The 17th ranked Cincinnati Bearcats host their first ranked team in the season on Wednesday night at 7 pm when they host the #25 Butler Bulldogs. Here’s a preview of UC’s first Big East opponent of the year.
KEY NUMBERS
Butler is an above average offensive team but their college basketball-leading 95 points per game is grossly skewed by their 144-point throttling of The Citadel in their opening game. The Bulldogs can drop a boatload of points if they get hot but if they’re the best scoring team in the nation come February, I’ll buy a Butler turtleneck, the most awful of attire, and take a picture of myself and post it on this blog.
Still, this is an excellent shooting team with several options around the court but where they struggle is on the offensive glass. Butler only collects offensive boards on 26.9% of opportunities (135th in college basketball). A long team like the Bearcats who can dominate in the paint with their experienced forwards can chew the Bulldogs apart if their shots aren’t falling.
More from Cincy on the Prowl
- Cincinnati Football: Bearcats aim to get back on track against Oklahoma in Big 12 opener
- Cincinnati Football: Red zone concerns could be a recurring issue throughout season
- Cincinnati Football: Players of the game from the Bearcats recent loss to rival Miami
- Cincinnati Football: Defensive standouts from the disappointing Battle for the Victory Bell loss
- Cincinnati Football: Can the Bearcats bounce back from frustrating loss against Miami?
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kellen Dunham (#24): This 6’6″ wing is a nightmare to defend, be it on the outside with three-ball or in the paint. The senior has no fear to shoot the ball or drive the lane and take a pounding from an opposing front court. He doesn’t really seem to care how he has to do it, Dunham will get his 21.2 points per game no matter how it comes. That includes the free throw line where he shoots 95.7%. It’s probably an assumption that if Dunham gets to the stripe he’ll knock them down but on the whole if the Bearcats can hold him 5-10 points below his season average they’ll be in good shape tomorrow night.
BEST MATCHUP
Roosevelt Jones (#21) v. Shaq Thomas: Jones isn’t your prototypical forward at a “short” 6’4″ but his rebounding game is second to none on the team. He’s pulling in 8.6 boards per game, which leads Butler. His vision is also phenomenal as he also boasts a team leading 5.6 assists per game. Clearly he’s adept at kicking it out to the perimeter for sharpshooters such as Dunham can knock it down from the outside. Oh, and Jones is the Bulldogs’ second leading scorer and despite his size, it’ll be up to Shaq Thomas to keep him in check tomorrow night.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND PREDICTION
Your classic match up between high-flying offense and stingy defense might come down to one thing; Fifth Third Arena. Believe me, if this game was played in the Hinkle Fieldhouse, like it is next year, I’d fully believe this one goes Butler’s way. But the Bearcats naturally play other-worldly basketball at The Shoe and while the Bulldogs are a very experienced team with a slew of scorers dotting the floor, UC’s just as experienced and with the same talent on the defensive side of the ball. I have Cincinnati pulling out another close game over another good team.
Cincinnati: 72
Butler: 68