Maybe the third time will be the charm.
Winless in their first two Big 12 outings, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball team will be in Waco, Texas, on Tuesday night to face their latest well-respected opponent, the Baylor Bears. Like Arizona, who beat UC 72-67 on Saturday, this is a team they have yet to beat.
Coach Wes Miller and company took over veteran coach Scott Drew’s program twice last season, losing both games. UC lost at Waco in early January 2024 by just three points, then fell in the Big 12 quarterfinals to Kansas City last March 68-56 after beating West Virginia and Kansas in the league tournament.
Like UC, Baylor is coming off a loss, as No. 3 Iowa State routed the Bears in Ames, 74-55 on Saturday afternoon. While UC shot 39% from the field and just 20% from long range against Arizona, Baylor shot just under 30% from the field and just 24% on three-balls from the field. Cyclones floor of the house.
“You want to play in these leagues where every night is an opportunity,” Miller said. “I certainly think we’re good enough to play anybody. You’ve got to do it and play well every night. That’s the challenge. The teams in this league that do that over the next couple of months will be the best. best teams. It’s a challenge for everyone because it’s a good league.”
3 keys for the Cincinnati Bearcats to win at Baylor
1. Get on the road quickly
There was a bit of a “deer in the headlights” effect in the opening minutes at Kansas State that UC was never able to recover from. There won’t be as many fabs at Foster Pavilion on Tuesday, but it might seem that way given the team’s popularity and the relatively new arena construction. After a bad defeat, Scott Drew’s Bears will try to do the same. Falling behind double digits anywhere in the Big 12 is dangerous.
2. Defense wins championships
Like Arizona, Baylor is a team that wants to get up and down the field. Averaging 84 points and 10 3-pointers per game, they are part of a long line of dangerous teams in the Big 12. In their losses, they have been held to 72 points or fewer. They are also very familiar with ranked teams as they faced Gonzaga, Arkansas, St. John’s, Tennessee and Connecticut in their non-conference schedule before opening the championship game against third-ranked Iowa State, SATURDAY. The Bearcats held the Bears to 62 and 68 points, respectively, in their two meetings last winter. The most an opponent has scored against the Bearcats this season is Arizona’s 72 on Saturday afternoon.
“We played the right way to come back in this game,” Miller said. “You can’t keep spotting people and digging holes for yourself.”
3. Double down on Baylor Omier’s dual threat
Norchad Omier is a transfer from the Miami Hurricanes who has been a double-double machine for Baylor. He had single-game highs of 24 points and 24 rebounds. He only scored twice in singles. The first occurred in a blowout against Tarleton State where the Baylor bench was cleared. The last one came Saturday when Iowa State clamped down for nine points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Omier still grabbed 10 rebounds.
Baylor only played seven players against Iowa State, while UC used 10 against Arizona. They’ll definitely need more bench production if Miller continues to go this far as Arizona’s reserves dominated them 31-15 on Saturday. Only Day Day Thomas had a remarkable game with nine points.
“It’s going to continue to evolve,” Miller said of the player rotation. “What happens now won’t be exactly what happens in February. You never know, it’s a long year. There are a lot of good players sitting there on the bench and they’re going to get opportunities. “
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Baylor Bears
Advice: 8 p.m. Eastern, Foster Pavilion (7500)
Television/Radio: ESPN+/700WLW
Series: Baylor leads 3-0 (the Bears last won 68-56 on March 14, 2024)
Baylor scouting report
Save: 9-4 (1-1 Big 12)
Coach: Scott Drew (22nd season, 453-248)
Offense: 84 points per game
Defense: 68.9 points per game
Projected starting lineup
(Position, size, statistics)
VJ Edgecombe (G, 6’5″, 11 points per game)
Norchad Omier (F, 6’7″, 15.5 points per game)
Jeremy Roach (G, 6’2″, 12.8 ppg)
Jayden Nunn (G, 6’4″, 10.9 points per game)
Josh Ojianwana (C. 6’10”, 7.8 points per game)
Cincinnati Bearcats Scouting Report
Save: 10-3 (0-2 Big 12)
Coach: West Miller (fourth season, 73-46, 258-181 overall)
Offense: 77.5 points per game
Defense: 60.5ppg
Projected starting lineup
(Position, size, statistics)
Simas Lukošius (GF, 6’8″, 13.6 points per game)
Jizzle James (G, 6’3″, 11.5 ppg)
Dan Skillings Jr. (GF, 6’6″, 12.7 ppg)
Dillon Mitchell (F, 6’8″, 11.6 points per game)
Aziz Bandaogo (C, 7′, 9.2 points per game)
Players to watch
Transfer from Miami Hurricanes Norchad Omier was good for around 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. He scored 24 points in a double overtime win over St. John’s and grabbed 24 rebounds in a non-conference win over Arlington Baptist. The Bears also added transfer guard Duke Jeremy Roach and first year guard Robert O. Wright III came off the bench to score around 13 points per game.
The Bearcats will need to match Baylor’s long-range shooting as JAyden Nunn wins 49% from beyond the arc and Wright 41%. A solid evening of road shooting Simas Lukošius, Jizzle James and Dan Skillings Jr. would greatly increase the Bearcats’ chances of escaping Foster Pavilion with a victory. Another 20% deep effort could prove disastrous. Lukošius is coming off three straight single-digit goals, if someone is out or can’t be freed up to shoot, someone else has to step up to the plate.
Rankings
KenPom.com: Baylor is No. 22, Cincinnati is No. 28 as of Jan. 5
NCAA NET: Baylor is No. 24, Cincinnati is No. 32.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: “Cincinnati Bearcats hit the road for Baylor”. 3 keys to victory on the road to the Big 12
