Game Preview: UC Faces Bryant in Final Test Before Crosstown Shootout

The Bulldogs lost to Houston 111-44 on Friday night.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Dec 5, 2021 10:17 AM EST

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats men's basketball team (6-2) snuck away with a 59-58 victory at Miami on Wednesday and have one more chance to iron out the offensive kinks before the Crosstown Shootout next weekend.

They face the Bryant Bulldogs (3-5) on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET in Fifth Third Arena, fresh off a 111-44 loss to No. 15 Houston on Friday. The 67-point scoring margin is the largest in AAC history. Cincinnati would love to make that outcome a trend before a week of focused practice ahead of facing Xavier.

Head coach Jared Grasso's team ranks No. 247 in KenPom, while Cincinnati sits at No. 72. ESPN's matchup predictor gives UC an 83.4% chance to win on Sunday night. The two programs have never played each other.

The Bulldogs are a senior-laden team led by veteran Jack Kiss. The 6-foot-5 guard is scoring 19.5 points per game (40th nationally) and could explode at any moment if he gets hot from deep. The Bulldogs live and die by the triple, and 2021 is a funeral so far.

Kiss hits 25.7% of his threes on 5.8 attempts per game, and four players, including the senior—attempt at least 5.7 triples per contest. One of those Bulldogs is shooting over 34%. The Bulldogs attempt the 11th most threes in the country, a product of their run-and-gun style. Kiss and company rank 79th in pace (74.3 possessions per game).

Cincinnati's already fallen victim to a lesser opponent leveling the playing field from outside in their 61-59 loss to Monmouth. Wes Miller should have his crew ready this time around after holding Miami to 27.3% on their three-point attempts.

One other matchup in Cincinnati's favor is the turnover battle. The best way to speed up a game is to cause chaos through turnovers, and UC has recorded one on just 13.9% of its possessions (19th nationally). A tough matchup for this Bulldogs team that forces opponent giveaways on 14.6% of their defensive possessions (286th nationally).

Charles Pride (13.3 PPG, seven RPG, 1.8 SPG) and Hall Elisias (8.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.5 BPG) lead the road team on the boards. Bryant doesn't sport a player on the roster over 6-foot-8, but they've done a good job spreading out the duties. Height and athleticism matter in this sport for a reason.

Houston showed why by outrebounding Bryant 45-23 behind a 42.3% offensive rebounding rate. Cincinnati ranks 59th in offensive rebounding (12.4 ORB/game) and 65th in offensive rebounding rate (33%). Abdul Ado and the rest of the towering trio Cincinnati has paired well with Jeremiah Davenport's nack for being in the right spot for opponent misses.

UC's rebounding is unsurprisingly a bellwether for victory. They are plus-8.2 on the glass in victories and minus-eight in losses. Another edge on the boards paired with a strong three-point defense gives Cincinnati the advantage on Sunday.

They can add even more confidence heading into Cintas Center next weekend by inching their team shooting closer to 50%. The Bearcats are 273rd nationally in field goal percentage (42%). All of the action tips off Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+

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