4. A big talking point among Bearcats fans on Twitter after the game was about Viktor Lakhin’s recent slump. He definitely is in a slump, with five straight games not scoring in double digits including two points being kept off the scoreboard entirely. His scoring average has dropped nearly two and a half points over the last five games. He’s only 4-of-29 from the field in his last five games and 0-11 from three-point range. His minutes have dropped over his last three games at 18, 17 and 13 in that order. Wes Miller acknowledged he had a great week of practice leading up to Saturday afternoon. But the reality is he’s in a slump and needs to play better in these Big 12 games.
5. I thought Jamille Reynolds was a big reason for the Bearcats staying in this game. In nearly 20 minutes off the bench, Reynolds had eight points and four rebounds including 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
6. The biggest key to the game, for me, was the rebounding margin. The Bearcats did a great job closing the gap throughout the game. At one point early in the first half, Houston was way ahead in the rebound battle. But the Bearcats only lost it 41-34. The difference, though, was Houston winning the offensive rebound battle 17-9, leading to 22 second chance points.
7. Houston is good because they have been there. The way they executed down the stretch was masterful. LJ Cryer hit a tough fallaway jumper with just over a minute to go, and Houston’s last shot came off a perfectly executed possession where they beat a double team near the sideline. For as hard as the Bearcats played, Houston executed better in the second half. The Cougars shot 50% from the field in the second half while the Bearcats shot 33.3%. That was the difference.
8. Jizzle James is going to be an unbelievable player for the Bearcats. The kid has no fear in his body whatsoever. Joe Danneman of FOX 19 called him Ja’Marr Chase in a basketball uniform. He is a terrific on-ball defender, making a key block in Cincinnati’s late rally in Saturday afternoon’s game. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson compared him to Steve Logan after the game. In over 20 minutes Saturday afternoon, James had 10 points and four rebounds. And when his offensive game develops, he’s going to be a great all-around player.
9. It was great to see CJ Fredrick get a little over two minutes of action Saturday afternoon. While I wish we could have seen him take a shot and score some points, this is a positive step in getting Frederick back into the rotation.
10. While the Bearcats did use 11 players in the game, that shouldn’t be the case this time of year. At one point, Bearcats fans cheered when Ody Oguama checked in for Viktor Lakhin. That’s how bad things got. Houston only had to use nine players in the game.
11. This loss drops the Bearcats to 2-3 at home in Big 12 play. That makes Tuesday even more of a must-win game.
12. The reality is Houston has won four of the last five games between the two teams in Cincinnati. While the gap has been closed, this team still needs to get over the hump.
Looking Ahead: Tuesday night against the 14th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones is a must-win game. If this Bearcats team is going to the NCAA Tournament, they have to start stringing together wins. But Iowa State is a solid team, in contention for a Big 12 regular season title. They have won five of their last six games with wins at Texas and TCU in that stretch.
