5. Here’s where Wednesday night’s game turned, I believe. With the Bearcats leading 43-40 with about 10 1/2 minutes to play, Josh Reed rebounded a missed three from Dan Skillings Jr. He then found Jizzle James on the left high post, and James nailed a jumper to give the Bearcats a five-point lead. Wes Miller said that play was the Bearcats just going for the ball, and seeing the ball go through the net gave the Bearcats a boost of confidence to go get the win.
6. Speaking of Jizzle James, I thought he was much better Wednesday night. James finished with 11 points and four rebounds, including a 5-of-11 shooting night with a 1-of-2 performance from beyond the arc. Like I said, it may have taken him Tuesday afternoon’s game to settle in to playing in the Big 12 Tournament. If that’s the case I’m excited for what Thursday night against Baylor will look like for him.
7. Dan Skillings Jr. almost doubled his total from the first round, hitting 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field. Wes Miller said those numbers are Allen Iverson-esque, and Skillings kept firing all night. His biggest play was a shot he made that was a put-back off of one his missed three-point attempts. Skillings followed the shot, rebounded the ball and put the ball in off the glass. The Bearcats leading scorer always plays hard, and he certainly did Wednesday night.
8. Day Day Thomas and Simas Lukosius only combined for 18 points Wednesday night, and Thomas only had two points in the second half. Yet, the Bearcats won by 20. Just something to think about.
9. Another player who stepped up was Jamille Reynolds. Wes Miller credited him for giving the Bearcats some really good minutes. In just over 16 minutes, the first-year Bearcat finished with four points and five rebounds along with two blocks.
10. Aziz Bandaogo only scored two points, but he pulled down nine rebounds. The big thing that stood out to me, though, was he only picked up two fouls. If he can stay out of foul trouble throughout the rest of the Big 12 Tournament, he can really make an impact night after night.
11. One observation from the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City: there are fans in droves from every school. These schools love their basketball. Every street corner, heck every street in general, has droves of fans from various schools. And as we now get into the later rounds of the Tournament, those fans will only grow in numbers.
12. Another observation: every game has great attendance. Even the 11:30 a.m. C.T. start Wednesday had a large BYU crowd as the Cougars dismantled Central Florida. By the time the night session started, Kansas and Kansas State fans had filled the lower bowl completely. It felt like an NCAA Tournament crowd. Speaking of which…
Survive and Advance: If the Bearcats beat No. 3 seed Baylor Thursday night (9:30 E.T./8:30 C.T.), could they be in position to hear their name called on Selection Sunday? It certainly would boost their resume, but it won’t be easy to get the win. Baylor is a really good, well-coached team. They are a bigger test than Kansas. But the Bearcats have already won two games, and Baylor is coming off a loss Saturday. It’s March. Anything can happen.
