Three Keys: Cincinnati at West Virginia

Cincinnati (15-10, 5-9 Big 12) will travel to Morgantown Wednesday night for a return game against the West Viriginia Mountaineers (15-10, 6-8 Big 12).

Following the Mountaineers' 63-50 win over UC on February 2nd, UC responded to heavy criticism from fans and former players by stringing together three straight wins, scoring 84+ points in all three games. 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / RiverfrontU )

That win streak ended Saturday when UC was out-rebounded 36-19 in an 81-70 loss at Iowa State. The Cyclones also made 26-of-30 free throws. 

The biggest difference in Cincinnati offensively over the past four games has been the emergence of Jizzle James.

"James has been playing at a high, high level," West Va Head Coach Darian DeVries recently noted. "He's averaging 22 points over his last four, and that's a big difference for them. He's making hard ones. He's getting step-backs from 3, getting to the rim and putting a lot of pressure on (teams) to try and slow him down."

James was 0-for-8 against West Virginia in the first meeting.

"Cincinnati's talent is really good," DeVries said. "They are a very good team; we certainly know that and understand that."

West Virginia comes in on a different trajectory, having lost three-of-four since February 2nd, including an overtime loss at Baylor this past Saturday. 

Javon Small scored 22 points in the loss as the Mountaineers also struggled to keep the home team off the free throw line, sending the Bears to the line for 32 free throw attempts. All nine points scored by Baylor in overtime came at the free throw line. 

The Mountaineers are currently 46th in Kenpom and 44th in the NCAA net ratings.

West Va by the numbers:

• The Mountaineers rank 18th in defensive adjusted efficiency but are 105th in offensive efficiency. 
• Defensive Effective FG%: 45.6 (15th)
• Defensive Turnover%: 19.9 (56th)
• Offensive Rebound%: 25.6 (304th)
• Defensive 3p%: 28.9 (7th)
• Defensive 2p%: 46.9 (38th)
• Defensive Block%: 12.2 (50th)
• Offensive steal%: 8.3 (40th)
• Defensive steal% 11.9 (39th)

Three Keys:

1. Start Fast

 If you couldn't tell from the defensive numbers, West Va has been elite at that end of the court this season. The Bearcats trailed 40-25 at the half in the first meeting between the two and made just 26% of their field goal attempts during the first half. With the score tied 11-11 with 12:47 remaining in the first half, WVU put together 20-5 run over the next seven minutes to build a 15-point lead and essentially put the game out of reach with 5:46 remaining in the half. Cincinnati will have to find a way to open the game with more energy and intensity and make shots early.

2. Defend the three-point line

West Va entered the last game against UC having made just 12 of their previous 67 attempts from three during a three-game losing streak. DeVries team wound up making 9-of-18 from deep against the Bearcats, consistently getting open looks from deep as the Bearcats struggled to fight through high ball screens. Javon Small finished with 19 points in the win on 4-of-7 shooting from deep, while Joseph Yesufu came off the bench to make all four of his attempts, scoring 16 points in the win. Perimeter defense will have to be a priority as WVU is one of the highest volume three-point shooting teams in the country, averaging just under 29 attempts per game over their last four. 

3. Limit easy opportunities

Cincinnati entered Saturday's game against Iowa State No. 10 nationally with only 13.4 fouls per game. The Cyclones got to the line often by attacking the rim and crashing the glass for second chance opportunities, drawing fouls on put back attempts. While UC out-rebounded West Va (33-31) in the first meeting, the Mountaineers controlled the paint, outscoring UC 30-22 and finishing with 7 blocks. Being aggressive and physical at both ends of the court around the rim will need to be a priority.  West Va also scored 20 points off 14 turnovers by the Bearcats.

Final Thoughts:

Similar to the first game, this is a must win for Cincinnati to stay in the conversation of potential bubble teams. This game will be all about toughness and who simply wants it more as both teams try to gain some momentum down the stretch and get back on track after a loss. Win this game and you add another Quad 1 win to your resume and inch closer to the bubble. West Virginia is currently 5-7 in Quad 1 opportunities while UC is 1-9. With six games remaining on the schedule, UC has to start stacking some wins so their resume is comparable to teams in a similar position come Selection Sunday. 

West Virginia is currently a 3.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 128 points. 

With six games remaining,