Preview Paw Prints: Eastern Kentucky

CINCINNATI — Back-to-back wins for the Bearcats to open the season sets up another home matchup on Sunday against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (1-1). UC is 10-0 all-time in the series, with the last meeting being an overtime win over the Colonels in 2008.

EKU is in a similar tier as Cleveland State, and UC should be heavy-betting favorites once again this weekend. The Colonels are ranked 260th on KenPom, while UC sits at 53rd overall. ESPN's matchup predictor has UC winning this game 84% of the time.

EKU destroyed Miami University-Middletown to start the season but came crashing back to earth against D1 Western Kentucky 66-60.

Here are some things to watch for on Sunday.

Fastbreak Frenzy

The Bearcats added athleticism this season is paying off in the middle part of the game. They own a 51-2 fast break points advantage through two games and have pestered defenses in between possessions very well.

The mix of veteran transfer presence and year-two gelling is coming together but can get more tuning against the Colonels.

“I thought in the second half, we finally got some things in transition. I was really disappointed in our running game early," Wes Miller said after the Cleveland State win. "Number one, you got to get stops to run and run effectively, even on made baskets we want to get a good push and we weren't doing that. So yeah, I was disappointed in our running game early in the game. I think if we can run consistently and make good decisions with the ball and not take bad shots, we can wear people down over the course of the game with that in the way we guard and play defense."

EKU ranks 30th in KenPom's adjusted tempo and should give UC plenty of chances to run in transition. Sharpening those skills is crucial heading into the Maui Invitational when the half-court offense gets even tougher against a litter of top-25 teams.

Efficient Vik

Bearcats center Viktor Lakhin is having a great start to the 2022 season and filling a much-needed void in the front court. The center is averaging 10 points (90% FG), nine rebounds, and 1.5 blocks through two games.

Lakhin has essentially been the lone rim protector on the team as UC hammers out depth behind him. His footwork stands out as the biggest jump from eight months ago. Lakhin paired that with more speed and strength, which makes this two-game outburst more likely to sustain.

"This year, he's like the example of where you're supposed to be," Miller said about his center. "I thought in the ball screen late he was a little too low. I wanted him to get up higher and use his athleticism because he can really move for 6-11. But his positioning defensively has taken a huge leap. He's got great basketball instincts, and when you're in the right position on defense, you give yourself a chance to go make plays and let your instincts and talent take over. So, now, he's in the right place, and we're starting to see some of his ability take over more so than a year ago."

Lakhin's averaged double the minutes through two games than he did last year and is much more involved in UC's offense. His stamina and awareness on both ends won't wow all the time but he can unlock another level for this roster.

EKU is another enticing matchup for the big man as their top rebounder (Isaiah Cozart, 10 RPGs) is just 6-foot-7 and he is the tallest rotation player. Little vertical resistance should help Lakhin stay efficient at both ends.

Clustered Colonels

EKU shared the ball well in game one (34 assists), but things expectedly crashed to earth against real competition (10 assists V. WKU). Still, the Colonels got five players to the ten-point mark and made sure to move the ball.

The action helps them oversize those size issues led by leading scorer Michael Moreno (14 PPG, six RPG). Six Colonels are averaging at least nine points.

Slowing down their ball movement and rebounding prowess is crucial to making this another blowout. EKU is 10th nationally right now with 49 RPGs, but again, half the stats came against Miami-Middletown.

Making sure those numbers fall back to the mean will spell a big win to conclude a three-game home stand at Fifth Third Arena.

The game tips off at noon ET on Sunday and is available on ESPN+.

Make sure you bookmark All Bearcats for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

You May Also Like the following:

Final Huddle: UC Stamps 'Nipp at Night' With 27-25 Victory over East Carolina

Top 2023 Recruit Isaiah Collier Visits for 'Nipp at Night'

Watch: Desmond Ridder, Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner Pump Up Nippert Crowd Before ECU Game

Three Man Weave: UC Beats Cleveland State 69-58 at Fifth Third Arena

Watch: Wes Miller Introduces Four-Star Guard Jizzle James

Game Preview: East Carolina Travels to Clifton For 'Nipp at Night'

Sauce By The Numbers: Ahmad Gardner Best Rookie Corner in Jets History

Ben Bryant on Outside Criticism: 'I Have Pretty Thick Skin'