Cincinnati vs. UConn: Game preview, prediction, TV schedule
The Cincinnati Bearcats look to rebound from their loss to Wichita State, while the UConn Huskies play out the final days of their season.
TV Schedule: Thursday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Location: BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
The nation’s longest home winning streak ended on Sunday, when the Cincinnati Bearcats fell at home to the Wichita State Shockers.
Cincinnati should be able to start a new streak as early as Thursday.
Right now, the Bearcats are actually on a losing streak, with a road defeat to Houston preceding the Wichita State loss. After winning their first 12 games in conference play, Cincinnati leads the AAC by just one game.
A slight dip in defensive play explains the recent losses. The Bearcats have one of the most fearsome defenses in the country, allowing just 57.1 points per game. In their losses to Houston and Wichita State, however, they gave up 67 and 76 points, respectively.
Neither of those point totals are large, but they’re larger than the Bearcats are accustomed to at this point.
UConn’s presence will be doing the Bearcats a favor. At 67.9 points per game, the Huskies don’t even rank in the top 300 in scoring in Division I. Jalen Adams is an elite scorer, but his supporting cast does little to pick up the slack.
These two teams met at the beginning of the month in Connecticut, with Cincinnati prevailing 65-57. Neither team shot well from the floor, but UConn was able to keep it close by dominating the defensive interior, limiting Cincinnati to 14 points in the paint.
That might not be enough on Thursday. The Huskies have lost five of their past seven games, with their two victories coming against the two worst teams in the AAC. It’s possible that they’re playing the final games of the Kevin Ollie era.
Next: Impact of Wichita State's big win
Most importantly, Cincinnati has something to prove. The Huskies are little more than a traffic cone to smoothly swerve around.
Prediction: Cincinnati 77, UConn 58