Bearcats Beat: Cincinnati plays with purpose, finds rhythm in second straight Big 12 win

CINCINNATI — For the first time since officially joining the Big 12 on July 1, 2023, the Cincinnati Bearcats have won back-to-back Big 12 regular-season games. It took 24 games to do it, but the Bearcats two wins this week have saved the season and put Cincinnati back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Cincinnati won its second consecutive game Saturday afternoon, defeating Arizona State 67-60 to improve to 2-4 in Big 12 play and 12-5 overall. It wasn’t always pretty, especially at the outset of the game where Cincinnati didn’t score for the first 3:38. But a 16-0 run in the middle of the first half lifted the Bearcats from an 11-8 deficit to a 24-11 lead. The Bearcats stretched the lead to 36-22 at halftime, and the lead would increase to as many as 17 points early in the second half.

“I thought [my players] played with purpose tonight, offensively and defensively,” Bearcats head coach Wes Miller said. “I thought our defense was real and that we made it tough for [ASU] to get quality looks. And then I was pleased with our transition game. I thought we used live ball stops to run and got some things. Going into the open court is something we have to continue to build on.”

Transition play was the difference Saturday afternoon, with the Bearcats out-scoring the Sun Devils 25-2 in fast break points. Ten of those fast break points came in the last 8:37 of the first half, which produced two three-pointers from Simas Lukosius.

“Simas seems to be back in a good rhythm, which is really important,” Miller said. “We’re doing a better job of putting guys in position. I think they’ll all benefit from that.”

After five straight games not in double figures, Lukosius has bounced back nicely this week. His 10-point performance on Saturday included him going 2-5 from three-point range. Both of those three-pointers came in transition. Lukosius has 16 points and three three-pointers in the Bearcats win at Colorado on Wednesday, as the veteran is showing signs of getting back to the shooter he’s established himself as such.

After falling to 0-4 in Big 12 play with a home loss to Kansas back on January 11th, the Bearcats have rebounded with back-to-back wins against Colorado and Arizona State. Are those impressive wins? Not really, but they’re wins nonetheless. Miller mentioned after the game that Cincinnati didn’t get back from Boulder until 3:30 Thursday morning. To then play another game 48 hours later and come away with a second straight win, with all of this coming on the heels of losing to Kansas and Baylor by a combined 34 points last week, speaks to the character and resolve of this team. There’s still a lot to play for, and the Bearcats are now firmly back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

“This is Big 12 basketball, and our guys dug in and found a way to play, found a way to win,” Miller said. “We did that the other night in Colorado, after we put together quite a few good minutes, good rotations.”

Dillon Mitchell is a prime example of finding a way, doing whatever it takes in whatever role he’s playing to help the Bearcats win. He was a tone-setter on Saturday afternoon, with a team-leading 14 points while adding three steals and two blocks. Mitchell also had two assists in his 30 minutes of action.

“I’ll do whatever [Miller] needs me to do to help win games,” Mitchell said. “That’s what it’s come down to, just doing whatever it is. If it’s screening, if it’s pick and roll, just doing whatever it is, make passes and stuff like that, just whatever he needs to be do to help the team win, and just being versatile as a player on both sides of the ball. I think that’s just the biggest thing.”

The question now is can the Bearcats sustain what’s worked and led to back-to-back wins. Tuesday night presents a more formidable challenge and opponent in the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech is 4-2 in Big 12 play, and they beat Arizona 70-54 on Saturday.

Win this game, and the Bearcats will be at 3-4 in Big 12 play with three straight wins. The schedule is favorable all the way up to the February 15th game at No. 2 Iowa State. These are the games the Bearcats need to take advantage of by stacking wins, and that includes Tuesday night against Texas Tech.

Cincinnati has only played Texas Tech one time since joining the Big 12. The Bearcats won 75-72 at Lubbock, Texas last year against the then-No. 15 Red Raiders. Simas Lukosius connected on a mid-range jumper in the final minute to lift the Bearcats to an impressive road win.

Tuesday night, the Bearcats will look to hold serve on their home court against the Red Raiders. If they can, talk of this team going to their first NCAA Tournament in six years will continue to gain momentum.