Location: CFE Arena. Orlando, Florida.
Date & Time: March, 7th. 7 PM EST. ESPN2
All-Time Series: Cincinnati Leads Series.
Background Information:
No, this is not a football preview. UCF and Cincinnati were near the top of the AAC in Football this past year. Same can be said for Basketball and UCF has a chance to make a mess of the AAC and upset Cincinnati at home on Thursday.
Cincinnati is tied for 1st, while UCF has a one game lead over Temple for the 3rd spot in the conference. UCF will need more chaos than just a win over Cincy to have a chance at a share of the title. But crazier things have happened and this one should be a great game.
When most college fans think of UCF, they think of Tacko Fall. The 7-6, 310 lbs. monster from Dakar, Senegal. Fall played at Liberty Christian Prep. in Florida. But, it’s been the talented duo of BJ Taylor and Aubrey Dawkins that have been leading the way for the Knights in 2018-2019.
BJ averages 16 Points and 3.5 assists, while Aubrey is a cool 15 points and 5 rebounds a contest. Dawkins, the Michigan transfer, is the more efficient shooter as his lines are 47/41/75 during conference play, while BJ is more of a playmaker. BJ is just 38/35/75, but finds ways to get to the rim and attack. Tacko creates the shot blocking presence town low and he averages nearly 2 blocks a contest at 1.9 (Top 50 nationally).
For Cincinnati, their final 2 games are among the hardest out of the Mid-Major schools. They play a road game in Orlando, then travel back home to face #12 Houston (the team UCF just beat). Only one of Cincinnati’s losses out of the four this season are considered a bad loss (road game against ECU back in January.
Cincinnati is held together through amazing defensive play as they rank in the Top 10 nationally in Points Allowed Per Game. Offensively, it’s the Jarron Cumberland show as he is by far, their most efficient and best basket getter on this roster. He averages almost 19 a game and grabs 4.5 rebounds. The next closest scorer is Keith Williams at 10.9 PPG.
Having one main scorer on your team can have it’s positives and negatives in a ballgame. Cincinnati beat UCF in their first meeting in Ohio. But this time around, the stakes will be higher as conference title implications are on the line.
Keys to a win for UCF:
Jarron Cumberland in foul trouble. It was just mentioned that Cumberland is their best player by quite a lot. Getting him in foul trouble, with the combo of having a home environment and slightly shorter group will be a benefit for UCF.
UCF also doesn’t turn the ball over much as they rank in the Top 45 in Turnovers Per Game at just 11.5. Cincinnati doesn’t rely on the 3 ball a ton and UCF is very good at defending the 3 as it ranks in the Top 50 in that category. Forcing them to drive and face Tacko Fall is the best case scenario for the Knights.
Keys to a win for Cincinnati:
Staying comfortable and using your strengths to your advantage. Cincinnati is in the Top 20 in the nation in turnovers per game and it is a very healthy 10.9 per contest. UCF wont cough up the ball much either, so staying composed and controlling the ball will be important.
Getting the whistle to go your way on the road is nearly impossible. Finding ways to create shots or play defense without a bunch of contact will be critical and too many fouls could decide this game earlier than people expected it to.
Final Verdict:
Two of the top 30 defenses in the country collide with big time implications. It’s an ESPN2 game, but this is a really good game that not enough people are talking about. Through it all, I think UCF plays spoiler and gets a big time home win and slowly sneaks their way back into the race as being one game back of Cincinnati and Houston. UCF 68, Cincinnati 63.
Image Credit: https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com/2019/1/6/18170840/aubrey-dawkins-leads-ucf-to-win-over-uconn-knights-huskies-aac-tacko-fall-mens-basketball-hoops
