The Cinci game comes at a very interesting time for Texas Tech. I see it as somewhat of a swing game for this year's team. In my opinion, these are the kind of games that will push Tech from being a bubble team (they aren't right now) towards a solid top 7 seed come tournament time. By no means is this a "must win" but these home games, while not gimmes by any stretch of the imagination, are must haves in a conference where life on the road is daunting. Especially, against the lower end of the conference. Tech has already pulled out huge road wins at UT and OU but winning the games they "should" win are just as important. Cincinatti is not a bad team, they are solid bubble team who will likely finish with close to 20 wins. In any other conference they would be a tournament team. Heck, they are not too far below Tech in most efficiency rankings. Injuries are going to play a role here. John Newman, one of their most important players, went down with a rib injury last night against WVU and didn't practice today. From what I have seen they are calling it a "deep bruise" which means it will all come down to a pain tolerance thing. Newman is a tough player, but I'd expect him to at minimum not be 100%. Also, CJ Fredrick (their best shooter) is apparently close to returning. But idk if he goes Saturday or not.
Cincinatti by the Numbers:
Cincinatti by the Numbers:
- 34th overall per Kenpom
- 73rd offensively
- 16th defensively
- 33rd overall per Haslametrics
- 64th on offense
- 26th on defense
- 43rd per Torvik
- 94th on offense
- 20th on defense
- 11th in the nation in OR%
- Bad FT Shooting team - 67.8% - 307th in the country
- 11.2 block % on defense - 80th in the country
- Middling to below average 3pt shooting team - shoot 33% (198th in the country) and have the 173rd highest 3PAR
- High number of attempts at the basket - 11th in the country in near-proximity attempt rate
- Pound the offensive glass - 22nd in potential second chance points off of ORs
- 29th in the country in near proximity FG % on defense
- Don't cause a ton of turnovers - 169th in turnover % cause on defense
- Viktor Lakhin - Lurch look-alike and Cinci's leading scorer. Lakhin is a 4th year junior from Russia who has steadily improved over the course of his career. While he is their leading scorer (by .1 points) I do not think he is their best player. On offense he is a skilled 7 footer with good touch around the basket. Loves to go over his left shoulder with a jump hook. Also has a nice-looking stroke and can hit jumpers in the mid-range. Will take 2ish threes a game but does not hit at an efficient rate (29%) and struggles from the FT line (54%). Very good passer for a big and a good offensive rebounder. Cinci will use him in middle ball screens frequently. Lakhin is a skilled big but has really struggled with the increased physicality of B12 play. He has a weak lower base and is pushed off his spots easily. On defense he is fairly mobile but is used in drop coverage occasionally. Solid shot blocker and positional defender but if you get into his body he can be had. Emotional player and is easily frustrated. Averaging 12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg , 2.1 apg and 1.1 bpg. 7'0 240. Extremely punchable face.
- Aziz Bandaogo - Transfer big from Utah Valley who was a hot commodity in the portal. Probably the most important player defensively for Cinci. Very raw offensive player. Bandaogo only takes about 4 shots from the floor a game. No post game to speak of but is a dangerous lob threat. Aziz is ridiculously long and athletic and will dunk everything if he gets the chance. Does not get many post-up looks and struggles to put together moves in those situations. Solid offensive rebounder and can really run the floor. Gets to the line at a good clip but only shoots 57% when he gets there. Very good defensive player with good timing as a shot blocker to go along with his natural gifts. Can also guard in space. Not very strong and can get into foul trouble. Averages 7.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 1.4 bpg in 24 minutes. 7'0 235.
- Dan Skillings - Sophomore guard and former top 100 recruit who has started to really come alive. In my opinion he is the most talented player on Cinci's roster. Big bodied perimeter player who shows flashes of being a high level offensive player. In the half court he uses his body well to attack the rim off of straight line drives. Doesn't have the most wiggle or advanced handle but punishes smaller defenders and is a good finisher. The jumper is still a work in progress as he doesn't take many mid range shots and only shoots 32% from deep. Has shot much better as of late. Streaky shooter. Can get a bit out of control and sometimes tries to do a bit much. Good rebounder and is an excellent player in transition. Defensively while not a threat to block shots or pick pockets Skillings plays hard and physically. As on the offensive side he can get a bit out of control. Okay FT% at 67%. Averaging 12 ppg, 6 rpg and 1.3 apg. 6'6 215.
- Day Day Thomas - JUCO product in his first year with Cinci. Electric athlete and the closes thing they have to a PG. Not the most efficient offensive player but dangerous when he gets hot and has the highest usage rate on the team. Thomas is jet quick and hard to keep out of the paint. He is a good finisher for his size and Cinci will put him into ball screens regularly. As with alot of Cinci's guards he can get too wild and has a tendency to take tough contested 2's and three's. Bad 3 point shooter at 24% but that hasn't stopped him from taking a healthy amount. Solid passer but can be turnover prone. 78% FT shooter. On defense he will apply a ton of pressure to the ball and is much stronger than he looks. Have to be tight with the ball around him. Averages 10.9 ppg 3.3 apg, 2.4 rpg and 1.6 spg. 6'0 185.
- Simas Lukosius - Lithuanian transfer from Butler. Jumbo-sized perimeter player and the best passer on the team. Not an efficient scorer at all. Lukosius will handle quite a bit for Cinci and will be put into ball screens. But is almost exclusively looking to pass off of his drives. Tremendous vision. Flashes the ability to use his size to score but has slow feet and trouble creating separation. Good post up player but doesn't utilize it enough. Settles for threes too often (takes almost 6 a game). Shoots 33% but is a very streaky shooter. Will pull off the catch or dribble (has a slow release). 77% FT shooter. Can struggle a bit on defense as Simas struggles laterally. Solid in the post but a middling rebounder. Averaging 9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.1 rpg. 6'8 225.
- John Newman - 6th year Senior wing and the leader for Cinci. He hurt his ribs against WVU so might not be 100% come Saturday which would be huge. Offensively he really knows his role. Not much of a creator but is efficient. Exclusively a straight line driver who mostly attacks closeouts. Very strong and can finish with contact and is a decent catch and shoot guy from deep (36% on around 2 per game). Good rebounder and in transition (will punch it on you). Struggles when asked to handle to much and can get sloppy at times in the half court. 74% FT shooter. Cinci's best perimeter defender. Has an extremely high motor and plays with real physicality at the POA. Somewhat of a ball hawk and has a tendency to rip cross court passes. Averaging 10 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 spg. 6'5 215.
- Jizzle James / Jamille Reynolds/Ody Oguama are the main guys off the bench. Jizzle (I feel dumb just typing this) is a top 100 true Freshman and the son of Edgerrin James. Which makes sense because he looks like a RB out there. He is not super efficient but can put up points in a hurry. James has top notch speed off the bounce but is a below average finisher. Finishes some tough shots but also misses a bunch of tough shots. Tends to take contested two's. Takes a low volume of threes and connects at 33%. Solid passer. Like many Freshman he is on a roller coaster from game to game. Pesky on-ball defender but has largely struggled in conference play. 6'1 195 and averages 7 ppg, 1.7 rpg and 2.2 apg. Jamille Reynolds (6'11 275) is a transfer big from Temple and an energy guy off the bench. Tremendous rebounder and athlete. Will post some but is mostly a finisher on offense. Struggles defensively. Averages 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .5 bpg. Oguama (6'9 230) is almost the same player but less polished offensively (3.3 ppg 2.9 rpg. Both bad FT shooters and both play ~12 MPG.
- Don't get killed on the glass - Cinci is huge and one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country. Tech cannot have a repeat of Tuesday.
- Manufacture points - Tech needs to get back on track at the line. Making threes is great but combining that with consistently getting to the line is when this offense is at it's best.
- Selectively run - unlike TCU Cinci doesn't want to get into a track meet. They want to beat you up in the halfcourt. Getting shots before the defense sets itself will lead to easy buckets.
- Stay Physical at the POA - defensively Tech will need to contain physical perimeter players and not allow looks in the paint. Cinci's best offense is getting the ball on the rim.
- Foul Trouble - Warren and Chance will be needed in this game.
