Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Players to Watch: Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Cincinnati Bearcats are searching for consecutive wins in Big 12 play for the first time all season.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Feb 20, 2024 2:36 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Wes Miller and the Bearcats look to build off their 76-74 victory over Central Florida when they welcome Oklahoma State (11-14, 3-9 Big 12) to Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday.

The last time these two programs matched up was back during the 2002-2003 season, which resulted in a 61-50 victory for the Bearcats behind 24 points from Bearcat great Jason Maxiell. Lenny Stokes also provided a huge spark in that contest with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double performance to upset the No. 11 ranked Cowboys.

The Cowboys have struggled immensely on the road this season, as they are currently 0-7 and just 1-2 at neutral sites.

Players To Watch For Oklahoma State

The Cowboys are led by East Carolina transfer Javon Small, who leads the team in scoring averaging nearly 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game. Small is someone the Bearcats are very familiar with from their time in the American Athletic Conference last season, as he recorded 23 points in the Pirates' loss to Cincinnati back on January 11th. That was the last game Small appeared in for the Pirates after suffering a season-ending injury a short time later.

Small is the leading offensive threat for the Cowboys which is safe to say he will be at the top of every scouting report ahead of Wednesday night's contest. An elite scorer, with dynamic playmaking ability, which Cincinnati fans have seen glimpses of in the past.

Cowboys second leading scorer Bryce Thompson will not be available for Wednesday's contest after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the Cowboys' 83-54 loss to Kansas back on January 30th. Thompson was averaging nearly 12 points per game on a 40% clip before the injury, which has changed the dynamic of Mike Boyton's Cowboys squad over the last two weeks.

Players to watch for Cincinnati

It is worth noting that the Cowboys only have one player listed on their roster taller than 6-foot-8, Brandon Garrison (6-foot-11, 245 pounds).

Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds both finished with arguably their best games as Bearcats in Saturday's victory over Central Florida. Bandaogo finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Reynolds finished with a season-high nine rebounds in the victory.

This is a matchup where the Bearcats should expect another big performance in the frontcourt. The Bearcats dominated the glass on Saturday, by a plus-13 margin. That should be the expectation yet again heading into this matchup with Oklahoma State, especially with the size and different skillsets that Bandaogo and Reynolds bring to the table.

Reynolds will finish with a performance similar to Saturday, maybe even closer to double-double range. Expect complementary performances from Reynolds and Bandago.

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