TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men’s basketball team welcomes No. 2 Iowa State to Fifth Third Arena for a 2 p.m. Saturday contest. The game will be streamed on Peacock and broadcast on 700 WLW and the TuneIn app.
Cincinnati Game Notes | Iowa State Game Notes | Peacock | Live Stats | Media Center
Fans are asked to wear white for the game Saturday. There will be an ice skating rink, with skates provided, near Sheakley Lawn from noon-1:30 p.m. In addition, the Troy Pop Rocks jump rope team will be performing at halftime.
Bearcat Bits
- The 2025-26 campaign marks the 125th season of competition for Cincinnati men’s basketball, and the Bearcats will commemorate the milestone with a year-long celebration honoring the program’s rich history, iconic players and cultural legacy. Cincinnati men’s basketball, which was named a top-10 program in college basketball history by the Associated Press, boasts 44 All-Americans, 41 conference titles, six Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championships across its history, which dates back to the 1901-02 season.
- Cincinnati, allowing just 65.9 points per game defensively, ranks eighth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Cincinnati also ranks second in the country in non-steal turnover percentage (10.8%), fifth in opponent offensive rebound percentage (23.6%) and 21st in block percentage (14.7%).
- Cincinnati has found itself forcing its opponents to play more deliberately on the offensive end. The Bearcats’ opponents are taking 17.8 seconds per possession, good for 283rd nationally.
- The Bearcats rank second in the Big 12 in 3-point attempts per game (27.8), while ranking third in the conference in turnovers forced per game (14.71), fourth in scoring defense (65.9), assists per game (17.4) and assists per game (17.4) and fifth in blocks per game (4.9), turnover margin (2.4) and defensive rebounds per game (26.82).
- Despite missing the NJIT and Eastern Michigan games with an injury, senior forward Baba Miller sees himself among the best nationally and in the Big 12. Miller is tied for 15th nationally and second in the Big 12 in double-doubles with eight, while sitting first in the conference and second nationally with 8.40 defensive rebounds per contest and ninth in the country and second in the conference with 10.7 total rebounds per game. He ranks second in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage at 32.1%.
- Sophomore center Moustapha Thiam has put it together offensively of late, scoring at least 13 points in five of his last six contests, averaging 14.8 points per game in that span. In those six games dating back to the Clemson game, he’s shooting 64.9% (37-of-57) from the field, 50% (3-for-6) from deep and 85.7% (12-for-14) from the free-throw line.
- Iowa State holds a narrow 5-4 lead in the all-time series and has won the last three contests. The No. 12 Cyclones ended the Bearcats’ Big 12 Tournament run with a 76-56 victory March 12 of last season in Kansas City. Cincinnati guard Jizzle James scored 17 points but Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson went for 19 points and eight boards, while Tamin Lipsey poured in 16 in the Iowa State win.
- Led by fifth-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger, the No. 2 Cyclones are 16-1 overall, 3-1 in Big 12 play and coming off their first defeat of the season, an 84-63 loss at Kansas Tuesday night. Senior forward Joshua Jefferson averages a team-high 17.4 points and 7.8 boards per game, while junior forward Milan Momcilovic pours in 17.2 points per game. Senior guard Tamin Lipsey averages 14.2 points and 5.4 assists per game.