BYU Basketball Looks To Keep Momentum Against Cincinnati

PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball returns home to host the Cincinnati Bearcats after a two-game road trip.

The Cougars are riding high after a breakthrough road win at Colorado earlier in the week. Conversely, Cincinnati is coming into the game after suffering a home loss to Texas Tech.

BYU is 3-4 in Big 12 play, while Cincinnati has a 2-5 conference record.

It’s a critical game for both teams.

Last year, Cincinnati and BYU squared off in their Big 12 debuts, and the Bearcats pulled off a road upset in Provo after trailing the Cougars by seven at the half.

Richie Saunders is playing at an All-Big 12 level

BYU junior wing Richie Saunders is making a strong argument to be an All-Conference performer in the Big 12 this season.

Saunders scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field in the win at Colorado. It was the fourth consecutive game where Saunders had scored at least 12 points.

During Big 12 play, Saunders has scored at least 25 points three times.

After the win over Colorado, Buffs head coach Tad Boyle felt Saunders was an All-Conference player.

Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller gave similar praise to Saunders earlier this week when addressing the media.

“Saunders is so aggressive on the catch. That’s what I’ve seen,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. “He does a great job of attacking closeouts and straight-line driving and his floater has become so dynamic. He’s always had a lot of game; he can shoot the ball.”

Saunders is fourth in Big 12 play in scoring at 17.7 points per game, second in field goal percentage (55.7%), and first in 3-point field goal percentage (46.3%).

Trends for BYU basketball

• In BYU’s three Big 12 victories this season, they hit at least 10 three-pointers. BYU’s four losses in league play all finished with fewer than 10 makes from beyond the arc.
• BYU’s tempo has climbed from 16th in the Big 12 to 12th in KenPom tempo metrics since the loss at TCU two weeks ago. The pace of play has improved for BYU over the past three games.
• BYU is 6-1 in games where Egor Demin dishes out at least seven assists.
• The Cougars are 5-2 in games where Dallin Hall knocks down at least two field goals.

Getting to Know the Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats entered this season as a preseason AP Top 25 squad after retaining most of their roster from last season.

Dan Skillings leads Cincinnati in scoring during Big 12 play, averaging 12.9 points per game. However, scoring has been challenging for the Bearcats.

Cincinnati has scored over 70 points in only one game this season, earlier this week in the loss to Texas Tech, when they scored 71. The Bearcats are last in the Big 12 in scoring at 61.1.

Cincinnati is fifth in the league on defense, allowing 66.7 points.

Wes Miller’s squad boasts the nation’s sixth-best three-point defense, allowing teams to only hit 28% from beyond the arc.

A player to watch for Cincinnati is graduate senior center Aziz Bandaogo. The former Utah Valley transfer is 2-0 in games played at the Marriott Center.

Wes Miller said earlier this week that Bandaogo is probably not 100%, considering what he has dealt with in the past with his back.

Last season, Bandaogo scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench in the upset win at BYU.

Jizzle James, the son of former NFL star Edgerrin James, had a big game last year in a reserve role, scoring another 12 points. He’s now leading the Bearcats in assists with 4.1.

Another familiar face is Dillon Mitchell, Cincinnati’s leading rebounder. Mitchell didn’t play in Cincinnati’s win at BYU last year; instead, he was with another Big 12 team, the Texas Longhorns, a season ago.

Dillon Mitchell is averaging 6.6 rebounds per game and a team-leading 1.6 steals.

BYU vs. Cincinnati

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025

Location: Marriott Center

Tip-Off: 8:30 p.m. (MST)

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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