Preview: Cincinnati v Depaul

The 2024-25 season didn't go as planned for Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Men's Basketball team. The Bearcats finished 18-15, including a 76-56 loss to Iowa State in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Tuesday provides an opportunity to finish the season on a high note as the Bearcats open the inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament against the Depaul Blue Demons (14-19). The winner will advance to take on the winner of UCF v Oregon State. 

The College Basketball Crown is a 16-team event held in Las Vegas that will take place from March 31st through April 6th. Teams from the Big 10, Big 12, and Big East primarily make up the field, with the remaining teams being at-large selections from other conferences. The winner of the tournament will receive $300,000 in prize money, while the runner-up will earn $100,000.

While it is almost a guarantee that Cincinnati will see multiple players hit the transfer portal this off-season, sources around the program have confirmed that all players who participated in the Big 12 Tournament, will also be on the bench in Las Vegas. 

Depaul wasn't as fortunate. 

While it is unknown if they will play, the Blue Demons have already seen four players enter their name into the transfer portal. That list primarily consists of rotational players off the bench, but does include local product Jacob Meyer (8.9 ppg), as well as guard Conor Enright (7.5 ppg), starting forward JJ Trayner (5.6 ppg), as well as backup guard David Thomas (3.7 ppg). 

Despite the roster uncertainty for Depaul, Cincinnati can not afford to take them lightly as this is a team who seemed to gel during the Big East Tournament, knocking off Georgetown and then taking Creighton to double overtime, ultimately losing 85-81.

In the team's last four games, DePaul is shooting 51.3 percent as a team and 41.9 percent from three while averaging 78.8 points.

Depaul is 0-15 when scoring less than 70 points.

6'2" sophomore guard Layden Blocker scored 25 points in the Blue Demons loss to Creighton. The Arkansas transfer averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 reb, and 3.2 ast during his first season with Depaul. 

Depaul Projected Starters:

6'2" Sophomore G Layden Blocker (9.1 pts, 2.8 reb, and 3.2 ast, 34.8 3FG, 77.5 FT)

6'5" Grad G Isaiah Rivera (10.7 pts, 4.1 reb, 44.8 FG, 40.9 3FG, 58.6 FT)

6'7" Junior G CJ Gunn (12.8 pts, 4.0 reb, 42.9 FG, 30.2 3FG, 77.2 FT)

6'7" Senior F Troy D'Amico (6.3 pts, 2.7 reb, 42.6 FG, 39 3FG, 87.2 ft)

6'8 Junior F NJ Benson (8.8 pts, 6.1 reb, 59.7 FG, 62.2 FT)

By the Numbers:

NET ranking – DePaul 119, Cincinnati 50

KenPom.com ranking – DePaul 110, Cincinnati 55 

Massey rating – DePaul 129, Cincinnati 54

Haslametrics ranking – DePaul 101, Cincinnati 44

EvanMiya ranking - DePaul 117, Cincinnati 46

Torvik ranking – DePaul 109, Cincinnati 44

Cincinnati Storylines:

• Jizzle James, who was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection,  has scored in double-figures 11 of the last 12 games. James leads the Bearcats in scoring (12.8 ppg) and assists (3.6 per game). His 749 pts through his freshman and sophomore seasons trail only Jacob Evans (765) and Sean Kilpatrick (867) for the most over such a stretch at the school since 2010. 
• Josh Reed scored 19 points in that tourney opener (career-high 15 by halftime) against OSU on 8-of-12 shooting, then followed with 10 points against Iowa State. Six of his seven-career games in double-figures have come since Feb. 8, with Feb. 19. 
• Dan Skillings has struggled this season after leading the Bearcats in scoring (12.8 per game) last season. Skillings is averaging 13 ppg over his last three games and will be a primary key off the bench for Cincinnati as they consistently feed off of the energy he brings at both ends. Skillings has been frustrating to watch at times with some of the silly errors he makes, but he still has a key role in the success of the team.
• Aziz Bandaogo is 23 points away from eclipsing the 1,000 career points mark. Bandaogo has seven blocks in the last three games. He is fifth in the Big 12 with 1.52 bpg. 

Overall:

While this isn't the scenario Wes Miller envisioned his team would be in to begin March, I expect his team to come out with great energy after an opportunity to hit the reset button following the loss to Iowa State. There could be some rust after not playing a true game in 20 days and having limited practice over the past few days, but a UC win should be expected as the Bearcats enter as a 9.5 point favorite.

Action begins at 3pm on FS1.