Three keys: BYU at Cincinnati
Saturday night presents another opportunity for Wes Miller's team to put a reset on their season as they try to put a disappointing January behind them and win back-to-back Big 12 games for the second time since joining the conference.
(Photo: Cincinnati Athletics)
The Bearcats ended a four-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 93-83 Quad 1 road win at UCF. It was by far the best collective effort from Miller's team this season with four players in double figures, as well as two more with eight points off the bench.
Visiting Fifth Third Arena Saturday evening are the BYU Cougars, who defeated Cincinnati 80-52 on January 25th. The 28-point margin of defeat was tied for the worst under Miller since losing to Ohio State, 81-53, in the 2022 Maui Invitational.
Here are the three keys to a Cincinnati victory:
1. Defend the 3-point line
In the first match up between these two teams, BYU made 11-of-15 3-pointers in the second half in that game and made 15-of-24 overall. That hot shooting allowed BYU to outscore UC 52-29 in the second half, turning a 5-point halftime lead into a 28 point blow out victory. Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 21 points, including 5-of-7 from deep. Freshman Egor Demin also made 3-of-5 from beyond the arc after entering the game making just 29% of his attempts.
Overall, BYU enters Saturday No. 15 (119.4) in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 10 in effective field goal percentage (57%). BYU also ranks 46th in 3-point percentage (37%) and 10th in 2-point percentage (58.3%).
2. High Percentage Shots
One of the biggest keys to UC defeating UCF was their effort to consistently get in the paint and finish around the rim. The Bearcats finished with 56 points in the paint and did a great job of not settling for long jump shots. In the first meeting between Cincinnati and BYU, Simas Lukosius made 4-of-8 three-point attempts but the rest of the team was a combined 1-of-20 from three. The Bearcats simply are not going to out-shoot the Cougars. Get out and run, attack the rim, and finish. Put pressure on BYU's defense, which ranks No. 64 in Kenpom's adjusted defensive efficiency.
3. Stars have to be stars
Aziz Bandaogo scored 16 points in the win against UCF. The Bearcats are now 13-2 when he scores in double-figures, including 7-1 this year. Cincinnati is 8-1 when Simas Lukosius scores 14 or more points, with the only loss being at BYU. UC is 4-10 over the last two years when he is held to single-digits.
With how good BYU is offensively, UC will need another balanced effort from their starters. Both Day Day Thomas (20 points) and Dillon Mitchell (19 points) had season high totals in the victory over UCF.
Final Thoughts:
This is a game where Cincinnati should come out with plenty of effort, intensity, and motivation. At the end of the game in Provo, BYU freshman reserve Elijah Crawford jacked up a 25-foot three-pointer with :01 second on the clock and UC walking back to their bench. The shot went in and showed a serious lack of sportsmanship as BYU players and coaches scolded the freshman for not just dribbling the clock out.
While BYU Head Coach Kevin Young apologized following the game, it put an exclamation point on the embarrassment that Cincinnati felt that night.
Prior to the UCF game, Wes Miller took an unconventional approach of having his team play dodgeball instead of practicing the Monday following the loss to West Virginia.
"The truth is this, it is simpler than dodgeball. We played dodgeball at practice on Monday. It was the first time they all smiled, having joy competing. Heck, Even the coaches competed," Miller said following the win in Orlando. "We all fell in love with basketball when there was no pressure and expectations. It was good to get them back to competitions and said you guys have to go play basketball like you played dodgeball. At some point, that is how you play basketball all the time and don't really carry that extra weight on your shoulders. I thought our guys practice that way (Tuesday) and played that way (Wednesday). We have to continue and play free and have fun."
UC enters as a 1.5 point favorite Saturday with the over/under set at 139.5.