Cincinnati Players To Watch: @ No. 1 Houston

Tuesday night Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats take on the No. 1 Houston Cougars.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Feb 26, 2024 4:39 PM EST

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CINCINNATI — Well, it's safe to say Tuesday is the biggest game of the season for Wes Miller and the Bearcats as they have to go on a significant winning streak at some point down the stretch to punch an NCAA Tournament ticket.

Time for Players to Watch ahead of the matchup against No. 1 Houston.

Players To Watch For Houston

The Cougars are led by senior point guard Jamal Shead, who is coming off a stellar week where he led the Cougars averaging 19 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in the Cougars victories over ranked Iowa State and Baylor. Shead was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.

The last time these two teams matched up the Bearcats held Shead to just 16 points on 6-of-25 shooting.

Shead is the engine to a Cougars team that is destined to make a deep NCAA Tournament run this season. The one thing Shead does well for the Cougars is he simply doesn't turn the ball over as he uses his dynamic playmaking ability to allow the Cougars to play to his strength, which is when the ball is in Shead's hands.

Shead has also impacted the game on the defensive end as the veteran guard is in a position to be in great contention for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as well. Shead made it difficult for Day Day Thomas to get anything going offensively in the opening matchup as Thomas finished with just seven points in the opening matchup.

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts was also a force to be reckoned with in the team's first matchup of the season after finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds on a very efficient 10-of-15 shooting. A matchup in which Roberts gave Viktor Lakhin a lot of trouble in the paint which quickly resulted in Wes Miller going to Jamille Reynolds.

Roberts is the Cougars' leading rebounder averaging nearly eight rebounds per game. UC has to keep him off of the glass.

Players to Watch For Houston

The Bearcats frontcourt has to dominate and find ways to use their size and height. Reynolds could have a significant impact, especially after playing 20 minutes in the first matchup where he finished with eight points and four rebounds.

Reynolds's physicality matches up better inside on a guy like Roberts and could be something the Bearcats potentially look to exploit early on Tuesday. If the Bearcats can utilize their advantage in the front court alongside Reynolds, Lakhin, and Aziz Bandaogo this could be a huge testament for potentially saving their NCAA Tournament chances if they can play to their full potential on Tuesday.

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