Preview: Howard at Cincinnati
Wes Miller's 14th-ranked Bearcats return to the floor Sunday for a 2 pm tipoff against MEAC preseason favorite and two-time defending champion, Howard.
UC enters with a 6-1 record after suffering their first defeat of the season Tuesday night at Villanova, 68-60.
Jizzle James scored 19 points to lead the Bearcats in the loss, while Lukosius scored 13 points, making 3-of-9 attempts from deep.
Howard is 3-5 after three-consecutive losses to Boston, UMBC, and Mount St. Mary's (MD).
Garduate guard Anwar Gill scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half to lead four Bison in double figures in the loss to Mount St. Mary's.
Howard is currently No. 276 in Kenpom's ratings and 324 in the NET ratings.
The Bison average 73.4 ppg and make 37.5% of their 3-point attempts.
Free throws have been a challenge for head coach Kenneth Blakeney's team, making just 68.3% of their attempts through eight games. They also rank 339th in turnovers, averaging 14.3 per game.
Players to know:
6'2" Sr G Marcus Dockery (14.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc with 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Bison, while averaging 14.4 points. Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection. Sat the final 10 minutes of the game against Mount St Mary's with a leg injury. Status for Sunday is unknown.
6'5" Fr G Blake Harper (13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg)
Scored 16 points in an 87-57 loss to Kansas, making all three attempts from deep. Has scored seven or more points in all eight games this season, finishing in double figures in 6-of-8 games.
6'4" Graduate G Anwar Gill (10.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Career 26.5% shooter from deep. At his best when attacking the rim and getting in the paint. Gill has made 48.6% of his field goal attempts this season but has missed his last 13 attempts from three.
6'4" Sr G Bryce Harris (9.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
MEAC Preseason Player of the year. Earned MEAC All-Defensive Team and First Team All-League last season. Had double-doubles against Tennessee State (17 pts, 11 rbs) and NAIA Dillard (11 pts, 11 rbs) earlier this season. Suffered an injury after two minutes in a loss to UMBC and missed Howard's last game against Mount St. Mary's. Questionable against UC.
6'0" Graduate G Joshua Strong (6.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Currently shooting 55% from three on 29 attempts. Scored a season-high 12 points in Howard's most recent game against Mount St. Mary's. Has only attempted free throws in one game this season.
6'9" Jr F Dom Campbell (6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Transferred to Howard after spending his first two seasons at Notre Dame. Scored in double-figures in the last two games. Has been efficient from the floor, shooting 59%.
Final Thoughts
Howard almost pulled the upset last season at Burr Gymnasium, eventually falling 86-81 in overtime to the Bearcats.
In UC's loss to Villanova, the Wildcats finished 8-for-20 (40 percent) from three, becoming the first team to shoot better than 29 percent from deep against the Bearcats. With Cincinnati likely having a height and athleticism advantage at every position, I would expect to see the Bison let it fire early and often from deep.
Earlier this week, Wes Miller announced on his radio show that Dan Skillings "has a chance to play" against Howard and is currently day-to-day after missing the last six games. Getting the Bearcats' leading scorer and rebounder from last season back prior to next Saturday's showdown against Xavier would be a huge boost.
At the end of the day, this is a game that Cincinnati should win comfortably. Coming off a disappointing loss on the road, I would expect to see a motivated and energized team.
