Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats prepare to host Tulane in upcoming conference opener

After extending the 3-game win streak against Detroit last week, the Bearcats are scheduled to tip off conference play versus the Tulane Green Wave on Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena.

Since a last-second loss to Xavier in the Crosstown Shootout, Cincinnati won three straight against Miami, La Salle and Detroit to wrap up the non-conference slate with a 9-4 record.

The Bearcats are tied for fourth place in the conference standing as each team prepares to start AAC play this week. Tulane sits in sixth place with a 7-4 record including 5-1 record at home.

During non-conference play, the Bearcats went on a trio of 3-game win streaks surrounded by losses to Arizona and Ohio State in the Maui Invitational, plus Northern Kentucky and Xavier.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats prepare to host Tulane in upcoming conference opener

Wes Miller’s team continues to show improvement as the season continues but struggled to keep up against higher competition, which is concerning as the AAC schedule gets underway.

Tulane is led by a pair of transfers in former SEC guards Jalen Cook and Jaylen Forbes. The Green Wave backcourt combined for 46 points in an 84-63 win over Mississippi Valley State last week.

It’s important for the Bearcats to take down Tulane on Thursday at home because the next three games will be difficult to win at Temple and Wichita State, plus against 3rd ranked Houston.

Cincinnati will look to keep the win streak alive as conference play begins in a couple days. Tip off is set for 9:00 PM on Thursday, December 29 at Fifth Third Arena in the final game of 2022.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats beat down Bryant 97-71 to secure third straight win

Wes Miller’s team used dominant defense to take down the Bryant Bulldogs 97-71 as Viktor Lakhin and Daniel Skillings led the team with a combined 30 points on Sunday afternoon.

Jeremiah Davenport scored 10 points in the first six minutes including back to back 3-pointers to get the scoring started as Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead and extended the win streak.

The Bearcats held Bryant scoreless for over three minutes and went on a 10-0 run to build a 40-24 lead at halftime. Davenport had a game-high 13 points and three rebounds at the break.

Lakhin racked up a second straight double-double with a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Skillings scored a career-high 14 points to go with 13 rebounds in the win over Bryant.