It looked like Wednesday night’s game was going to end as a microcosm to the Bearcats season. Cincinnati had played well enough to build a nine-point lead with just over two minutes to play, but in the blink of an eye San Francisco tied the game with less than 15 seconds remaining. I literally tweeted that if the Bearcats went on to lose the game, it would be reminiscent of the way the Bengals lost to the 49ers in 1987.
Bearcats fans were frustrated, losing their minds on Twitter as it looked like the Dons were about to pull off the upset. Then Simas Lukosius happened. What’s amazing is the play Lukosius hit the game-winning three on is that the Bearcats had only run the play 2-3 times before Christmas. The players said in the timeout huddle Wednesday night they didn’t even remember the play. Wes Miller spent a minute drawing it up and explaining each player’s role. To me, that speaks confidence Miller has in his players to pull out a play from months ago and execute it in a clutch situation.
Here are my 12 Big Things from Wednesday night’s Bearcats win over San Francisco.
12 Big Things
1. It feels good to see Cincinnati beat San Francisco. If you know, you know.
2. Wes Miller called this Bearcats team a resilient group after the game. Even though the Bearcats blew a nine-point lead late in regulation, they found a way to win the game in overtime. For a Bearcats team that has struggled to close out games all season, pulling this one out in the NIT feels good.
3. I said it earlier this month, but now it’s more apparent that Simas Lukosius is a sharp shooter. He has seven and eight threes respectively in two of his last four games. And what I like is when he was asked after the game if he can carry the confidence he’s gained during his success in the second half of Big 12 play and the postseason, he said he’s looking forward to the next few games. But it is fair to think about the momentum he could carry over into next season.
4. Day Day Thomas left the game late after limping off the court. Wes Miller said he was getting X-rays for a foot injury and that his injury has him really concerned. Miller called his injury “serious.” If Thomas is lost for a game or more, the Bearcats would be losing their energizer. Thomas is a dynamic player on both ends of the floor.
5. It’s amazing how good Dan Skillings Jr. is at following his own shots for second chance points. It speaks to how hard he plays the game and how good a well-rounded player he is.
6. I thought this was a really well-played game by both teams. There was a good flow with not a lot of whistles and timeouts. Both teams had hot and cold stretches. There were 15 lead changes. It was a good back-and-forth game between two programs who have lots of respective history between them.
