A poor shooting performance proved costly as the Cincinnati Bearcats came up short 67-59 at the Big 12 rival Houston Cougars on Tuesday.
Cincinnati was looking to snap a lengthy losing streak against Houston before suffering an 11th consecutive setback to the Big 12 opponent.
Despite entering the matchup as double digit underdogs, the Bearcats remained competitive but top ranked Houston eventually pulled away.
Wes Miller's team moved to 16-12 following the double figure loss and is likely going to miss the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight season.
A poor shooting performance resulted in the #Bearcats coming up short 67-59 at Big 12 rival Houston tonight.https://t.co/pRL1xp98Z5 pic.twitter.com/t6Fh8wkh25
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) February 28, 2024
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats come up short 67-59 at Big 12 rival Houston
Cincinnati center Viktor Lakhin put up 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while forward Simas Lukosius totaled 11 points in the loss.
In a postgame press conference, Miller said he was proud of the fight the Bearcats showed off against the nation's highest ranked program.
"That's Cincinnati basketball. I can lose with it. I'm pissed but we are coming. If we fight, and that's the standard we set, then we'll be fine."
With only three games remaining in the regular season, the Bearcats will try to snap the recent losing skid against Kansas State on Saturday.