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Cincinnati Bearcats Look to Get Back On Track Against SMU in Dallas Thursday

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Basketball

Cincinnati (2-6, 0-3 AAC) travels to Dallas to battle SMU (6-1, 2-1) on Thursday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Bearcats continue the search for their first league win of the 2020-21 campaign, after dropping a 70-67 decision to Tulsa on Saturday. Keith Williams (18 points) and Zach Harvey (16 points) led the Bearcats, who fell short in a comeback bid. Brandon Rachal led the Hurricane with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

SMU suffered its first loss of the season, falling at home to then-No. 5 Houston on Sunday, 74-60. Kendric Davis led the Mustangs with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds. UC owns a 14-5 advantage in its series with SMU, having won the last seven meetings.

UP NEXT: UC remains on the road, playing at Wichita State on Sunday, Jan. 10. Tipoff is 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

  • Senior guard Keith Williams entered Tuesday eighth in the league in scoring (15.5 points). He has led the Bearcats in points in five of eight games this season. He has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, averaging 16.5 points while shooting 19 of 24 from the free throw line. 
  • Sophomore guard Jeremiah Davenport is averaging 11.8 points and shooting 50.0 percent (21 of 42) from the field over the past five games. He ranks among AAC leaders in field goal percentage (9th at .509) and 3-point percentage (12th at .414).
  • The Bearcats' first league win this season will mark Cincinnati's 100th victory in the American Athletic Conference. UC has won more AAC games than any other league member since the conference formed prior to the 2013-14 campaign. 
  • Williams earned preseason First Team All-AAC honors while senior center Chris Vogt was tabbed a Second Team All-AAC selection according to league coaches. 
  • John Brannen is one of six active coaches in the nation to have won a conference regular-season championship in each of the past three seasons (Northern Kentucky [2018, 2019], Cincinnati [2020]).
  • In November, CBS Sports named Cincinnati the 10th greatest college basketball program since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 

BEARCATS TIP-INS

  • CLOSE BUT NOT QUITE: Despite having six losses this season, UC has played its opponents closely in nearly every contest. The Bearcats have been within three points or less in the final 100 seconds of five of their six losses this season.
  • UC trailed Xavier (70-67 with 1:04 left) and then-No. 12 Tennessee (59-56 with 1:36 left) by three points, USF (73-71 with 41 seconds left) by two points, UCF (71-70 with 1:04 left) by one point and was tied with Tulsa (63-63 with 1:30 left).  
  • LOOKING FOR 100TH AAC WIN: The Bearcats' first league win this season will mark Cincinnati's 100th victory in the American Athletic Conference. UC has won more AAC games than any other league member since the conference formed prior to the 2013-14 campaign. 
  • The UC men's basketball program has been a member of  nine leagues (not including three stints as an independent) during its 120-year history. The Bearcats have 100 or more conference wins in two other leagues: 128 in the Missouri Valley Conference (1957-58 through 1969-70) and 123 in Conference USA (1995-96 through 2004-05). 
  • WILLIAMS LEADS SCORING EFFORT: Preseason AAC First Team honoree Keith Williams entered Tuesday eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.5 points. 
  • Williams has led the Bearcats in scoring in five of eight games this season. He scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five rebounds against Furman (12/9) and accounted for a team-high 18 points with six rebounds and three assists against city-rival Xavier (12/6). 
  • Williams has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, averaging 16.5 points while shooting 19 of 24 from the free throw line. 
  • DAVENPORT TRENDING: Sophomore guard Jeremiah Davenport is averaging 11.8 points and 50.0 percent (21 of 42) from the field over the past five games. 
  • He posted a career-high 18 points at Georgia (12/19) on 6-of-13 shooting. He hit four 3-pointers and posted 14 points at then-No. 12 Tennessee (12/12) and tallied 16 points with seven rebounds and a trio of threes against Tulsa (1/2).   
  • Davenport entered play Tuesday ranked among the AAC leaders in field goal percentage (9th at .509) and 3-point percentage (12th at .414).

SCOUTING SMU

  • SMU features a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Kendric Davis (19.7 points, 54.3 FG%, 50.0 3FG%) and Feron Hunt (12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 55.7FG%). 
  • Davis, an AAC Preseason First Team selection, entered Tuesday's play leading the league in points (19.7), assists (6.7), 3-point percentage (.500) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.4). 
  • SMU ranks first or second in the AAC in nine categories: scoring offense (1st at 80.7), field goal percentage (1st at .471), 3-pointers made (1st at 8.3), defensive rebounds (1st at 28.3), 3-point percentage (2nd at .369), scoring margin (2nd at +15.0), blocks (2nd at 5.4), assists (2nd at 17.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd at 1.3).
  • The Mustangs have held six of seven opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor.