Preview: Scorching hot UC Bearcats look to ride momentum past Temple Owls in Philadelphia
The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team is scorching hot.
Since losing at American Athletic Conference rival Memphis on Jan. 9, the Bearcats (14-5, 4-2 AAC) have rattled off three straight wins, including pouring on a season-high 90 points in a 90-69 victory over Tulsa on Thursday.
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"I thought instead of being worried of what they (Tulsa) are doing, I thought we did a nice job of attacking and playing," Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said following the 21-point win. "David DeJulius and Jeremiah Davenport really got us off to a good start by being aggressive shooting the basketball and making plays."
DeJulius (20) and Davenport (24) combined for 44 points against the Golden Hurricane. The pair will look to help extend the Bearcats' win streak to four and nab the 200th victory of Miller's head coaching career when they lead UC into Philadelphia on Tuesday to face Temple (10-6, 3-2).
The Owls, who are also riding a three-game win streak, are set to play their first game in 13 days due to scheduling and COVID-19 protocol issues with their last two opponents.
THE GAME
Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Tuesday at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
TV/Radio: ESPNU/WLW-AM (700)
Series info: Cincinnati and Temple are set to meet for the 36th time, with the Bearcats owning a 26-9 lead in the series. UC has won nine straight over the Owls, The streak dates back to Dec. 28, 2016.
SCOUTING REPORT
Cincinnati (14-5, 4-2)
Coach: Wes Miller, first season (14-5)
Offense: 72.1 ppg
Defense: 62.7 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
David DeJulius (G, 6’0", 13.3 ppg)
Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6’3”, 8.5 ppg)
Mason Madsen (G, 6’4”, 4.1 ppg)
Jeremiah Davenport (G, 6'7", 13.6 ppg)
Abdul Ado (F, 6’11”, 1.6 bpg)
Temple (10-6, 3-2)
Coach: Aaron McKie, third season (29-34)
Offense: 78.3 ppg
Defense: 68 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Damian Dunn (G, 6'5", 15.2 ppg)
Jeremiah Williams (G, 6'5", 9.2 ppg)
Jahlil White (G, 6'7", 4.9 rpg)
Nick Jourdain (F, 6'8", 4.8 rpg)
Jake Forrester (F, 6'9", 5.7 ppg)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jeremiah Davenport
Davenport is coming off a season-high 24 points against Tulsa. The Cincinnati native knocked down seven of his nine 3-point attempts in the victory. Davenport is now 17-for-33 (51.5%) from deep over the last four games with three 20-point games in that span.
Nick Jourdain
The 6-foot-8 freshman forward scored a career-high 23 points the last time the Owls were on the court. Jourdain bested his previous career-high of 16 points and grabbed five rebounds and recorded three blocks in Temple's 69-64 win at Tulsa on Jan. 12.
KEY TO THE GAME
High energy from the start
Cincinnati's biggest strength is its depth. The Bearcats have several players who can play quality, high-impact minutes.
The key is for each player to exhibit high energy from the first moment they touch the court so that that depth can wear down opposing teams.
Miller said after last game that he thought UC "had a great energy to start the game on both ends." That energy resulted in a season-high 90 points offensively and a dominant effort on defense.
RANKINGS
KenPom.com: Cincinnati (70); Temple (125)
NET: Cincinnati (64); Temple (124)
RPI: Cincinnati (97); Temple (105)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball: Bearcats seek 10th straight win over Temple
