UC basketball's key road swing begins Wednesday at East Carolina

Having conquered the task of winning a game when down at halftime and without a pair of key players, the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team now takes the show on the road for a week in the American Athletic Conference.

While coach Wes Miller intends to check on 6-foot-11-inch Viktor Lakhin's status daily, the Bearcats are prepared to play another without him as 6-foot-9 Ody Oguama has become a double-figure scorer of late and 6-foot-8 Kalu Ezikpe has made key contributions in the last two games. Both were former starters at their previous schools, Wake Forest and Old Dominion, respectively.

The Bearcats also got 11 minutes from 6-foot-8 Jarrett Hensley who saw his first playing time since Jan. 1 at Temple. Hensley hit four free throws, grabbed a pair of rebounds and had an assist.

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"There ain't a lot of guys who work harder on their body and their game than Jarrett Hensley," Miller said. "To go the stretch of games he's gone without playing significant minutes, it's really hard. It messes with you mentally and emotionally, For him to be ready when his name was called and make some significant plays in the game, I'm really proud of that."

At 17-9, the Bearcats can finish the week surpassing last year's win total (18) should they prevail at East Carolina and then Central Florida. Neither is expected to be a picnic though UC defeated both at Fifth Third Arena.

In addition to Lakhin's limitations, UC is without Indiana transfer Rob Phinasee who had season-ending surgery on his torn patella tendon this past Saturday.

UC vs. East Carolina preview

Tip: 7 p.m., Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (8,000)

TV/Radio: ESPN+/700WLW

Series info: Cincinnati leads 19-2

East Carolina scouting report

East Carolina 12-12 (3-8 AAC)

Coach: Mike Schwartz (12-12, first season)

Offense: 69.5 ppg

Defense: 70.1 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Brandon Johnson (F, 6'8", 13.0 ppg/8.5 rpg)

Ezra Ausar (F, 6'9", 8.4 ppg)

R.J. Felton (G, 6'3", 13.0 ppg)

Jaden Walker (G, 6'5", 5.2 ppg)

Benjamin Bayela (G, 6'6", 3.8 ppg)

Cincinnati scouting report

Cincinnati 17-9 (8-5 AAC)

Coach: Wes Miller (35-24, second year)

Offense: 77.5 ppg

Defense: 68.5 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Landers Nolley II (G/F, 6'7", 16.1 ppg)

David DeJulius (G, 6', 14.3 ppg)

Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6'3", 9.3 ppg)

Ody Oguama (F, 6'9", 4.5 ppg)

Kalu Ezikpe (F, 6'8", 2.9 ppg)

Players to watch

Javon Small

While it may seem odd to mention someone who recently hasn't started, Small is a factor if he plays. He's been sidelined for several games with a leg injury but has had individual workouts according to reports. The 6-foot-2-inch sophomore guard leads ECU in scoring at 15.8 points per game and had 23 against the Bearcats earlier in the season on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.

Ody Oguama

Until Tuesday, Feb. 7, Ody Oguama's last double-double came against Boston College two years ago when he was a Wake Forest Demon Deacon. He followed up his 16-point, 13-rebound effort against Tulane with 18 points and 5 boards in 30 minutes against USF. After not missing a shot (9-for-9) the senior from Raleigh returns to his home state where he hopes to have his third straight double-figure game, with or without Lakhin on the floor.

"I think I'm where I need to be," Oguama said. "I think I need to keep building on what it is I'm doing."

Keys to the game

Score 80 and hold Pirates below 70

Quite simply the Bearcats are now 11-2 when they put 80 or more points on the gymnasium tote board. The only exceptions were the overtime loss at Tulane and their "Pop-A-Shot" game in Maui where they lost 101-93 to then-No. 2 Arizona. When holding teams below 70 points, they are 14-1, losing only at NKU in a horrific second half in Highland Heights.

Win the rebounding game

In their first encounter with ECU, the Bearcats outrebounded the Pirates 46-29. They also held Pirates forward Brandon Johnson to just three boards, well below his 8.5 average which is second-best in the AAC. In addition to Oguama's scoring, fellow big man Ezikpe had 8 rebounds in a little over 12 minutes vs. USF. That projects to well over 20 had he played a full game. Also, Landers Nolley II when not scoring as wiped the glass effectively, finishing with double digits in rebounding for the fifth time in AAC play this season on Saturday.

Ratings

NCAA NET : Cincinnati is No. 75, ECU is No. 219

KenPom.com: Cincinnati is No. 62, ECU is No. 213

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball begins AAC road trip Wednesday vs. East Carolina