Winners and Losers From Cincinnati's 76-74 Victory Over UCF
CINCINNATI — Despite getting delayed at the airport for three hours on Friday night en route to Orlando, Florida, the Bearcats' true toughness showed on Saturday in a 76-74 win over UCF.
Cincinnati didn't land in Orlando until roughly 12:20 am, and according to Dan Hoard and Terry Nelson on the pregame show, the Bearcats didn't check into their team hotel until roughly 1 a.m. ET Saturday morning.
That delayed arrival actually postponed Cincinnati's pregame shootaround to allow extra rest heading into the contest.
Winners
Just like the first matchup, Dan Skillings had another huge performance against Central Florida, finishing with a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds. Skillings sparked the Bearcats momentum right from the start after scoring 10 of Cincinnati's first 19 points. However, the Knights found a way to contain him in the second half holding him to just three points.
Although Skillings didn't have the best of second halves, fans are starting to get a great glimpse of Skillings's true potential. Wes Miller has noted all season long that he thought Skillings was just scratching the surface and it has quickly earned him a starting spot on Saturday
Aziz Bandaogo had arguably his best game as a Bearcat, as the seven-footer's tenacious energy, was a huge difference-maker in this contest. Bandaogo finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in the Bearcats win. However, that was the performance Wes Miller and the Bearcats desperately needed out of guys like Bandaogo, and Reynolds, while Viktor Lakhin overcomes his rough few weeks.
The Bearcats outrebounded the Knights 45-33, as UC's frontcourt was just too much for the Knights on Saturday afternoon. Jamille Reynolds complimented Bandaogo very well in the front court.
Reynolds finished with six points and nine rebounds in just 14 minutes of action. Now the seven-footer's physical presence in the paint was something that Johnny Dawkins and Central Florida were greatly familiar with heading into this contest as Reynolds began his collegiate career at Central Florida (2020-2022).
Wes Miller now has a full healthy squad for the first time all season and fans are quickly starting to see the potential and impact that Reynolds has for this Cincinnati squad. Reynolds has seen his role grow over the last three games and has quickly made a huge impact in each one of those contests and should be poised for a bigger role as the season moves forward.
Losers
Viktor Lakhin only played in the final seconds of this contest, which was a sight fans aren't used to seeing. However, Lakhin missed the first matchup between these two teams due to an illness, but the Bearcats did a lot of things well in that first matchup with a smaller lineup consisting of four guards and one big.
Wes Miller told reporters following the game that the game plan was for Lakhin to play, but he thought Cincinnati's smaller lineup was very effective early on with Skillings on the floor. Miller also noted that Skilling's ability to rebound was a key factor in Lakhin moving to the bench, as the Bearcats made it an emphasis all week to get back to what they do so well, and that is rebound the basketball.
Now, that is something to monitor as the Bearcats prepare for their battle with Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
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