Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Players to Watch: Kansas Jayhawks

Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats are looking to bounce back from their 69-65 loss to No. 15 Oklahoma.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Jan 22, 2024 6:37 AM EST

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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Men's Basketball team (13-5, 2-3 Big 12) travels to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) on Monday night as part of ESPN's Big Monday Showdown.

The Bearcats lead the all-time series 4-3, with the last matchup between programs taking place back in 1996 at the United Center.

The Bearcats enter this matchup on a rough four-game skid, as they are just 1-4, with those three losses coming by a combined nine points.

"We don't have time to dwell, that is this league, we have to respond," said UC head coach Wes Miller. "You have to get right back to work, once we finish up, we will go watch the film, and get ready for Kansas."

The Jayhawks on the other hand are coming off a heartbreaking 91-85 loss to West Virginia on Saturday.

Players to watch for the Jayhawks

Guard Kevin McCullar is right at the top of the scouting report as he leads the Jayhawks in scoring averaging nearly 20 points per game. McCullar brings a lot of upsides as the talented guard possesses great length standing 6-foot-6, and he can really affect the games on all ends of the court, as he also averages 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

The Jayhawks' offense simply runs through McCullar, as the talented guard is capable of scoring on all three levels. McCullar leads the team in scoring as he is shooting at a 50/39/89 clip from the field and has drastically improved his game, after electing to return for his 5th season. McCullar was recently named to the Wooden Award midseason watch list, which is given annually to the best player in college basketball.

Michigan transfer center Hunter Dickinson was the most highly sought player in the transfer portal this offseason before electing to join Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Dickinson is a huge problem for many teams there in the front court, as the 7-foot-2 center is averaging 19 points, and 11 rebounds, on a very efficient 60% clip. Like McCullar, Dickinson was also named to the Wooden Award Midseason watch list last week, and his play certainly backs up his case.

Dickinson not only provides great size, standing 7-foot-2, but he also is a very physical presence in the front court and is known to play very physical around the rim. I don't think he has seen a team that has as much height and physicality as the Bearcats have, with the likes of Aziz Bandaogo, Jamille Reynolds, and Viktor Lakhin. That trio will have its hands full with Dickinson come Monday night and he'll be someone the Jayhawks look to get involved early around the rim.

This should be a very fun matchup for Bearcat fans, to see how Lakhin, Reynolds, and Bandaogo respond in the frontcourt after the Bearcats were just outrebounded for the second consecutive game. Can the Bearcats find a way to contain the former All-American and keep him off the boards?

Players to Watch for the Bearcats

This has to be a game where Viktor Lakhin comes through and leads the Bearcats after another quiet performance against Oklahoma on Saturday. Everyone who has watched the Bearcats all seasons knows that the offense runs better when Lakhin is on his "A" game. Lakhin struggled against Oklahoma on Saturday, but this is a huge opportunity for him to showcase his talents matching up with one of the best players in all of college basketball, in Dickinson.

This is a game where realistically the Bearcats need at least a 10-point, seven-plus rebound performance from the Russian big man. The Bearcats front court will have its hands full, but this is a matchup that on paper, they have the clear size advantage inside. If Lakhin and company can get Dickinson in some early foul trouble, they will be in great hands as Kansas doesn't have much depth, as they only play 6-7 players significant minutes each game. A huge opportunity looms ahead for Lakhin and it will be interesting to see how he responds on Monday night.

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