Cincinnati Hoops Film Room: Bearcats Topple USF 84-65

UC played a great second half on Saturday night.

Author:
Alex Frank
Updated:
Feb 14, 2023 6:53 AM EST

In this story:

DAYTON — The Cincinnati Bearcats posted one of the top performances this season in an 84-65 win over USF on Saturday night. Playing without Viktor Lahkin and Rob Phinisee, the Cincinnati Bearcats outscored USF 50-27 in the second half to overcome a four-point halftime deficit.

Cincinnati recorded 24 assists on 31 made field goals and went 10 for 23 from three-point range. They also committed just seven turnovers and scored 18 points off 12 USF turnovers.

Here are my observations.

1. I thought it was very telling what Bearcats head coach Wes Miller said to ESPN+ sideline reporter Kelsey Conway at halftime. Kelsey only asked Miller one question about the first half, and his response was simple: "We got to defend a whole lot better in every way."

2. After allowing USF to shoot 45.5 percent in the first half, including 50 percent from three-point range, the Bearcats held USF to 37.9 percent shooting in the second half, including just one-for-nine from three-point range. The Bearcats also recorded five steals and won the rebound battle 18-14.

3. Wes Miller mentioned this in his postgame press conference, and ESPN+ color analyst Kevin Johnson mentioned this on the TV broadcast, but David DeJulius was outstanding on the defensive end. Johnson noted that DeJulius plays as hard on defense as he plays when on offense, and Miller said on Saturday that his effort on defense inspires the rest of the team.

4. DeJulius was held to just 10 points on Saturday, but he impacted the game in so many other ways. He finished one assist shy of a double-double. That's now three times in his last five games DeJulius has recorded nine assists, and he's fifth in the American Athletic Conference at just over five assists per game. His 131 assists rank third in the conference.

5. Someone on press row told me during the game Saturday that Jeremiah Davenport should only shoot when he's open, not when he's contested. By my count, six of the 13 shots Davenport took were considered "open." He's still shooting just 32.1% from three-point range and under 35% overall, but performances like this can help him raise his statistics to help this Bearcats team win some crucial games down the stretch.

6. Aside from the defensive struggles in the first half, Cincinnati struggled offensively. But that was largely due to good looks simply not falling. Sometimes that happens, but the Bearcats had a much better shooting night in the second half.

7. The 24 assists were the result of great passing by the Bearcats on Saturday night. Davenport had 5 assists, and that's notable because earlier this season he might shoot an ill-advised three. In this game, there were several instances where he made the extra pass.

8. Kalu Ezikpe, getting the start for Viktor Lahkin, was active all night. He only scored five points on two-for-eight shooting, but it was his activity that was fun to watch. He pulled down five offensive rebounds and finished with eight total. For a player who's had his struggles and adversity this season, this is a performance he could build off of.

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