You can bet this will be a physical affair. Bob Huggins faces his former school yet again with both teams coming into the game with some momentum.
For the Mountaineers, they go as Truck Bryant goes. Bryant had 22 points against Marshall on Wednesday night but WVU has lost every game in which Bryant goes ice cold shooting the rock. With Kevin Jones on his side, Bryant has to be more of a distributor and not the prime scorer on this team. Against Cincinnati, the West Virginia point guard has to work the ball in the paint and make this game all about interior play and rebounding, not who shoots the ball the most from the arc. West Virginia is at its best when it gets buckets inside. With Cincinnati not rebounding the ball well in conference play, the Mountaineers may get ample second chance opportunities around the rim. Slowing the pace and working through Jones and Deniz Kilicli is very important for Huggins? team.
The Bearcats have turned their season around with a four guard look and the emergence of a fifth scorer. Jaquon Parker has been a huge lift for this Cincinnati team that featured four fairly reliable scorers but little, if any, depth after that. UC is shooting the ball well from deep but is actually struggling inside with only a 42% two-point percentage in Big East play. The Bearcats aren?t rebounding particularly well either but great guard play and a focus on limiting turnovers is allowing Cincinnati to win games. The Bearcats almost never turn the ball over and they?re able to squeeze extra possessions out of every game because of it. That said, Sean Kilpatrick, Parker and Dion Dixon must continue to shoot well against a West Virginia defense that can pick up the intensity and shut you down at a moment?s notice.
Mick Cronin?s team has struggled inside but the presence of Yancy Gates is what keeps opponents from locking in defensively on Cincinnati?s guards. When the big man is playing well, Cincinnati can be even better. Gates is unafraid of contact and can be a beast when he goes hard. Motivation has been an issue but Gates may finally be on the same page as Cronin in his senior season, especially after learning a valuable lesson after the Xavier incident. Despite Cincinnati?s win at Connecticut earlier this week, we feel the Mountaineers have a slight edge in this one because of Jones and his team?s effort on the defensive side. However, the Bearcats can make quite a mark on the Big East if they are able to grab a second straight big time road win.
--rush the court
For the Mountaineers, they go as Truck Bryant goes. Bryant had 22 points against Marshall on Wednesday night but WVU has lost every game in which Bryant goes ice cold shooting the rock. With Kevin Jones on his side, Bryant has to be more of a distributor and not the prime scorer on this team. Against Cincinnati, the West Virginia point guard has to work the ball in the paint and make this game all about interior play and rebounding, not who shoots the ball the most from the arc. West Virginia is at its best when it gets buckets inside. With Cincinnati not rebounding the ball well in conference play, the Mountaineers may get ample second chance opportunities around the rim. Slowing the pace and working through Jones and Deniz Kilicli is very important for Huggins? team.
The Bearcats have turned their season around with a four guard look and the emergence of a fifth scorer. Jaquon Parker has been a huge lift for this Cincinnati team that featured four fairly reliable scorers but little, if any, depth after that. UC is shooting the ball well from deep but is actually struggling inside with only a 42% two-point percentage in Big East play. The Bearcats aren?t rebounding particularly well either but great guard play and a focus on limiting turnovers is allowing Cincinnati to win games. The Bearcats almost never turn the ball over and they?re able to squeeze extra possessions out of every game because of it. That said, Sean Kilpatrick, Parker and Dion Dixon must continue to shoot well against a West Virginia defense that can pick up the intensity and shut you down at a moment?s notice.
Mick Cronin?s team has struggled inside but the presence of Yancy Gates is what keeps opponents from locking in defensively on Cincinnati?s guards. When the big man is playing well, Cincinnati can be even better. Gates is unafraid of contact and can be a beast when he goes hard. Motivation has been an issue but Gates may finally be on the same page as Cronin in his senior season, especially after learning a valuable lesson after the Xavier incident. Despite Cincinnati?s win at Connecticut earlier this week, we feel the Mountaineers have a slight edge in this one because of Jones and his team?s effort on the defensive side. However, the Bearcats can make quite a mark on the Big East if they are able to grab a second straight big time road win.
--rush the court
