The Connecticut Huskies (19-7) travel to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats (19-8) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Bearcats lost a winnable game to Tulsa 70-68 on Thursday. Gary Clark finished with 18 points to lead the team. The Huskies, meanwhile, are coming off a 68-62 win over SMU on Thursday. Amida Brimah led the game in scoring with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Over the last five games, Clark has really been playing well for the Bearcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.2 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Cincinnati ranks seventh in the nation in defensive efficiency (92.1), while Connecticut is 13th (93.5). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Huskies. They are 320th in the nation in FTA rate (30.4), while the Bearcats are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 27.4, ranking 20th in the country).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bearcats won the first game 58-57. Despite the loss, Shonn Miller was a top performer in the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and four blocks.
The Bearcats enter the game with records of 19-8 Straight Up (SU) and 12-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Cincinnati is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 13.3 offensive rebounds per game. The Bearcats, sporting the 28th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.42), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Turning to the defensive side, the Cincinnati defense has been very good, only giving up 61.8 points per game. An area where the Bearcats are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.6 blocks per game, 11th in Division I.
On the other side, the Huskies head into the game with records of 11-11-1 ATS and 19-7 SU. The Huskies are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .776 free throw percentage that ranks third in Division I. The Huskies are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 62.0 points allowed per game. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Huskies, who are the fourth-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .375. When it comes to defending the rim, the Huskies are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.0 blocks per game.
Cincinnati won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their most recent games (5-5). However, with a 7-3 record, Connecticut has the advantage ATS. Cincinnati held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while Connecticut wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
“Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games “.
“Cincinnati is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Cincinnati is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Connecticut”.
“Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 8 games when playing Connecticut”.
“Cincinnati is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Connecticut”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut”.
Cincinnati and Connecticut hold winning records against the American Athletic Conference Conference this season. The Cincinnati Bearcats sit at 9-5 SU and the Connecticut Huskies have a 9-4 record.
Connecticut scores an average of just 73.6 points per game (ranked 138th). Cincinnati ranks 11th in points allowed, giving up 61.8 points per game.
Connecticut scores just 68.2 points per away game (ranked 164th). Cincinnati ranks 54th in points allowed at home, giving up 63.7 points.
Ranked seventh, the Cincinnati Bearcats have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 92.1 points per 100 possessions. The Connecticut Huskies rank 77th in offense, scoring 110.4 points in the same number of possessions.
Cincinnati has an average field goal percentage of 43.8%. Connecticut is 2-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank lower for their field goal percentage (190th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (186th), but the Connecticut Huskies have a better FG% ranking (65th) than eFG% ranking (89th).
Cincinnati ranks 31st in assists, registering 16.1 per game. Connecticut performs worse at 158th with 13.7 assists per game.
Cincinnati, the 11th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.6 per game. Connecticut ranks 35th with 5.0.
Cincinnati ranks 31st in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, Connecticut ranks 64th.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 21.7% when playing Cincinnati this season. Connecticut is undefeated (4-0) when its TO% is 21.7% or higher.
