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Tonight’s game between the No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats and the UCF Knights is a tough sell to a non-Bearcats fan. Last time they met up, the final score was 49-38, with points coming about as frequently as Halley’s Comet. But, if you’ve found yourself here, you probably are a UC fan, which means a heap of defense at BB&T Arena is cant-miss stuff.
- Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
- Television: CBS Sports Network
- Announcing crew: Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Steve Wolf (analyst) and Allie LaForce (sideline reporter)
- Radio: 700 WLW
- Announcing crew: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Terry Nelson (analyst)
- Series history: I’d say having a 90 percent winning rate against a team means you have their number. While a small sample size is what we’re working with, that rate is just what the Bearcats have in regards to UCF, with nine wins in 10 all-time meetings. That includes a 49-38 win earlier this season. Yes, you read that right. Yes, that is not a lot of points. Yes, it was not fun to watch. But, hey, at least UC won.
The Bearcats (21-1, 10-0 American Athletic Conference) are in uncharted territory, at least in the Mick Cronin era. By winning its 14th-straight game on Saturday (thanks, UConn!), they earned enough credits to level up to No. 6 in the country in the AP poll. Here are your starters.
- Justin Jenifer (G) - 116.5 offensive rating/94.0 defensive rating
- Jarron Cumberland (G) - 104.6/87.8
- Jacob Evans (G/F) - 121.5/86.1
- Kyle Washington (F) - 115.4/84.9
- Gary Clark (F) - 134.8/78.6
UCF isn’t dealing with a full deck since center Tacko Fall was lost for the season at the end of January. The Knights (14-8, 5-5) have lost four of their last six games, including a 69-65 setback against Houston last time out. Here are their starters from that one. It’s a reasonable guess that this is who will start tonight.
- Ceasar DeJesus (G) - 93.9/96.1
- Terrell Allen (G) - 93.1/94.5
- B.J. Taylor (G) - 113.7/99.8
- Chad Brown (F) - 113.1/87.8
- A.J. Davis (F) - 102.2/89.6