Cincinnati is facing an uphill battle to get back into NCAA Tournament contention and hopes to make a late push starting Saturday when it plays host to Oklahoma State.
The Bearcats (15-13, 7-8 Big 12) saw a four-game winning streak end with an 80-68 loss at No. 16 Texas Tech on Tuesday. It was a disappointing loss a few days after they upset then-No. 8 Kansas on the road, but coach Wes Miller had a simple message afterward.
“Hey, we just went through a Big 12 road stretch. You play two (good) teams within three days on the road, and we went 1-1,” Miller said. “Doesn’t mean we’ve got to be happy about anything tonight. We’ve got to respond the right way, like we have all year. So, Saturday’s a big game for us.”
The Bearcats have established themselves as a top defensive team, holding opponents to 67.5 points per game, fourth best in the Big 12.
Cincinnati’s Baba Miller ranks second in the Big 12 with 10.0 rebounds per game while scoring a team-best 13.8 points. Moustapha Thiam has emerged as the top scoring threat the past two games with 28 points vs. Kansas and 21 vs. Texas Tech.
Oklahoma State (17-11, 5-10) will be looking to finish strong after snapping a five-game losing streak with a 91-84 overtime victory at home over West Virginia on Tuesday.
“I don’t think people understand how unbelievably hard this league is,” Cowboys coach Steve Lutz said. “You lose five in a row and you think the world is falling. … It just consumes you and it just beats you down, so I’m happy for our guys to be able to come out tonight and tough it out and get a win.”
The Cowboys absorbed a major setback, though, when Parsa Fallah tore his ACL in the final seconds.
The Cowboys have the third-best scoring offensive in the Big 12 at 83.8 points per game. Anthony Roy leads the team at 16.8 points and he is among the league leaders in made 3-pointers at 3.1 per game.
This is the first matchup between the teams since Cincinnati defeated Oklahoma State in last year’s Big 12 tournament.
