Scouting report: Cincinnati Bearcats set for familiar foe Travis Steele, Miami RedHawks

The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team lost the Crosstown Shootout, again.

Saturday's 80-77 defeat to Xavier marked the Bearcats' fourth straight loss in the rivalry series. It also was the first time since December 2017 both the Cincinnati men's and women's teams lost to their rival from across town.

Takeaways:Cincinnati Bearcats' rally falls short in yet another Crosstown Shootout loss

While the UC women, who lost to the Musketeers 48-35 on Friday, can move on from their loss, the UC men aren't out of the woods yet as it relates to Xavier.

After losing to the Musketeers, Ohio State and Northern Kentucky in a 24-day span, the Bearcats (6-4) now set their sights on another nearby foe in Miami University. Cincinnati on Wednesday will host the RedHawks (4-5), their neighbors from Oxford, who are led by former Xavier coach Travis Steele.

Steele went 3-1 against Cincinnati while he was at the helm of the Musketeers program from 2018-22.

The game

Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena

TV/Radio: ESPN+/WLW-AM (700)

Series info: Cincinnati leads the all-time series 94-54, including last season's 59-58 win in Oxford. It was the first meeting between the two teams since Nov. 29, 2011.

Scouting report

Miami (4-5)

Coach: Travis Steele, first season (4-5)

Offense: 84 ppg

Defense: 73.6 ppg

Projected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Mekhi Lairy (G, 5'8", 15.7 ppg)

Morgan Safford (G, 6'5", 14.8 ppg)

Julian Lewis (G, 6'6", 12.2 ppg)

Billy Smith (G, 6'7", 10.6 ppg)

Anderson Mirambeaux (F, 6'8", 13 ppg)

Cincinnati (6-4)

Coach: Wes Miller, second season (24-19)

Offense: 79.2 ppg

Defense: 70.1 ppg

Projected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6’3”, 8.4 ppg)

David DeJulius (G, 6’0", 16.7 ppg)

Landers Nolley II (G, 6’7”, 14.7 ppg)

Jeremiah Davenport (G, 6'7", 9.4 ppg)

Viktor Lakhin (F, 6’11”, 11.9 ppg)

Players to watch

Mekhi Lairy

Mekhi Lairy is small but has a big game. The 5-foot-8, fifth-year guard enters Wednesday's clash averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game. Lairy also cashes in from the foul line, leading the RedHawks in free-throw attempts (40), made free throws (38) and free-throw percentage (95%). Lairy scored a game-high 20 points against the Bearcats last season, but he needed 20 shots (7-for-20) to get there.

David DeJulius

Cincinnati's floor general earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference's weekly honor roll after leading all scorers with 22 points in Saturday's Crosstown Shootout. DeJulius dropped 17 of those in the second half. The Bearcats are 6-1 this season when DeJulius scores in double figures. That lone loss came against Xavier.

Key to the game

Better shot selection

Cincinnati took bad shots in the first half on Saturday. In fact, they were "poor," Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. Miller's club is best when the players are sharing the ball and taking shots within the flow of the offense. Not having the ball stick with one person and settling for a selfish, unexpected jumper. "Togetherness and flow." That's what Miller says he wants offensively, and that's what the Bearcats will need Wednesday in order to avoid another loss to another one of their neighbors.

Rankings

NET: Miami (327); Cincinnati (162)

KenPom.com: Miami (283); Cincinnati (75)

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball: Bearcats to host Travis Steele, Miami RedHawks