Winners and Losers From Cincinnati's 74-71 OT Loss to Oklahoma

Cincinnati's NCAA Tournament chances took another hit on Tuesday night following their 74-71 loss to Oklahoma.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Mar 6, 2024 4:16 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati almost strung together their first pair of conference wins on the season following their victory over Kansas State on Saturday. However, the Oklahoma Sooners overcame a 14-point first-half deficit as they held on to defeat the Bearcats in overtime.

A game in which Cincinnati started 8-of-9 from the field over the first six minutes of play as they held an early 15-3 lead during that span.

Winners

Cincinnati was anchored by point guard Jizzle James as the freshman finished with a team-high 16 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the field. James took over the game for the Bearcats late in the second half after seven unanswered points forced an Oklahoma timeout. James was looking to be aggressive with the ball in his hands.

It was safe to say he looked like the best player on the court for Cincinnati on Tuesday. James, ability to create separation and get to his spots has been something that has impressed many throughout the season, but his physicality is something that has also stood out as of late. If James gets downhill and attacking, the will make opposing teams pay. James has flashed his athleticism multiple times over the last two games, after consecutive games with acrobatic reverse layups through traffic in a crowded paint.

Dan Skillings Jr. also had a big night for the Bearcats after returning to the starting lineup after missing the Kansas State game due to a hip injury. Having Skillings back in the lineup was huge for Cincinnati, especially with Viktor Lakhin unavailable due to a left ankle injury.

Skillings made his presence known in the second half though, as he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. The biggest play for Skillings was the offensive rebound through three defenders late in the second half, as the sophomore grabbed his miss through three Sooner defenders for the tough finish. That was a positive sight to see for Wes Miller after describing Skillings, hip injury as a "freak injury" following the Kansas State game.

Losers

Overall, this was a team loss, in a must-win opportunity. Cincinnati started the game eight for their first nine leading by as much as 14 in the first half. However, turnovers killed the Bearcats late in the first half after Oklahoma forced five turnovers in a four-minute span, which sparked the Sooner's comeback. That ultimately killed the Bearcats in this game.

Cincinnati was also outplayed from the free throw line as The Sooners, won the free throw margin 34-11, shooting 83% from the charity stripe. It is worth noting that Cincinnati struggled to play good defense behind the perimeter as Oklahoma saw a three-point shooter fouled four times, resulting in twelve made free throws. Cincinnati was desperately struggling to defend the perimeter on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati was unable to get to the foul line and alter this game, as their first free throw attempt came nearly 24 minutes into this contest. In a guard-heavy conference like the Big 12, that is just unexcusable as Cincinnati has been outshot 59-19 in attempts at the free-throw line over the last two games.

Essentially nearly 59 free tries at points over a two-game stretch, during the biggest stretch of the season. Cincinnati has to find ways to reverse those numbers in their favor especially if they want any chances of making a run in next week's Big 12 conference tournament.

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