No. 11 Kansas is banking on its reliable defense to deliver as they gear up to face a struggling Cincinnati team in a Big 12 showdown on Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks (11-3, 2-1) showcased their defensive prowess in a commanding 74-55 conference victory over Arizona State, where they outscored the Sun Devils 38-13 in the second half.
Head coach Bill Self commended his team’s defensive intensity, stating, “Defensively, that’s about as turned up as I’ve seen a team for an entire half. I was trying to get the message across of how we were gonna win this game. And then the guys came out and just competed in the second half.”
Leading the charge for Kansas is All-America center Hunter Dickinson, who boasts averages of 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Zeke Mayo contributes 14.6 points per game, while Dajuan Harris Jr. rounds out the top scorers with 10.3 points per game.
On the flip side, the Bearcats (10-4, 0-3) are grappling with a three-game losing streak that has dropped them out of the AP Top 25 rankings after being positioned at No. 16 nationally. In their recent defeat, Cincinnati suffered a lopsided 68-48 loss to Baylor.
Reflecting on the challenges his team has faced, Cincinnati coach Wes Miller shared, “Going into the year, you know you’re going to hit tough stretches — that is part of this. It doesn’t make it fun, but it’s part of it. You’re going to hit a tough stretch in this league. Everybody in this league is going to hit that. It’s part of college basketball. It’s part of high-level competition.”
Despite the setbacks, Miller expressed confidence in his team’s resilience, emphasizing, “This team has the right stuff, the right internal stuff, and the right internal fortitude. We’ll figure it out. It’s what you live for as a competitor. Nobody wants to lose three games in a row and start in league 0-3. But you want to do great things, right? You want to build a great program.”
Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats in their recent outing with 18 points and five 3-pointers, showcasing his scoring prowess. However, the team struggled overall, with only Aziz Bandaogo joining Skillings in double figures with 11 points against Baylor. Notably, Simas Lukosius and Jizzle James combined for just 10 points on a 4-for-18 shooting performance.
Cincinnati’s offensive production has been spearheaded by Skillings, Lukosius, James, and Dillon Mitchell, who each contribute double-digit scoring averages. However, this quartet fell short in the low-scoring game against Baylor, underscoring the team’s need to regroup and refocus moving forward
