Winners and Losers from Cincinnati's 69-65 loss to No. 15 Oklahoma

Cincinnati couldn't execute well enough to get a top-15 win.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Jan 20, 2024 7:48 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats fell to No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday as the Sooners handled business 69-65 in front of a sold-out crowd of just over 12,000 fans in attendance.

"That was a phenomenal environment this afternoon," said Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser. " I felt like those fans were in it the whole time right from the jump. Great atmosphere, it seemed like there were students everywhere. That was a big-time atmosphere."

Winners

John Newman III: The sixth-year veteran wing had a huge afternoon for the Bearcats as he finished with 14 points and six rebounds. All 14 of those points came in the second half, where he shot 5-of-6 from the field, and was the spark the Bearcats needed.

The Bearcats offensive struggled mightily in the second half as the Sooners' 2-3 zone look caused a lot of problems for the Bearcats early. That was a great sight to see as Newman has continued to show he is capable of being that talented two-way player after another strong defensive showing as well.

"He finished with 14 points five rebounds. I remember the two big threes, in the second half," Moser said. "He was terrific in the second half. I will have to go back and look at the tape, but his two big threes in the second half were huge."

Simas Lukošius: The Lithuanian finished with a team-high 17 points, (13 in the first half) while grabbing six rebounds. Lukošius has continued to find his stride for the Bearcats, and he set the tone early as he came out really aggressive and was looking to score in a hurry. Although the Bearcats really struggled from behind the arch this afternoon, once again, Lukosius was the one that kept them afloat as he and Newman combined for six of the Bearcats seven made threes.

Losers

Cincinnati's Front Court: The Bearcats were outrebounded 41-34 on the afternoon despite having the clear size and height advantage. The Bearcats were allowing easy rebounds and the smaller guards as Jalon Moore finished with a game-high 10 rebounds on the afternoon.

"Oklahoma kicked our butts on the boards," said Wes Miller. "That is now two times we have got beat on the boards and I am frustrated with that. I think that is something we should be doing to other people. They kick our tails today, and I am not pleased with that."

The Bearcats know that is unacceptable with the size and physicality they play with, especially with the talented trio of Viktor Lakhin, Jamille Reynolds, and Aziz Bandaogo. The Bearcats gave up too many second chances and easy rebounds.

Wes Miller: The Bearcats have now lost three games in conference play by a combined eight points, and the one thing that has been the issue in all three of their Big 12 losses has been free throws. The Bearcats shot just 14-of-22 (64%) from the line, while the Sooners shot 16-of-18 (89%), including big free throws to seal the game in the final seconds. This has to improve quickly or it will continue haunting as the Big 12 has already proven to be the best basketball conference in America.

If the Bearcats cut those misses in half in each of the three losses, they'd be sitting in a different position right now facing a very talented Kansas team on Monday. Kansas shoots 74% (83rd nationally) from the stripe, while Cincinnati is outside the top 300 nationally.

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