Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Players to Watch: Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Cincinnati men's basketball team look to rebound following their 69-65 loss to West Virginia on Wednesday Night.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Updated:
Feb 2, 2024 1:01 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Wes Miller and the Bearcats have yet another tough stretch ahead of them, which features four games against three top-25 opponents over the next week and a half starting with No. 15 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off a brutal 85-78 loss to TCU, in a game which they led for most of the first half.

Meanwhile, the Bearcats are coming off their first Quad 3 loss of the season following their performance on Wednesday night in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Players To Watch For The Red Raiders

The Red Raiders have shocked many this season after being picked to finish 8th in the Big 12 preseason polls. TTU is led by sophomore guard Pop Isaacs, who entered the 2023-2024 season looking to build off a stellar freshman season, where he was tabbed to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging 11 points per game last season.

Isaacs leads the high-powered Red Raiders offense as the 6-foot-2 guard averages nearly 17 points per game on 38/38/83% splits, which have shot up in conference play. For anyone who has watched the Red Raiders this season knows how elite of a scorer Isaacs is and his willingness to score in volumes when needed. The sophomore is the engine that makes the Red Raiders go, as he is second on the team in minutes with 641.

However, Isaacs has been somewhat of a distraction for the Red Raiders after an off-the-court issue arose that involved the talented sophomore after a civil lawsuit was filed by a 17-year-old's parents, who allege that Isaacs sexually assaulted the young lady while the Red Raiders were in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis invitational.

Alongside Isaacs, West Virginia transfer Joe Toussaint became an immediate impact player following his transfer after former WVU Head Coach Bob Huggins stepped away from the program, which resulted in the 6-foot guard heading down south and joining the Red Raiders.

Toussaint leads the Red Raiders in minutes (661) while averaging nearly 13 points, three rebounds, and four assists, on a very efficient 43% clip. The senior is one of the Big 12's most impactful players and was one of the most highly sought-after players in the transfer portal this summer following his decision to leave West Virginia.

Now in the frontcourt, Warren Washington continues to be a force in the paint for the Red Raiders, as the 7-foot forward averages nearly 11 points and eight rebounds. The big man is very effective around the basket, shooting 65% from the field on the season. Expect the talented forward to live in the paint, as he has yet to attempt a three-point shot through the team's first 20 games of the season.

Washington has struggled this season from the foul line, shooting just 56%.

Players To Watch For The Bearcats

The Bearcats player to watch for me is Viktor Lakhin. The Russian forward had arguably his worst game of the season on Wednesday night in West Virginia, finishing with zero points and three rebounds, shooting just 0-of-5 from the field. However, Lakhin was coming off a weekend where he missed the UCF game due to illness and that played a factor on Wednesday.

I think this is a night where Lakhin bounces back to full strength after struggling over the last week to overcome the illness. This is a huge opportunity for Lakhin to show that he is here to stay in the front court with his ability to space the floor and do so much more on the offensive end due to his playmaking abilities.

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