Though they actually had a "White-Out" a couple of weeks back with snow for the Memphis game, the University of Cincinnati theme for Saturday's American Athletic Conference game with Central Florida also involves a sea of white.
The Bearcats will sport the home white uniforms as they attempt to lock down their first Quadrant 2 win of the season. UCF comes in at No. 66 in the recent NCAA NET rankings and No. 71 in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index). Quadrant 2 wins involve home games against teams ranked from No. 31-75, so a Bearcat victory would be favorable among those that look for such things when seeding postseason tournaments.
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UC came close to a Quadrant 1 thrilling upset at No. 3 Houston but has only won games of the Quadrant 3 and 4 variety. As a refresher, here's how wins are charted:
- Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
- Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
- Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
- Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
UCF comes to Fifth Third Arena having lost four straight, the last being against Temple in Orlando, 77-70 in overtime. The Knights started 2023 with three straight wins including a 107-104 double overtime thriller over Memphis. Like UC, they lost by six at No. 3 Houston in January.
UC vs. Central Florida preview
Tip: 12 p.m. Saturday, Fifth Third Arena (12,012)
TV/Radio: ESPNU/700WLW
Series info: Cincinnati leads 13-5
Scouting report
Central Florida 13-8 (4-5 AAC)
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (125-80. eighth year)
Offense: 72. 0 ppg
Defense: 66.0 ppg
Projected lineup (Position, Height, Stats)
Lahat Thioune (F, 6'10", 2.8 ppg)
Ithiel Horton (G, 6'5", 12.3 ppg)
Darius Johnson (G, 6'1", 11.6 ppg)
C.J. Kelly (G, 6'5", 12.4 ppg)
Taylor Hendricks (F, 6'9", 13 ppg/7.2 rebounds)
Cincinnati 15-8 (6-4 AAC)
Coach: Wes Miller (33-23, second year)
Offense: 76.7 ppg
Defense: 67.5 ppg
Projected lineup (Position, Height, Stats)
Landers Nolley II (G/F, 6'7", 15.7 ppg)
David DeJulius (G, 6', 14.3 ppg)
Viktor Lakhin (F, 6'11", 12.6 ppg)
Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6'3", 9.5 ppg)
Ody Oquama (F, 6'9", 3.6 ppg)
UC vs. UCF players to watch
Taylor Hendricks
A four-star recruit as rated by ESPN and Rivals, Hendricks is similar to Houston's Jarace Walker in that he's a freshman who can do a bit of everything. He leads the Knights in scoring at 14 points per game and is using his 6-foot-9-inch frame to pull down 7.2 rebounds per contest. He shots roughly 47% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and leads the team in blocks with 38.
Jeremiah Davenport
The 6-foot-7-inch senior's two best games have come off the bench in the AAC. He made a season-high six 3-pointers with 22 overall points in a win at Wichita State and was 4-for-8 Wednesday in the victory over Tulsa with 20 points. A starter to begin the season, he's been the first player off the bench since the Wichita State win.
He still is the team's fourth-leading scorer at 9.7 points per game and is tied for third in rebounding with Ody Oguama at 4.2 per game behind Viktor Lakhin and Landers Nolley, respectively. The Bearcats are 7-1 when Davenport makes three or more 3-pointers. The only game they lost was at Temple despite him making 3-of-5 from long range.
Keys to the game
Get enough rest or coffee up
The Bearcats were 3-1 in day games to start the year, but are 1-3 since Jan. 1 when daylight appears through arena windows. They lost at Temple, both games to a top-ranked Houston team and the Memphis game. In Dallas, at 4 p.m. they were able to beat SMU by a bucket.
Lock down the freshman
Houston's Jarace Walker did a number on the Bearcats twice. Taylor Hendricks is not quite on the same level but plays an advanced game for his age.
Share the ball
UC had five players in double figures for a second time this season against Tulsa. They also had 22 assists for the game. When the ball whips around, the likelihood of an open shot increases.
13 is good
Wednesday Landers Nolley II had his 13th straight game in double figures with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Saturday, David DeJulius needs 13 points to become the 55th member of the Bearcat 1,000-point club. Plus, UC is 2-4 when DeJulius is not in double figures.
Ratings
NCAA NET: UCF is No. 66, Cincinnati is No. 78
KenPom.com: Cincinnati is No. 60, UCF is No. 63
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