Cincinnati v. Dayton Flyers NIT Preview

The NCAA tournament has been going crazy, but there is another tournament running wild. It's called the NIT. And it features the Cincinnati Bearcats. Since only 2,200 showed up to the Weber St game, I'm guessing that a little more care about the game tonight at 9, as the Bearcats play host to the Dayton Flyers. Bearcats Blog will be in the house tonight. I'll be the guy sporting the Field Williams autographed hat. I know there are so many of those going around, but think of it as a where's Waldo. The Bearcats and Flyers haven't played in a couple years. The last time they played was in Las Vegas in the 05-06 season, and the Bearcats won by 18. They played earlier that season as well, with Dayton winning at 5/3. But, I'm going with the story that the Flyers haven't beaten Cincinnati in nearly 5 years. How do the Dayton Flyers and the Cincinnati Bearcats match up in the battle of 1-75 as Go Bearcats calls it? Let's hit it.

KenPom Offense/Defense Rank: 111/52
Notable Stats: 29.6 Three Point Percent (322), 63% Free Throw Percent (330) 38.5 Offensive Rebounding Percent (18)

Minutes

1. Deonta Vaughn 30.3
2. Lance Stephenson 28.2
3. Yancy Gates 25.7
4. Cashmere Wright 18.1
5. Ibrahima Thomas 17.9

Points

1. Lance Stephenson 12.3
2. Deonta Vaughn 11.2
3. Yancy Gates 10.6
4. Ibrahima Thomas 5.7
5. Cashmere Wright 5.5

Rebounds

1. Yancy Gates 6
2. Lance Stephenson 5.3
3. Ibrahima Thomas 5.3
4. Deonta Vaughn 3.5
5. Steve Toyloy 3.4

Assists

• Deonta Vaughn 3.5
• Lance Stephenson 2.4
• Cashmere Wright 2

Steals

• Deonta Vaughn 1.1

Blocks

• Yancy Gates 0.9

KenPom Offense/Defense Rank: 110/9
Notable Stats: 27.5 Opponent Offensive Rebound Rate (13) 45.1 Opponent Effective Field Goal % (32) 43.8 Two Point % Defense (33)

Minutes

1. Chris Wright 28.4
2. Marcus Johnson 24.3
3. Chris Johnson 24
4. Kurt Huelsman 21.5
5. Paul Williams 20.5

Scoring

1. Chris Wright 14
2. Chris Johnson 11.5
3. Marcus Johnson 8.6
4. Rob Lowery 7.5
5. Mickey Perry 5.7

Rebounding

1. Chris Wright 7.2
2. Chris Johnson 6.8
3. Kurt Huelsman 4.3
4. London Warren 3.3
5. Marcus Johnson 3.1

Assists

• London Warren 4.2
• Rob Lowery 3.6

Steals

• London Warren 1.2

Blocks

• Chris Wright 1.5

The big key to this game is going to be rebounding. If Cincinnati can crash the offensive glass, they have a great shot at winning. Cincinnati has really been playing solid lately, while the Flyers have been up and down. They swooned to the finish in the A-14, but they have a lot of quality players. Chris Wright stole James White's nickname, but he's a tremendous player. The Dayton defense, like most other A-14 defenses, is very solid. The Cats are going to have to earn their points tonight. A prolonged scoring slump is to be expected. It's to be expected in every game, but especially in this case, where Dayton can really put the clamps down. The Bearcats playing at home gives them the advantage in my eyes. I don't know how much of an advantage it will be now that I think about it, but I will be in the house, and that's more than enough.

Prediction: Cincinnati 73 Dayton 67