It’s been five years since the Cincinnati Bearcats made the NCAA Tournament. This year, they’re right on the bubble. But one way to get on the right side of the bubble is by beating a top five team on your home floor Saturday afternoon.
That’s the opportunity the Bearcats have on Saturday afternoon when they take on a top five Houston Cougars team that has given the Bearcats so many problems over the last few seasons. It’s been over four years since the Bearcats have beaten the Cougars, which is a long time given what the world has been through since Feb. 1, 2020.
We have seen the Bearcats go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the best conference in the country. They haven’t yet lost a Big 12 game by double digits. But given their recent struggles with the Cougars, with only one of their nine straight losses coming by less than 10 points, this feels like their biggest test this season. It’s certainly another measuring stick. It feels like the season could tip on this game. Since their last “measuring stick” game against Kansas, the Bearcats are 2-1. Wes Miller says the Bearcats best basketball is ahead of them. This is a game to continue to work towards getting there.
I think the Bearcats can match up with this Houston team. Despite being the number five team in the country, they too have proven vulnerable against the Big 12 gauntlet including a 1-2 start in Big 12 play. And this Bearcats team is a much better rebounding team than in previous seasons, which is Houston’s forte.
People I talk with about the Bearcats keep telling me that they can beat anybody in the Big 12 but also lose to anybody in the Big 12. But that’s for every team in this conference. Recently I was listening to the What the Football? Podcast with Suzy Schuster and Amy Trask, and Suzy said she’s not making a pick in the Super Bowl due to her being a reporter by nature. That’s fair, and it’s similar to me not making a pick for Bearcats Big 12 games because I truly just don’t know what’s going to happen. I can tell you about the keys to the game, but every game in this conference is different. All 252 games, 18 for each of the 14 teams, are compelling in their own way. With that, here are my Players to Watch on the Houston Cougars.
