Bearcats Beat: Three glaring reasons why the Bearcats lost at home to Texas Tech on Tuesday night

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats are not a good basketball team right now.

Even with their top three returning scorers from last year, and six of their top eight overall, this team just does not do the things necessary to win games, especially games against top-tier teams in the Big 12. That was the case, once again, in the Bearcats 81-71 loss to Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Tuesday night was an opportunity to move the needle with the Bearcats hosting Texas Tech, with the Red Raiders checking in at just one spot below the AP Top 25. The Bearcats were the first team listed in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s First Four Out in his latest Bracketology on Tuesday, so a win would move Cincinnati to the right side of the bubble. On top of that, playing at home on a Tuesday night is always an advantage. Teams don’t practice on Sundays, per an NCAA rule, which means visiting teams on Tuesday nights only have one practice between their previous game Saturday and next game on Tuesday.

Instead, what unfolded Tuesday night were further reminders of just how many flaws this Bearcats team has. This team that entered the season ranked in the Top 20, rose to No. 14 in early December, beat Xavier and Dayton in back-to-back games and was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12; this team is now 2-5 in Big 12 play and still searching for consistency, an identity and, now, what feels like much more.

“Needless to say, I’m disappointed,” Bearcats head coach Wes Miller said. “It was a big opportunity here at home against a good team, and we didn’t do our part.”

There were three glaring reasons why the Bearcats lost at home to Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Three-point shooting
What was glaring on Tuesday night was the contrast in the Bearcats and Texas Tech three-point shooting. The Red Raiders were 12-31 from beyond the arc on Tuesday night, while the Bearcats were just 3-14. Texas Tech made 12 three-pointers. Cincinnati attempted just 14 three-pointers. It’s one thing to give up a lot of threes in a game. Sometimes teams are really good from beyond the arc or are just having a really good night from three-point range. But it’s another thing to give up a lot of three-pointers and not attempt to try and make up for it.

Three-of-14. Are the Bearcats just not confident in their three-point shooting right now? It looked like with their hesitation to let if fly on Tuesday night that they were playing not to lose. As the Red Raiders kept draining from distance, the Bearcats looked as if to be trying too hard too find the perfect shot. This offense is playing tight, and they’re still missing shots. Just play free, naturally, with confidence and let it fly.

Rebounding
Getting out-rebounded 34-27 at home is not a good look. The worst part is the Bearcats rebounding was a concern even during their two wins last week. They got out-rebounded by both Colorado and Arizona State, and they came into this game against Texas Tech with rebounding a key priority to earning a Quad 1 win.

In addition to the total rebounds, Cincinnati gave up 10 offensive rebounds and corralled only three themselves. The Bearcats also lost the second chance points battle 10-5.

“The defense didn’t hold fort tonight,” Miller said. “Generally, defensively, when you’re geared up, your deflection numbers look right. The offensive rebounding is consistent with defensive effort because it’s just movement to the ball and effort to the ball loose balls. We didn’t win those battles tonight and that was very frustrating.”

This Bearcats team is supposed to be a great rebounding team. They’re getting out-worked by top-tier Big 12 teams. Heck even Big 12 bottom-feeders are feasting on the boards against this Bearcats team. Where is this team’s relentlessness on the glass? Where’s the aggressiveness and jockeying for position? It doesn’t seem to be evident with this team right now.

Dan Skillings Jr. and Simas Lukosius Held in Check

Good teams find ways to get their best players chances to score and impact the game, even if the opponent is throwing the kitchen sink to try and stop them. Jarron Cumberland would relentlessly find ways to score even as opponents tried to batter him on his way to the basket. That’s what made him great.

Tuesday night, Dan Skillings Jr. was held to just five points on two-of-six shooting. The best player on the Bearcats took just six shots and scored five points.

Simas Lukosius was held to just 10 points on one-of-seven shooting, with the one shot coming from beyond the arc. One made shot. That’s it.

What does that go back to? Are Skillings and Lukosius not as good as expected coming into this season? Or, is Wes Miller not doing enough to get them open shots and in positions to consistently impact the game?

It’s getting late. No more “there’s still a lot of season left.” There’s not. Thirteen games remain in the regular season. Plenty of opportunities remain to earn Quad 1 wins and wins to help boost the Bearcats NCAA Tournament resume. But this team’s sense of urgency must ramp up, especially on the glass. Success from three-point shooting will, hopefully, come as the season continues. Skillings and Lukosius will both have big nights throughout the remainder of the season. But rebounding is something that can be controlled by effort. If that’s what this Bearcats team calling card is, they certainly aren’t excelling at it.

A two-game road trip in the state of Utah awaits, with BYU on Saturday night and Utah next Tuesday night. This road trip may make or break the season here. This team wasn’t expected to be in a make-it-or-break-it situation going into this road trip. How this team responds, though, will, now, ultimately determine this team’s fate for what was supposed to be a really good season.