Kansas Dominates Cincinnati with an Impressive Surge

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men’s basketball squad fell behind by a single point in the final stages, yet No. 11 Kansas scored 14 consecutive points to distance themselves towards victory, 54-40, on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.

The Bearcats (10-5 overall, 0-4 Big 12) were spearheaded by junior forward Dillon Mitchell (10 points) and center Arrinten Page, who contributed nine points and secured seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

Kansas was guided by center Hunter Dickinson, who achieved a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Jayhawks enhanced their record to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

Mitchell’s shot with 7:33 remaining made it 38-37, but Kansas countered with an essential scoring run that paved their way to victory.

Back-to-back baskets in the paint by Kansas center Hunter Dickinson and Shakeel Moore allowed the Jayhawks to surge ahead 42-37. KU guard Zeke Mayo completed a layup, then intercepted a Day Day Thomas pass and found Moore for an alley-oop slam that increased their advantage to 46-37.

Mayo hit another shot, and Kansas forward KJ Adams sank two free throws to finalize the scoring run and grant the visitors a 52-37 advantage with 1:34 remaining.

Cincinnati’s scoring drought came to a halt when reserve forward Josh Reed hit a 3-pointer at the 1:15 mark.

Reed (five points) combined forces with Page and guards CJ Fredrick and Thomas to energize the Bearcats off the bench. UC held a 16-10 advantage in bench points.

Cincinnati led 25-24 at halftime, driven by 18 points in the paint, with eight coming from Mitchell.

The Bearcats initiated the game with an 8-2 surge, highlighted by Mitchell’s alley-oop dunk for the opening points. 

Cincinnati established a seven-point lead in the first half after junior wing Dan Skillings Jr. notched five consecutive points, putting UC ahead 21-14 seven minutes prior to the break. Mitchell’s single-handed dunk extended Cincinnati’s lead to 25-20, but Kansas’ KJ Adams remedied with a layup, and AJ Storr converted two free throws, narrowing the gap to 1 by halftime.

FROM WES MILLER

“To say the least, the last couple of weeks have been disappointing, without a doubt. Every facet of our team and our program feels that disappointment; I believed our players came out and played with the type of energy, effort, and approach we aspire to embody. They met our standards in that regard, and I was proud of their resilience. They’ve reacted well this week to a very frustrating game at Baylor as we didn’t possess that, and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of their unity, proud of their work ethic. I’m proud of how much they care.

“We didn’t execute enough in the second half. At the close of the first half and throughout the second half, we failed to summon enough plays to turn the game around tonight. It was certainly disheartening, as some of the errors we made felt very fixable. Not only did they hinder our offensive conversions, but they also gave up buckets on the opposite end, which is where the game slips away. The offensive rebounds for Kansas were a bit frustrating to witness at the start of the second half; at times we forced them to miss and just couldn’t secure some defensive rebounds. Again, I am quite aware of how we concluded the first half and certain aspects of the second half. We’re facing a bit of a struggle right now. We’re not hitting our shots and struggling to convert. Even when we create open opportunities, it remains challenging. However, we will rediscover our offensive rhythm. We will restore our confidence on the offensive end.”

Dillon Mitchell on the team’s internal message

“I believe it’s all about focusing on the minutiae, and we must remain united. I recently told the team that we have 16 games remaining in the conference. I don’t even think we’ve played that many contests so far. There’s still a lengthy season ahead, and we need to continue remaining united and putting in hard work every day during practice, then transition what we practice into the games. It’s all about the small details we concentrate on. There’s still plentiful basketball to be played, and we trust our coaches and trust one another. We know the shots will begin to drop, and when they do, everything will open up for us. We simply need to keep focused, zero in on the details, and stay united. That’s the most vital part. It’s all about the 15 other teammates in that locker room and all the coaches. That’s all that is significant. There’s a lot of basketball remaining. We just have to persevere, and we will respond.”

UP NEXT

Cincinnati will venture on the road this Wednesday to compete against Colorado in Boulder, Colo., at 9 p.m. ET. The matchup will be aired on ESPN+. The Bearcats are set to return to Fifth Third Arena next Saturday, Jan. 18, to face Arizona State at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.