Cincinnati Basketball Players To Watch: UCF Golden Knights

Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats look to bounce back in the win column against a former AAC rival.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Jan 26, 2024 4:53 PM EST

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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men's basketball team (13-6, 2-4 Big 12) returns to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday as they welcome in rival Central Florida (12-6, 3-3 Big 12) for a night showdown.

This is the Bearcats' first Big 12 matchup against an unranked opponent, but against a talented Central Florida squad that has wins against No. 7 Kansas, and Texas over the last two weeks.

Cincinnati leads the all-time series 15-5, with all but one of those contests coming from their time in the American Athletic Conference. Cincinnati swept the Knights last season, after guard David Dejulius buried the game-winner with 0.2 seconds left to give the Bearcats a 73-71 victory over the Knights at Addition Financial Arena.

Players to watch for the Knights

Guard Jaylin Sellers leads the Golden Knights in scoring averaging nearly 17 points per game on 43% shooting. Sellers lives in the midrange game, as he loves to get downhill and attack the basket in hopes of drawing contact around the rim to get to the foul line, as he is shooting nearly 85% from the charity stripe this season. Sellers leads the team in free throw attempts with 96 of the Knights's 416 free throw attempts on the season.

While shooting nearly 43% from the field, Sellars has struggled immensely from behind the arch this season, shooting just 26% from the perimeter. Sellers is the engine that makes the train go for the Knights, as he is second on the team in minutes averaging nearly 32 minutes per game, just behind Darius Johnson.

Junior guard Darius Johnson is someone the Bearcats are familiar with over the last few seasons. Johnson is having the best year of his collegiate career averaging nearly 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists per game for the Knights, on an efficient 40% clip. The 6-foot-1 guard leads the team in minutes played (33), but also in three-point field goal percentage as the veteran guard is shooting nearly 38% from behind the arch, which is a huge jump from his numbers a season ago.

The Knights' backcourt duo is a vital reason for their success early this season, as Johnson and Sellers have combined for nearly half (545) of the Knights' offensive production (1309) this season. The Bearcats have made it very tough for guards to get going on the offensive end, especially at Fifth Third Arena.

Players to watch for the Bearcats

Viktor Lakhin bounces back with a huge performance after struggling against Oklahoma and Kansas over the past week. Lakhin finished just 3-of-13 from the field for a combined 12 points and 15 rebounds. The Bearcats will need more production from the Russian big man through the final 12 games of conference play.

The last time these two teams squared off, the junior forward didn't play due to an ankle injury. Lakhin could have an immediate impact in this one, as the Knights are a smaller team in the front court, helping the Bearcats' size and length could play to their favor. This is a huge opportunity for the seven-footer to build that confidence back up and find his groove again right in the heart of the Bearcats' conference run.

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