The question was obvious. How would the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team respond following Saturday's 80-77 loss to crosstown rival Xavier?
The answer: Well.
David DeJulius scored a game-high 22 points, Landers Nolley II added 20 and the Bearcats made easy work of in-state rival Miami University 103-76 Wednesday night at Fifth Third Arena.
Cincinnati basketball:University of Cincinnati board approves extension for Bearcats basketball coach Wes Miller
"It's always a sour taste coming off a loss," DeJulius said. "It feels good to get back in the win column, and in the fashion that we did."
Wednesday marked the first time Cincinnati scored 100 points under second-year coach Wes Miller. It also was the first time either team scored 100 in the rivalry series since 1959 (UC won, 102-73).
"I want more," Miller said. "These guys showed what they're capable of from a focus and effort and passion standpoint in the second half against Xavier. It's my job to hold them to that standard every second.
"... But it's good to get a win after the way we felt in here a couple days ago. We've got to get back on the practice floor tomorrow and keep trying to get better."
The Bearcats (7-4), wearing their alternate throwback uniforms that pay homage to Gale Catlett's teams that earned three straight NCAA Tournament bids from 1975-77, improved to 95-54 in the all-time series against their neighbors from Oxford.
Cincinnati improved to 1-2 in the throwbacks. The Bearcats lost to Memphis and South Florida in the uniforms last season.
The RedHawks (4-6), led by former Xavier coach Travis Steele, suffered their 15th straight loss in the series. Miami last defeated Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 1990 (72-64 in Oxford).
DeJulius scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes and UC jumped out to a 29-15 lead just past the midway point of the first half. Cincinnati kept its foot on the gas, extending its lead to 50-33 at intermission.
The Bearcats converted 10 first-half Miami turnovers into 13 points and owned a 20-6 advantage in the paint at the break. UC finished with 11 steals and 26 points off 17 total turnovers by the RedHawks.
"When you feel like you can trust the man behind you, it gives you ultra confidence to be aggressive and shoot those (passing) lanes and play like that," Nolley said.
Cincinnati shot 63% (38-for-60) from the field on the night, including 60% (12-for-20) from 3-point range. But perhaps more importantly, the Bearcats shared the ball. They racked up 23 assists on the night, their third time this season cracking the 20-assist barrier. Mika Adams-Woods recorded six assists for the third straight game.
Miller said the only aspect of the game that he didn't like from his club was its performance on the glass. The Bearcats were outrebounded, 26-24.
"I thought there were times when the shot went up and we're kind of just looking at the ball in the air as opposed to boxing out the right way," he said. "A lot of it was on the defensive board."
Mekhi Lairy led the RedHawks with 20 points, including a 6-for-6 showing at the foul line.
Cincinnati has two more tests before opening its last American Athletic Conference slate. The first is La Salle on Saturday at Fifth Third. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
"The best time to get better is now, heading into conference play," DeJulius said. "Because that's when a whole new season starts. We've got a couple more games to tidy up some things going into another season of ours."
Miller opens up about 2-year contract extension
Wednesday's lopsided win came on the same day that the university announced a new two-year extension for Miller. The extension keeps Miller at the helm of the Cincinnati program until 2028-29 and increases his average annual salary from $1.31 million to $2.95 million.
Miller was asked about the extension after the 27-point victory.
"First off, I'm thrilled about it," he said. "I'd prefer to not sit here and talk about me. But I'm thrilled about it. This is where I want to be. This is home. This is now my home. I love it here. So I'm thrilled and truly appreciative of President Pinto (UC President Neville Pinto) and (UC Director of Athletics) John Cunningham, like, deeply appreciative. And the people here that are supporting our program. This is home now. And that's just a step in the right direction for me and our staff.
"So I'm thrilled about it from a timing standpoint. There's no bad timing for something like that to happen. I'm deeply thankful for these kids, the way they're letting us coach them and believing in us. And the administration for believing in us. Deeply thankful. It just solidifies more that this is home. I don't want to be anywhere else. So I'm thankful for people making that happen."
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