On Wednesday Wes Miller and the Bearcats defeated No.16 Kansas 72-52 to advance to the Big 12 quarterfinals tomorrow vs Baylor.
However, it is worth noting that Kansas was without leading scorers Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson due to injuries. However, that didn’t stop Dan Skillings and the Bearcats, as the sophomore guard finished with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds on 10-23 shooting.
Cincinnati also saw a big night from John Newman as the veteran forward finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Newman’s relentless effort tonight was a huge reason why the Bearcats were able to live another day.
“I thought John was back to being John tonight, and you look down and see 12-10. He impacts the game,’ Wes Miller told reporters following the victory. “I thought his efforts on the defensive boards tonight was a big deal for us,”
It is worth noting that Cincinnati outrebounded the Jayhawks 49-38 in this contest, including 18 of those on the offensive end. That was a huge staple for what Cincinnati was trying to do, especially with Kansas being down Dickinson and McCullar.
Other notable stats
KJ Adams led the Jayhawks with 22 points on 9-13 shooting as the veteran forward had to carry the load for the Jayhawks. Adams stepped up big time for the Jayhawks in the absence of Dickinson and McCullar, but the Bearcat’s defense was too much for the Jayhawks.
Cincinnati shot 9-26 from behind the arch, while Kansas was just 3-20 from behind the arch. Kansas continued to struggle from behind the arch like they have done all season and it showed again this evening.
How it Happened
Day-Day Thomas would pick up where he left off following his incredible shooting performance on Tuesday. The junior point guard buried his first three-point attempt of the night to give the Bearcats an early 3-2 lead. Cincinnati kept their momentum after taking a 9-7 lead with 15:27 left in the first half, led by four quick points from Dan Skillings.
Bill Self and the Jayhawks were looking to get downhill and attack early, which resulted in Wes Miller quickly subbing Jamille Reynolds for Aziz Bandaogo. Six of the Jayhawk’s first seven came inside the paint, and Miller knew he had to adjust quickly. Now, Skillings looked to lead the Bearcats after scoring eight of the team’s first 14 points.
Skillings lit the Jayhawks up back in January when he led the Bearcats with 16 points in the team 74-69 loss. However, it wasn’t just Skillings providing the spark, as freshman, point guard Jizzle James came off the bench where he scored a quick five points in his first minute of action to give Cincinnati a 19-11 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.
For Kansas, their offense went ice cold as they relied heavily on KJ Adams in the first half. The veteran forward continued to cause problems around the basket following seven quick points, all of which came in the paint. Cincinnati would extend their lead to nine, leading the Jayhawks 27-18 following consecutive triples from Thomas and Lukosius. Based on the looks of that triple from Thomas, it was safe to say the junior was ready to show the Big 12 he was here to stay after a stepback three from the logo extended the Bearcats lead.
Cincinnati would extend their lead to 12 following a John Newman-made three with 5:00 minutes to go in the first half. Cincinnati continued to knock down the three-ball after knocking down five of their first ten three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Kansas started this game 0-7 from behind the arch, as Cincinnati jumped out to a 32-19 lead with 3:41.
The Jayhawk’s offense would go silent as Cincinnati held the Jayhawks without a field goal for nearly seven minutes before Dajuan Harris ended the Jayhawks’ scoring drought. Bill Self and the Jayhawks were desperately in need of some momentum but Cincinnati would keep their foot on the gas down the stretch.
Cincinnati would take a 38-23 lead heading into halftime behind dominant first halves from Skillings (12), Lukosius (7), and James (7). Cincinnati would take advantage with Dickinson out after making seven of their 11 layup attempts in the first half. Meanwhile, six of the Jayhawks’ nine field goals in the first half came around the rim, while they were just 3-21 from anywhere outside the paint. Safe to say that Wes Miller and the Bearcats were going to force Kansas’s inexperienced youth to beat them this evening.
The difference maker in the first half was Cincinnati’a’s ability to knock down the three ball, where they buried five of their first 12 attempts in the first half. The Jayhawks were 0-8 from behind the arch in the first half, which Kansas has struggled to do all season even when at full strength. However, the Biggest takeaway for Cincinnati was proving their ability to knock down the three-ball, which was something Cincinnati had struggled with all season long.
The Jayhawks cut the Bearcats lead to six following a Jamari McDowell made three, forcing a Cincinnati timeout. Cincinnati’s offense went silent as they shot 1-8 to open the second half. Kansas was able to capitalize on the Bearcat’s missed opportunities after Adams slashed through the paint for an easy layup to make this a 40-34 game with 15:24 remaining.
Kansas would continue to rely on the veteran Adams as the talented forward propelled the Jayhawks comeback after a made jumper made this a 41-38 game with 12 minutes to go. Cincinnati would go on to shoot 1-15 from the field to open the second half as their offense went ice cold. That was until Skillings came up with a huge offensive rebound following a missed three for the easy putback to give the Bearcats a 43-38 lead with 10:57 left to play.
That is when Cincinnati’s offense started to heat up, as James knocked down a midrange jumper following the offensive rebound from Josh Reed. Cincinnati would then, extend their lead to eight following a Skillings made three moments later off a great pass from Lukosius on the dribble drive. Lukosius followed suit following a Bandaogo slam, with a dagger three from the top of the key to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 11 with eight minutes remaining.
Cincinnati would keep their foot on the gas following a beautiful pass from Skillings to the far corner to a wide-open Newman. Moments later, Thomas came up with a crucial steal, which led to Newman pushing the tempo where he found a high-flying Skillings to make it a 58-44 game.
Cincinnati made sure to keep their foot on the gas as they finished the game on a 14-3 run over the first four minutes. In that span, Kansas would go 1-7 from the field with their only make coming from Patrick Cassedy with 32 seconds left.
From Wes Miller
“Well, Certainly it’s a great win for our program. I am happy for our fans, happy for our guys, and we are pleased we are advancing. Pleased with the win. However, we aren’t going to celebrate by popping champagne. We have a quick turnaround vs a very tough Baylor team tomorrow night.”
