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The Cincinnati Bearcats are on a 13 game winning streak heading into Saturday’s big game at Fifth Third Arena. The ‘Cats have rode out some close games, including a 57-55 win over Tulsa thanks to a huge comeback and a Troy Caupain game winning shot. UC has found a way to win, no matter what the circumstances are and don’t expect that to change this weekend against conference rival UConn.
Get To Know The Opponent
This season has been an ugly ride for the Huskies up to this point. Between injuries and inconsistent play, UConn has definitely underachieved. The Huskies best player, Terry Larrier, went down with a torn ACL early in the season and the team hasn’t been able to pick themselves up yet. Although the team is sixth in the American Conference, they still pose a threat to the Bearcats 13-game winning streak.
Players to watch for on the Huskies are leading scoring Jalen Adams (remember him?), who is averaging 15 points per game and dishing out 6.7 assists per game, and big man Kenton Fancy, who rips down 7.5 rebounds per game with his 6'10" frame. UConn has found itself in a hole but have started climbing its way out with three-straight wins coming into Saturday's contest.
Even though it is a down year for UConn, this conference game is always a hard-fought battle. The Bearcats and Huskies always find a way to put on a show for the fans and this matchup should be no different this time around.
Protecting the Streak
The Bearcats’ 13 game winning streak has been a wild ride of blowouts and close games thrown in the mix. With the hardest part of UC’s season in the rearview, it is easy to envision a two-loss Bearcat team heading into tournament season. If UC can ride out this win streak to the end, its not crazy to think that Cincinnati could grab a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in March Madness, which would almost guarantee a first round win. Tough games coming up will be this UConn matchup, a game at SMU and against Memphis, if the 'Cats can find a way to finish out strong, they could be in for a very high seed in March.
I expect UC to get the job done this weekend against the Huskies. If the Bearcats can win the rebounding battle, keep Adams under control and get some production from the bench (i.e. Jarron Cumberland), they’ll be in good shape.