Can UC basketball rebound on road at Wichita State?
It may seem odd to call the second road game of the American Athletic Conference crucial, but considering the menu ahead for coach Wes Miller's Cincinnati Bearcats, a pleasant plane ride home from Wichita State this week would be most welcome.
The Bearcats seemed to be in control on the road at Temple New Year's Day until pivot Viktor Lakhin got in foul trouble and the UC went cold from the floor during a 15-0 Owls run. Beaten soundly on the boards 46-28, the glass game underneath was a point of emphasis in early week practices.
"We had the kind of practice and film session that you guys would expect after a game like that," Miller said on his radio show Tuesday night on 1360 WSAI from the original Montgomery Inn.
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Even a year ago when UC swept the Wichita State series, the Shockers outrebounded them. Then there's the elephant in the room, or in this case the Cougar. Houston's second-ranked Cougars visit Fifth Third Arena Sunday. Competing with a Kelvin Sampson squad might be easier with the confidence of a solid road win at Wichita State.
There also will be more people watching Thursday. At Temple, the crowd was sparse with the NFL Eagles having a Sunday home game. In Wichita, the Shockers have drawn around 7,000 to Charles Koch Arena a/k/a "The RoundHouse". Last season's game drew 8,439 as cheering against the Bearcats is popular during Wichita winters.
UC notched the road win in 2022 coming back from a halftime deficit, something they've yet to do in this campaign. The Bearcats scored the last five points of the game and David DeJulius led the way with 18 points. To date, UC has won nine of the 11 AAC matchups with Wichita State.
The Shockers are 0-2 in the AAC after dropping a home game to East Carolina New Year's Eve. They have played some good squads losing at home in overtime to Missouri of the SEC in late November and to Kansas State by five and Oklahoma State by 10 in early December matchups vs. the Big 12.
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The history between the schools dates back to the Missouri Valley Conference days when the Koch Arena was known as the Wichita Fieldhouse. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson of the Bearcats still holds the arena scoring record as he casually dropped in 50 back in 1958.
The game
Tip: 9 p.m. (EST) Thursday at Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
TV/Radio: ESPNU/700WLW
Series info: Cincinnati leads 27-13
Scouting Report
Wichita State (7-7)
Coach: Isaac Brown (38-26, third season)
Offense: 64.8 ppg
Defense: 61.1 ppg
Projected lineup
(Player, Position, Height, Key Stat)
James Rojas (F, 6'6", 6.7 ppg)
Kenny Pohto (F, 6'11". 6.2 ppg)
Shammah Scott (G, 6'2", 3.5 ppg)
Jaron Pierre Jr. (G, 6'5", 9.6 ppg)
Jaykwon Walton (G, 6'7", 11.7 ppg)
Cincinnati (10-5)
Coach: Wes Miller (28-20, second season)
Offense: 79.6 ppg
Defense: 69.2 ppg
Projected lineup
(Player, Position, Height, Key Stat)
David DeJulius (G, 6', 16.1 ppg)
Landers Nolley II (G/F, 6'7",15.1 ppg)
Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6'3", 9.6 ppg)
Viktor Lakhin, (F, 6'11", 12.8 ppg)
Jeremiah Davenport (G, 6'7", 9.4 ppg)
Players to watch
Kenny Pohto
Normally, senior guard Craig Porter Jr. is a Shocker to look for and he does lead the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game. However, he sprained an ankle in late December and didn't play against UCF and was held to two points in 18 minutes in the most recent loss to East Carolina.
Pohto is 6-foot-11 and coming off his best game of the season. Despite losing to ECU, the sophomore from Sweden had 21 points and 11 rebounds. This was after a three-point, one-rebound performance in the prior game against UCF. Should Pohto go double-double again, the Bearcats could be in for another long night in the paint.
"The guys that are new aren't freshmen," Miller said of the rest of the Shockers. "They're high-major transfers, mid-major transfers, junior college players. They're talented, they're big and long, they're old. The ability is there, they're one of the top 15 defensive teams in the country right now. They're good enough to beat anybody in the league on a given night and everybody knows how difficult a place Wichita State is to play."
Viktor Lakhin
Again, UC's 6-foot-11 weapon is key, particularly when his surrounding teammates aren't hitting shots and when the bench scoring is all but non-existent. Lakhin's improvement over two seasons ago has been dramatic and he has scored in double figures in 11 straight games dating back to Maui. The notable stat with UC's No. 30 is that when he reaches a double-double in points and rebounds, UC is 5-0. The longer he avoids foul trouble and the shorter his breathers on the bench, the better for the Bearcats.
"It is going to be more physical in the league when you're at the top of the scouting report," Miller told UC radio men Dan Hoard and Terry Nelson. "He's good enough to make those adjustments and I believe he will."
Keys to the game
Box out a Shocker
Getting outrebounded by 18 on the road is not conducive to consistent winning and the Bearcats were surely told as much this week. And, numbers don't lie as UC is 8-0 when they outrebound their opponents and 2-5 when falling short. The only exceptions have been against Miami University and La Salle where the Bearcats lost on the boards but tallied more points. Prior to Temple hauling down 18 more rebounds than UC Sunday, Ohio State outrebounded them by 13 in Maui. At Fifth Third Arena, the Bearcats pulled 18 more off the glass than NJIT.
Thursday's theme at Charles Koch Arena is a "yellow out." Junior guard Jaykwon Walton is Wichita State's top board man at 6.7 a game and has pulled down 10 three times. Senior guard Craig Porter Jr. is next at 5.7 per game. For UC, after Lakhin's 7.7 average, it's 6-foot-7 guard Nolley at 4.3, then freshman 6-foot-6 guard Dan Skillings Jr. off the bench with 4.1. Quite simply, UC's large Russian could use a helping hand or two hitting the boards.
Ratings
NET: Cincinnati is No. 106, Wichita State is No. 133
KenPom.com: Cincinnati is No. 74, Wichita State No. 103
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball in need of a key road win at Wichita State
