This is a battle of the top 12.
The Kansas Jayhawks will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats today starting at 2 PM ET in the matchup everyone has been waiting for. The last time KU and Cincy faced the Bearcats in the conference championship game, they beat the Jayhawks by 20 points. But this season, things have changed slightly for them in the Big 12, where they are currently 0-3 in conference play and looking to bounce back from a losing streak.
KU, meanwhile, is currently 2-1 in the Big 12 (fourth in the conference) and ranked 11th nationally. This will be the first time since ’64 that the two programs go head-to-head in Cincy.
If there’s one thing you need to know about both teams, it’s that they don’t make plays defensively, especially the Bearcats, who can grab offensive rebounds with ease.
“Our half-court man-to-man defense has been our most reliable defense all year,” head coach Wes Miller said after the loss to Baylor. “I even felt tonight, when we locked down all five targets, we felt like we were going to have a breakthrough. To their credit — they made some shots in transition, and our defense just lacked the ability to counterattack. ability.
They need to bring the same energy, if not more, against KU because the Jayhawks have an elite defense that keeps locking down their opponents. Add to that the fact that they rank 24th in offensive efficiency according to KenPom, and you’re looking at a team that’s dominant on both ends of the floor.
“Our defense was outstanding,” head coach Bill Self told the media after the win over Arizona State. “Who would have thought we shot worse from two in the second half? We shot worse from 3 and basically held them to 11 points, and then they got a layup on the right side at the end. But this was the exception.
This will be a showdown. To get you hyped for the game, we’ve got an exclusive collection of college gear from Kansas State and Cincinnati State. locking.
