Bearcats Beat: Newcomers shine, veterans lead the way in dominant first game win for the Bearcats

CINCINNATI — It’s not just the top three scorers and six of the top eight scorers returning from last year that’s creating high expectations this year for the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats. It’s the players who weren’t in Clifton last year, adding to an already experienced Bearcats roster, that shined in Monday night’s 109-54 season-opening win against Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

Transfers Connor Hickman (Bradley), Arrinten Page (USC) and Dillon Mitchell (Texas) all had stellar performances in their first game as Bearcats. Hickman, who the Bearcats saw when they faced Bradley in the second round of last year’s NIT, hit three three-point baskets as part of a 13-point performance that also included four rebounds and two assists. Page racked up nine points with two rebounds and an assist, while Mitchell scored 10 points with eight rebounds and a block.

Hickman, in particular, brings a much-needed sharp-shooting element to this team. With nearly 1,000-points in his three seasons at Bradley, Hickman was 5-6 from the field in addition to his three three-point baskets.

“[Our chemistry] is great,” Bearcats senior guard Simas Lukosius said about the chemistry he and Hickman both have as sharp shooters. “I’m glad [Hickman] got his shots to fall today. Two of them were my assists, so that was great. I’m happy he’s on our team.”

It wasn’t just the transfers who saw their first action with the Bearcats Monday night. Redshirt-freshman Rayvon Griffith, who didn’t play at all last year, came in and immediately bursted his way to eight points in 15 minutes. Griffith was the No. 54 recruit nationally in the Class of 2023, including the No. 11-ranked shooting guard.

Freshman Tyler Betsey banged in two three-pointers while also pulling down in four rebounds in his Bearcats debut.

“I think good teams are going to have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the basket. We have a lot of guys that can do that,” Bearcats head coach Wes Miller said. “The most important thing than the total points scored is the assisted baskets. If people make the right decision all year and play the right way, we’ll have nights that different guys score it. You give guys a chance when all five on the floor play the right way.”

The Bearcats had 27 assists Monday night, including 10 from sophomore point guard Jizzle James. Ten Bearcats had at least one assist in the season-opener, showing why this Bearcats team could be extremely versatile and hard for any opposing defense to guard them.

Make no mistake, though, this Bearcats team is driven by its veterans. Where do you start? It starts with Jizzle James, the driver of this Bearcats team. After starting just two games last year, both in the NIT, James got the start Monday night and delivered a near-triple double performance with 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Miller said after the game that that performance is what a point guard should do, going as far to say that James is everything you want in a basketball player.

James actually struggled from the field Monday night, making just five of 12 shots. But it’s his ability to impact the game in multiple facets, including as a scorer, that make him a player worth paying attention to in the Big 12. In other words, as Jon Rothstein would say, you should buy stock now. Then again, maybe you should have bought James’s stock a long time ago. I know I did.

“Eventually it helped me later on in the game, just being a point guard,” James said after the game. “[It’s] just finding my niche, finding when to be aggressive like I was trying to be in the first half. But I see my shot wasn’t falling, so I got into more of a playmaker role. And I see that opened it up for all of us, so then I was able to get some points.”

It wasn’t just James who got in on the scoring. Ten Bearcats found their way onto the scoreboard Monday night, including a team-high 20 points from Simas Lukosius. As sharp a shooter as there is in the Big 12, Lukosius looked like the three-point shooter he was this past March by going 3-5 from downtown Monday night.

But like the Bearcats versatility as a team, Lukosius has the potential to be more than just a really good three-point shooter. Eleven of his 20 points weren’t from three-point range Monday night, and that will make him an even more difficult player to defend this season.

“[Getting downhill] is something I’ve been working on,” Lukosius said. “And obviously it’s something the way our team is built this year allows me to do that more. I’m glad how that worked out today. I drew some fouls, got to the free-throw line, had some easy lay-ups.”

Yeah, about the free-throw line. Now that we are in the season of assembling our Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday wish lists, perhaps the Bearcats starting to consistently knock down free throws can be added to those lists.

The Bearcats went 13-23 from the free-throw line on Monday night. They started, however, making just one of their first nine shots from the charity stripe. One. For. Nine. It’s one thing to go one-for-nine from three-point range but it’s a whole other atrocity to be one-for-nine from the free-throw line. Free throw shooting cost them more than one game in Big 12 play last year. Maybe it’s a good thing to get the struggles out of the way in non conference play before Arizona and Kansas come to Fifth Third Arena on early January. Thirteen-for-23 can work against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. It won’t work against Arizona or Kansas, or any Big 12 team for that matter.

Cincinnati, though, has now won five straight season-openers, including all four in the Wes Miller era. The Bearcats take the court again on Friday night when they take on the Morehead State Eagles. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and 700WLW.