Can Cincinnati Bearcats basketball recover from downward spiral?

[ad_1]

University of Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball began the new year ranked No. 16 in the ninth week of the Associated Press poll and 17th in the USA Today coaches poll. Since then, it’s been a steady plummet from a 10-1 record to 12-7 as they prepare to tip-off at Utah Tuesday night.

The struggles actually began with the start of Big 12 play Dec. 30 at Kansas State when the Bearcats dropped a road game they were favored to win, 68-60 to the Wildcats. Kansas State just beat No. 23 West Virginia at home but has a losing record overall and in the league (2-6).

The Kansas State loss was followed by three straight losses, giving UC an unfortunate 0-4 start in the Big 12 capped by their 54-40 loss to Kansas at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats led the Jayhawks by a point at the half, but scored only 15 more points.

UC recovered with a road win at Colorado and a home win against Arizona State. Defensively, from the three-point line, they had the No. 2 defense against the deep ball coming into their home game vs. Texas Tech.

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Wes Miller needs a quick turnaround from his team to get back into any postseason picture. UC started January ranked No. 16 but dropped rapidly as the month continued.

Twenty-seven 3-pointers later (12 vs. Texas Tech, 15 at BYU) they’ve dropped to No. 52 in the country, allowing a bit over 30% from behind the arc. BYU lit the Bearcats up at 62.5%, 73.3% (11-for-15 in the second half).

UC is now 2-5 in January and 2-6 in the Big 12 heading into Tuesday night’s game at Utah. Saturday’s 80-52 drubbing at BYU was the Bearcats’ fourth double-digit loss and there are two months to play. Last year, UC lost to only Dayton, TCU and Baylor by double-digits.

After holding teams in the lower 60s on average, Texas Tech and BYU combined to pummel the Bearcats with 161 points.

So, what’s the difference?

Comparing 2023-24 Cincinnati Bearcats with 2024-25

In January 2024, UC upended No. 12 BYU in their own arena, 71-60 with a starting lineup of Viktor…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cincinnati-bearcats-basketball-recover-downward-142604961.html

Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-01-28 14:26:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.