No. 23 Cincinnati to host struggling Tulane (Jan 01, 2017)
CINCINNATI -- Not many teams in the country can win a game scoring 56 points six days after putting up 93 in an overtime victory.
Such was the case for No. 23 Cincinnati, which beat Marshall at home 93-91 on Dec. 22 before winning 56-50 at Temple. The victory over the Owls was a resume-builder for the Bearcats, who despite a relatively soft non-conference schedule moved up to No. 29 in the latest RPI rankings.
Cincinnati (11-2, 1-0 American Athletic) hosts Tulane on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
At Temple, the Bearcats got back to playing defense the way they're capable of to help win a key AAC game on the road.
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin wasn't too pleased when Marshall had 17 made 3-pointers and nearly pulled off the upset at Fifth Third Arena.
Cronin said his team gained some humility from that game, which translated to Wednesday when the Bearcats held Temple to 26.7 percent shooting overall and 5-of-26 from 3-point range.
Cincinnati ranks 25th nationally in scoring defense at 61.1 points per game. Against Temple, the Bearcats forced 16 turnovers with eight steals and 33 deflections, Cronin's pet statistic.
"This is as well as we've played defensively all season," Cronin told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Period. Hands down. Against a quality opponent, especially on the road, because they've got guys that can make shots."
Tulane will test the Bearcats on Sunday, but mostly from a mental standpoint.
Playing a game on New Year's Day against an opponent that on paper will be overmatched isn't easy. Cincinnati has defeated the Green Wave in three straight meetings and has won 16 straight games at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats lead the series 23-14, including a 97-75 win over Tulane on Jan. 24, 2016, at Fifth Third Arena in the only meeting last season.
Tulane (3-10, 0-1) has struggled this season under first-year coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. but does have four players averaging in double figures, led by guard Cameron Reynolds, who ranks fifth in the AAC with 15.8 points per game.
Dunleavy, who spent 17 years as a coach in the NBA and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals in 1991, has his work cut out for him but said he was not afraid to take on a challenge when he was hired.
Dunleavy's challenge on Sunday is to contain Bearcats forward Gary Clark, who on Monday was named AAC player of the week after scoring a career-high 26 points and his third double-double of the season against Marshall. Against Temple, Clark had 11 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes.
NBA scouts have been clamoring to get a look at Bearcats sophomore guard Jacob Evans, who has scored in double figures in 12 of 13 games, including 11 points in the Temple win.
