinnati is 8-3 in March the last two years after going 1-3 in 2021-22.
- Aziz Bandaogo, who missed the only prior Baylor meeting, is averaging 11.0 rpg in Kansas City.
- Dan Skillings Jr. earned his third 25-point game of the season last night. He also had 24 at Baylor, including 17 in the second half, during his second-career start. UC is 19-6, and 15-6 this year, when he scores in double-figures.
- Big 12 All-Defensive honoree John Newman III posted his second double-double of the season (12 pts, 10 rebs). His FG% is up 9.6 percent from his 2021-22 season (suffered season-ending injury in 2022-23 opener). The heart and soul of the team, he has scored in double-figures four of the past five games.
- Simas Lukosius (31) and Day Day Thomas (29) each posted career-highs in the opening-round WVU win. Three of Lukosius' four career 20-point games have come in conference tournaments. The first two came against St. John's and Xavier in Madison Square Garden while at Butler. Thomas' 58 steals are the most by a Bearcat since Cashmere Wright's record 74 in 2011-12.
- Cincinnati earned its second-straight and 41st, 20-win season. UC has five wins over Big 12 teams away from home, including at No. 12 BYU and No. 15 Texas Tech. The Bearcats are also averaging only 9.0 turnovers the last five games after 17.2 the previous five.
- UC has played short-handed all year, missing 43 games combined for transfer eligibility, injury and illness.
- Cincinnati is 14-3 when leading at the half and 10-2 when making 8 or more treys (10-11 with 7 or fewer).