NCAA Tournament 2019: Buy or sell Cincinnati, Nevada, Wofford and Louisville?

Cincinnati Bearcats 28-6 (14-4 in the American)

1st Round Opponent: #10 Iowa (Friday 3/22 @12:15PM)

In the South, the No. 7 is the winner of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, Cincinnati Bearcats. Despite the fact that Mick Cronin’s squad knocked off a Houston team that had only lost twice during the regular season, they find themselves seeded 7th, some may think a bit under-seeded. As is usually the case with Cincinnati, they pride themselves on defense. The Bearcats enter the Tournament allowing just over 62 points per game. That is good for the Bearcats because their first two opponents can score in droves.

Jarron Cumberland has been one of the hottest scorers in the country to end the year, including a 33-point effort in the AAC title game. But, Offensively he only has one other teammate, Keith Williams averaging more than 10 points per game. No matter how good defensively the Bearcats, the lack of offensive firepower could come back and hurt them, especially against teams in their section of the draw.

Iowa, Cincinnati’s first-round opponent nets over 78 points per game and despite going 2-6 in their final eight games, the Hawkeyes scored over 70 points in five of them. That is a number, that Bearcats’ opponents eclipsed just twice in that same time span.  If Cincinnati can get past Iowa their next opponent is likely to be a Tennessee team that is even more prolific offensively but is also just as strong defensively as Cincinnati and the Volunteers’ offensive depth of five double-digit scorers relative to Cincinnati’s two double-digit scorers will make it difficult for the Bearcats to win more than one game.

Verdict: Sell