Winners and Losers From Cincinnati's 72-52 Victory Over Kansas

Cincinnati picked up their biggest win of the 2023-2024 season on Wednesday following their 72-52 victory over Kansas.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Mar 14, 2024 6:10 AM EDT

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Cincinnati Bearcats

KANSAS CITY — Cincinnati has now strung together three straight victories to keep their NCAA Tournament chances alive with a 72-52 win over Kansas. However, the job is not done for the Bearcats as they have a quick turnaround vs a tough Baylor team tomorrow night.

Winners

Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats with 25 points and seven rebounds in the Bearcats victory. Skillings made it an emphasis to get downhill and attack the rim early, which was something he excelled at in the first matchup back on Jan. 22nd at Allen Fieldhouse. The biggest turning point in this game was around the 12-minute mark of the second half where Skillings followed his miss, resulting in an easy putback to give the Bearcats a 43-38 lead.

Skillings then silenced the Jayhawks after scoring eight of the final 14 points for Cincinnati over the final four minutes. Skillings has continued to see his game grow throughout the season, but Big 12 teams are starting to notice what kind of talent he is as this season progresses.

John Newman III finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the veteran wing made his presence known on both ends of the court this evening. Wes Miller knew they would need a big game from Newman for Cincinnati to fight for another day and they got just that.

"I thought John was back to being John tonight, and you look down and see 12-10. He just impacts the game in many ways,' Wes Miller told reporters following the victory. "I thought his efforts on the defensive boards tonight was a big deal for us,"

Cincinnati's frontcourt duo of Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds did a fantastic job as the duo made it difficult for Kansas to pound the ball inside. Reynolds and Bandaogo were efficient on Kansas forward KJ Adams despite him finishing with 22 points. However, Cincinnati was going to need big minutes from Bandaogo and Reynolds down the stretch as they were the difference-makers in this one.

"I thought Jamille Reynolds gave us some big-time minutes," Wes Miller told reporters following the game. "I was pleased with his performance and we took advantage of him inside a couple of times, but I thought he was sound in the frontcourt tonight."

Wes Miller

Cincinnati has now recorded 20 victories in their first season in the Big 12 following their win on Wednesday night. Wes Miller put on a masterclass of a game plan and executed it perfectly, as he made it an emphasis to get downhill and put pressure on the basket. Not only has Cincinnati lived to see another day, but there still is a realistic chance that the Bearcats can still earn an at-large bid depending on how the rest of the week plans out.

Miller led the Bearcats to a 16-point comeback effort on Tuesday over West Virginia. However, Cincinnati followed it up with an even bigger 20-point victory over Kansas in what was essentially a home game for Kansas, just 45 minutes away from Allen Fieldhouse. Miller has this Cincinnati team playing their best basketball over the last week and it is safe to say the Bearcats confidence is riding very high following the victory on Wednesday.

"Well, Certainly it's a great win for our program. I am happy for our fans, happy for our guys, and we are pleased we are advancing," Miller told reporters following the game. "I am pleased with the win. However, we aren't going to celebrate by popping champagne. We have a quick turnaround tomorrow vs a tough and talented Baylor team."

Losers

Josh Reed finished the game just 0-2 from the field, with one miss being a wide-open three early in the second half. However, Reed provided a spark off the bench allowing Newman to get some rest. Over the last three games, Reed is just 2-9 from the field while shooting just 1-6 from behind the arc in that span.

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