Cincinnati heads to Hartford, Connecticut to face the UConn Huskies in the hornet’s nest that is the XL Center. Taking them down on their home floor is something that hasn’t come easy to the Bearcats of late, especially in AAC Tournament games. UC hasn’t beaten the Huskies in their place since Sean Kilpatrick nailed a three to doom #13 UConn way back in 2012.
But UConn’s in a bit of a down year while UC boasts what should be their most talented team in the Mick Cronin era. Hopefully that will help the Bearcats get the Huskie off their back.
KEY NUMBERS
An excellent rebounding and defensive team that seems to struggle shooting the ball at time. So, we can just call them the UConn Bearcats.
The Huskie-cats allow just 62.6 points per game (13th in the country) while Cincinnati sits at 62.4 points per game (11th). UConn is also rather dominant on the defensive glass with Daniel Hamilton roaming in the paint, averaging 26.3 defensive boards per game (35th). Had Amida Brimah not broken his finger a month ago, the Huskies would be a top 10 team in this category. Their dominance down low, like with UC, has resulted in the Huskies’ opponents shooting a paltry 41.7% from two against their tall front court.
But, unlike with the Bearcats, UConn’s defensive prowess extends beyond the arc as well. While Cincinnati is allowing opponents to absolutely light them up from long range to the tune of 7.3 three’s per game, the Huskies are only them to shoot a hair under 31% (29th). That could very well be the difference in this game considering UConn’s offense shoots 36.1% from beyond the arc.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Shonn Miller: Pick your poison with UConn’s back court. Between Sterling Gibbs, Rodney Purvis, and Miller, they’reaveraging over 40 points per game and shooting over 45% from the field. But the wing provides them quite a bit of pop on the outside. While the Huskies aren’t a top 100 scoring team overall, they can do quite a bit of damage to opposing defenses if Miller gets them going. He himself is averaging a team leading 13.6 points per game while shooting 55% from three and averaging 5.6 boards per game.
Now, Miller doesn’t shoot a ton of threes but he has Shaq Thomas-deceptive abilities on the outside in that he’s always good to hit one or two per game. Plus his overall strength around the rim makes him especially dangerous with a front court that already includes Daniel Hamilton.
BEST MATCH UP
Octavius Ellis v. Daniel Hamilton: If not Ellis, Gary Clark. Whoever. It doesn’t matter. Given their abilities in the paint and the fact that both teams basically rely on their front court to stymie opposing offenses, the battle between Ellis and Hamilton under the basket will be the one to watch tomorrow night. But it might not necessarily be the decider. In other words, even if Ellis shuts down Hamilton and has a big game himself, Cincinnati isn’t guaranteed victory. The reason being are those guards and Shonn Miller I mentioned above. But it would sure as heck go a long way to getting the Bearcats this must-needed win.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND PREDICTION
Bearcats by three. Sure, why not?
Cincinnati: 68
UConn: 65