Longtime foes meet up Sunday afternoon looking to get their conference records back on track when Cincinnati plays No. 25 UCF in Orlando, Fla.
The schools were regular competitors in the American Athletic Conference until they both made the major move to the Big 12 in 2023, bringing a familiar rivalry to their new surroundings.
In their first week being ranked, coach Johnny Dawkins’ Knights (12-2, 1-1) learned a valuable lesson as conference play begins with temperatures dropping: It is hard to stay hot and keep winning when you hit the road.
After putting together an 11-game winning streak — the best in the Dawkins era — capped by a conference-opening upset of then-No. 17 Kansas last weekend, UCF struggled early at Oklahoma State and trailed by nine at the break before losing to the Cowboys 87-76 on Tuesday.
It was an eye-opening test for the Knights, who were playing just their second true road game and discovered they need to be much better when they have the ball in such environments.
“I mean, the road is so tough,” Dawkins said. “Every environment is incredible and so you have to be prepared to battle for 40 minutes. No matter where you are, home or away, it’s going to be a fight, and that’s what I’ve learned in my third year now of being in the Big 12.”
The home side drilled 10 of 19 (52.6%) from beyond the arc and 27 of 35 (77.1%) at the foul line, while UCF made just 27 of 72 (37.5%) from the floor including 7 of 33 (21.2%) on three-point attempts.
“Defensively, they were long, they were active and they were big to start the game,” Dawkins said of Oklahoma State. ” … I think all those things kind of play a factor in what happened.”
Riley Kugel tops UCF at 14.1 points per game, but Themus Fulks, who was key in the Kansas upset, has come on strong, scoring 13.5 and leading the team with 6.6 assists.
It has been nothing but difficult times for the Bearcats (8-7, 0-2) after a 4-0 start.
Through a challenging stretch of schedule which included games against Louisville, Georgia, Clemson and Houston, Coach Wes Miller’s squad has dropped seven of its past 11 games.
That has led to a serious snag in the relationship between the fifth-year Cincinnati coach and the fans and media surrounding the program.
Times are getting testy around the proud program once led by Bob Huggins during the school’s heyday.
“I don’t care what people think,” Miller said during a postgame interview on 700 WLW after Tuesday’s 62-60 loss at West Virginia. “I only care about my team. I care about my program. It’s almost comical. We just got to stay together and stay resilient. It’s us against the whole world. We know that.”
Miller, who is 90-66 at Cincinnati, added: “Everybody can quit on us.”
The Bearcats have not made the NCAA Tournament field since Miller arrived in 2021, but he should not get any surprises against UCF as his squads have beaten the Knights in five of the past six meetings.
Guard Day Day Thomas leads Cincinnati with 12.7 points and 3.9 assists but is shooting just 39.4% from the floor. Baba Miller averages a double-double, 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
