Tomorrow night the Bearcats face UCF at home in 5/3rd Arena. The game will air on CBS Sports Network at 7:30 pm ET. Last time around UC traveled to Central Florida and earned their first road win, 56-46. For a full breakdown of the Knights check out our earlier article here. Not much has changed for UCF – they continue to struggle to score and do not defend real well.
Since the first time they played, the Knights have gone 3-4 in the conference. UCF is 12-14 and 5-10 in the AAC on the year. This should be a great opportunity for UC to get another W against an American bottom feeder at home. Ellis and Caupain combined for just 9 points on 3-12 shooting against Houston. Meanwhile Clark silently had another double-double, racking up 11 points and 14 boards. We look for Ellis to bounce back following his untimely departure last game. Last time against UCF Ellis had 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
Wednesday night’s game, and all of the remaining games, cannot be taken lightly. One hiccup at home and UC could be highly seeded in the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament. Xavier’s loss last night to St. Johns only adds negative light to the home loss in the Crosstown Shootout. Jerry Palm presently has UC in the tournament as a 9 seed, but a loss to UCF at home could burst the Bearcats’ bubble. For you numbers wonks, UC’s present RPI is 49, while UCF’s is 209. Following their loss to St. Johns (and win at home against Butler), Xavier’s RPI is 30.
Prediction: Bearcats climb above the 60 point mark to win comfortably 61-50.
By Andy Smith