Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats (19-10, 10-6 AAC) traveled to FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, as they took on Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers (21-7, 11-4 AAC) for an afternoon showdown within the American Athletic Conference. However, Bearcats forward Landers Nolley knows a thing or two about FedEx Forum, as he is making his return to Memphis for the first time since leaving the Tigers to join Wes Miller and the Bearcats ahead of his senior season. Nolley, spent the last two seasons with Penny Hardaway and the Tigers, as he looks to get revenge vs his former team.
The Bearcats currently sit in 4th place within the American Athletic Conference while the Tigers sit in soele place of second. A huge implication on the AAC tournament standings awaits on the result here at Fedex Forum, as the Bearcats are looking to secure their first-round bye heading into the AAC tournament in two weeks. The Bearcats could make the jump to the two seed but will need some help, in order to get that seed it all starts this afternoon vs the Tigers. The Tigers defeated the Bearcats 75-68 back on January 22nd at Fifth Third Arena in a heartbreaking loss, a game in which the Bearcats played well until the final stretch.
The Bearcats were looking to get the ball inside to Viktor Lakhin early as he made easy work of Chandler Lawson as the Bearcats would strike first here at Fedex Forum. The Bearcats would hold a 9-8 lead at the under 16 media breaks after Nolley connected with DeJulius on the baseline drive for the corner three. A great opening segment for the Bearcats, as they saw four different scorers in as many minutes. Penny Hardaway and the Tigers were looking to establish the ball inside to Dandridge and Williams, in hopes of getting the Bearcats in early foul trouble. Dandridge didn’t play in the firsts matchup but was making his presence inside early for the Tigers.
The Tigers would take a 16-11 lead following consecutive steals from Alex Lomax after causing his former teammate Landers Nolley to make two quick turnovers that sparked a six-point run to give the Tigers a 16-11 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the second half. The Tigers would build off that momentum as they took a 25-16 lead following a McCadden layup out in transition off the Bearcats miss as they wanted to get out and run early. The Tigers were taking advantage of the Bearcats early turnovers, as the Bearcats shot just 2-of-10 from behind the arch to start, just like the first contest where they went 1-of-13 from three in the first half. The Tigers were wanting to play bully ball inside with Malcom Dandridge and DeAndre Williams, and it showed early as eighteen of their first twenty-eight points came in the paint. The Bearcats needed a response as the Tigers rallied a 12-2 run to take a 28-16 lead with eight minutes left in the first half.
The Bearcats were going to half to claw back slowly, and it started with a four-point run from David DeJulius, a guy the Bearcats were looking to rely on here at Fedex Forum. The Bearcats got a huge stop after Dandridge missed two key free throws, that led to a Davenport three on the other end, and a Tiger turnover. The Bearcats would cut the Tigers lead to 10, as they trailed 35-25, as they looked to find some momentum in the final minutes of the first half. The Bearcats would look to just that after Nolley intercepted the Tigers pass and pushed the Tempo, where he found DeJulius streaking for an easy layup forcing a Tiger timeout. However, Penny Hardaway and the Tigers forced three straight turnovers and would quickly rebuild their double-digit lead as they took a 41-30 lead to the break. The story of the first half was those turnovers, as the Tigers outscored the Bearcats 14-2 in that respected category. The Tigers were just picking the Bearcats pockets early as they had nine steals in the first half which was crucial, especially with what is at stake for the Bearcats heading into the final week of the season. The Bearcats had no answer for DeAndre Williams, as he shot 7-of-11 from the field for 15 points in the first half, as the graduate forward was dominating early.
The Bearcats were competing on the glass, which was a great sign however, turnovers killed them in the first half as they knew they had to clean it up quick. The Bearcats saw David DeJulius lead the way with 12 points, but Landers Nolley and Viktor Lakhin combined for just four points in the first half, which the Bearcats knew they would have to make some big adjustments to start the second half here at Fedex Forum. Look for the Bearcats to find a way to attack inside early, just like they did to start the game as Wes Miller and the Bearcats know how pivotal Lakhin can be in these high energy situations, and we saw that in the first matchup where he finished with 22 points, and ten rebounds.
