Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Survives Against Utah 69-65 For Three-Game Winning Streak

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bearcats basketball posted two firsts this season in a 69-65 win over the Utah Utes. UC has now won three consecutive conference games and a close contest for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign.

Cincinnati got diced on the rebounding front 40-30, but held the Utes to just 36.1% shooting to move into the middle of the Big 12 standings entering a few days of. UC is now 5-2 all-time against Utah after getting a team-high 16 points out of Day Day Thomas. Don McHenry led Utah with 18 points.

The Bearcats can get healthier over the next week before taking on Kansas in a road matchup next Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

Close Call All Afternoon

Cincinnati fell right back into its usual poor offensive tendencies Sunday, but their defense was enough to pull things out. Utah outrebounded the Bearcats 40-30 and took six more shots, but the defense held up enough, combined with a 16-12 free-throw advantage for UC.

The home team got four players into double figures, including Moustapha Thiam (15 points, 10 rebounds), who came back from his latest injury absence to play a strong 25 minutes with one turnover. On the other side, Don McHenry (18 points) and Keanu Dawes (16 points, 14 rebounds) were the lifeblood of Utah's solid showing on the road.

They entered this game with a sound 5-2 record in close games, and UC was able to secure its first win this season in that scenario. Cincinnati made five fewer triples and got clocked on the boards, but still found a way to post a victory. It marked just the third time this season they've given up 40-plus rebounds.

Keyshuan Tillery (10 points, three assists) posted one of his better games as a freshman despite some tough turnovers throughout the day. The young, spunky guard found the outside touch at times and showed off his speed with the ball in a few possessions where Cincinnati's offense needed him.

Cincinnati required every bit of his production during a rough day for the backcourt. They missed Kerr Kriisa (shoulder) again for this game and got poor outings from Jizzle James (four points) and Jalen Celestine (five points, four rebounds, four assists). Those two had been leading factors for the offensive resurgence in recent weeks.

They didn't have it for some reason, while the Utes backcourt came ready to win that matchup, but not the most important one.

Bearcats Player Of The Game: Baba Miller

A tale of two halves for the Bearcats' best player.

Miller (13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals) was the most impactful player on the court for UC Sunday, but it all came in the first half as the team wilted down the stretch of another close game. He shot 1-4 with three fouls.

It wasn't enough to get his third consecutive double-double, but he did nab a fourth consecutive double-digit point scoring performance, settling into a nice conference rhythm. Miller has fallen flat a few times against better teams this season, but has more often than not been the consistent force Cincinnati needs on both ends of the floor.

His jumper still hasn't matched the rest of that consistency, but he knows his role very well and is currently just outside 2026 NBA Draft range on ESPN's big board (64th overall).

More performances like this against four Quad 1 opponents in the final five games could vault him into firm draft range for UC's first selection this decade. He will get a great showcase chance next weekend at Kansas.

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