Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats open as double digit favorites over Illinois-Chicago

Heading into the highly-anticipated regular season opener, the Cincinnati Bearcats opened as double digit favorites over the Illinois-Chicago Flames!

Illinois-Chicago finished with a 12-20 overall record last year and the Flames currently sit at 243rd in the KenPom rankings heading into the season opener.

The Bearcats opened as 14.5-point favorites over Illinois-Chicago with the over/under projected at 143.5 total points according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Wes Miller’s team is hoping to find success in the inaugural Big 12 campaign as the regular season is scheduled to get underway tonight on ESPN+.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats open as double digit favorites over Illinois-Chicago

• Date: Monday, November 6 at 9:00 PM
• Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati
• Series History: Third ever meeting
• TV Broadcast: ESPN+ and fuboTV

Cincinnati should be able to pick up a double digit win over Illinois-Chicago and start the regular season on a positive note before competition increases soon.

During a press conference at the Big 12 media day, Miller previewed the regular season and reflected on several roster changes via Cincinnati Athletics.

The Bearcats are led by veterans Viktor Lakhin, Ody Oguama, John Newman III and Dan Skillings Jr, plus transfer guards CJ Fredrick and Simas Lukosius.

Cincinnati Basketball: Preview for the Bearcats season opener against Illinois-Chicago

Lukosius averaged 11.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in his sophomore season, highlighted by a career-best 28-point performance in a victory over Villanova.

Oguama compiled 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds on 57.6 percent shooting from the field last year including a career-high 18-point outing against South Florida.

The Flames are led by senior guard Toby Okani, who averaged 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his junior year, and is a focal point of the lineup.

With a chance to secure an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2019, Cincinnati is looking to improve on a 23-13 overall record from last year.