Cincinnati Basketball Players to Watch: Evansville Edition

The Purple Aces only two losses of the season came against Missouri State and BYU.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Dec 28, 2023 5:52 PM EST

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CINCINNATI — Evansville comes into Fifth Third Arena riding a three-game winning streak following a dominant 82-51 victory over Tennessee Tech back on December 20th. The Bearcats, on the other hand, are coming off an 83-75 victory over Stetson last Friday night following a career day from Dan Skillings who finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds (11-14 FG).

This is a matchup that could be viewed as a "trap game" for the Bearcats for many reasons. In the last matchup before heading into Big 12 conference play next week, the Bearcats may be a little eager to quickly turn their focus to the gauntlet of a Big 12 schedule.

The Bearcats are currently 93% favorites according to the ESPN matchup predictor. But the Purple Aces currently sit 159th in the latest Kenpom Rankings, while the Bearcats are ranked 40th after their victory over Stetson.

Players To Watch For The Purple Aces.

The Purple Aces enter Friday's matchup averaging 82.5 points per game on 48% field goal shooting. led by 6-foot-9 forward Ben Humrichous, who paces the team in scoring, averaging over 16 points and five rebounds. Humrichous is one of those guys who can light it up quickly from all three levels as the forward is shooting nearly 48% from behind the arch this season.

He's a guy who can score in a flurry when needed, and we saw what Jalen Blackmon was able to do for Stetson on Friday night.

The Bearcats will have to know where Humrichous is on the floor at all times. Look for John Newman III to draw this matchup on the defensive end, something we have seen all season, but Wes Miller did note following the Stetson game that they'd need others to step up to take on the challenge when Newman is not in the game.

Yacine Toumi is an interesting piece for the Purple Aces as the 6'10 forward averages nearly 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds per game on a 60% clip. Toumi is the heart and soul of the Purple Aces as a very efficient player in the frontcourt. Toumi leads the team in rebounds but he also can affect the game on the defensive end as well and is someone to keep an eye on due to his size and physicality.

Players To Watch For Cincinnati

Simas Lukošius and Aziz Bandaogo didn't play in the matchup vs Stetson last week due to minor injuries. However, their status for Friday is something that still looms ahead of the non-conference finale.

Bearcats head coach Wes Miller provided an update on Simas Lukosius following the Stetson game.

“Simas had a shoulder injury that came on the last play of practice yesterday," Miller said. "We already did the MRI and don’t think it’s serious. We found out a lot of it had to do with the car wreck. When we did the MRI, he had something that’s a couple of weeks old, and you see the car crash and it’s right where he hit the windshield. We actually have tape of the accident now, it’s insane. It is violent, I saw it today for the first time. It’s wild."

Bandaogo is still recovering from the back injury he sustained in the opening minutes of the Dayton game. If he is unavailable to go on Friday, look for Jamille Reynolds to have another huge opportunity to showcase his talents, as the 6-foot-11 forward has produced some incredible performances to start his Bearcat career. Reynolds is averaging nearly eight points, and six rebounds while shooting an efficient 43% from the field in just three games this season.

This is one of those games where Reynolds can see his minutes start to increase as the Bearcats' rotation becomes shorter. Reynolds has unleashed a big-time impact in just a short time since being deemed eligible by the NCAA.

Miller mentioned during the Stetson postgame comments that he was still looking to find ways to get Reynolds and Viktor Lakhin on the floor together due to their incredible passing abilities, which is something that has really impressed the Bearcats coaching staff.

The Bearcats could be very successful with both Lakhin and Reynolds on the floor together as the season moves forward. However, Miller also noted that Lakhin and Reynolds haven't practiced on the same team together since late October. Their chemistry could be very crucial for the Bearcats while they still await the status of Bandaogo.

Prediction: The Bearcats will win this one 78-71 in a game much closer than people anticipate. The Bearcats are banged up right now with Lukošius and Aziz Bandaogo still dealing with minor injuries—while CJ Fredrick also missed some time due to precautionary reasons after tweaking a hamstring vs Dayton.

The Purple Aces are a team that is capable of scoring and doing so in a hurry, unlike Stetson the other night. If the Bearcats get off to a slow start on Friday, Evansville can make the Bearcats pay for those missed opportunities. If UC can find ways to contain the Purple Aces and slow them down offensively, they'll be in great hands on Friday night.

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