Scouting report: 3 keys for Cincinnati Bearcats basketball to upset No. 10 Iowa State

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The University of Cincinnati Bearcats’ bounce-back is now at three games after they corrected Mountain Time mistakes vs. BYU and Utah with victories at Fifth Third Arena.

Tuesday’s 85-75 triumph over Utah’s Utes also made it three straight games scoring over 80 points in the Big 12, something the Bearcats didn’t do all of last year.

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jizzle James (2) has had back-to-back games over 20 points for UC in wins over BYU and Utah.

UC now faces the highest-ranked team they’ve played thus far in No. 10 Iowa State. To make things more interesting, the game will be at Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones won every game last year and extended the streak to 29 games before Kansas State stopped them 80-61 to open this month.

“It’s just a great opportunity,” UC coach Wes Miller said. “It’s what’s great about this league. Throughout the course of a conference season there’s so many awesome opportunities to compete. Think of all the people that have come in there (Hilton Coliseum). That tells you how good they are.”

Three Cyclones losses came between Jan. 15 and Feb. 3, when sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic was out with a non-shooting hand injury that required surgery. He returned Feb. 8 vs. TCU and scored 14 points and four 3-pointers in Iowa State’s 30-point romp of the Horned Frogs. Momcilovic shoots nearly 44% from behind the arc, but had just two points in last year’s win over UC at Fifth Third Arena.

“Those three guards they have are terrific,” Miller said. “When you put him (Momcilovic) out there, there’s even more space for those guys to operate. It’s not just how well he shoots it, he can shoot it off the bounce and put his body on you. Like all young players a year ago, he’s taken another step and does a lot more on the floor. He makes them a much different team.”

The Cyclones won 68-59 last season, their first win over UC since beating Mick Cronin’s team at home 81-79 in 2015. Cronin’s Cats won in Ames 55-54 in overtime the following year.

Iowa State a…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/scouting-report-3-keys-cincinnati-053107653.html

Author : The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-02-14 05:31:00

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