MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
CINCINNATI at UCONN
When: Sunday, noon.
Where: Gampel Pavilion
Records: Cincinnati 15- 7 ( 8- 2 AAC), UConn 12- 10 ( 3- 6 AAC) TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: UConn/ IMG Sports Network, 97.9 FM- ESPN Hartford, WAVZ- New Haven ( 1300 AM), WICC- Brideport ( 600 AM), WINE- Danbury ( 940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich ( 1490 AM)
KEEP AN EYE ON
Punk’d?: Cincinnati dominated UConn in their first meeting on Jan. 1, never trailing en route to a 67- 51 victory. The Huskies shot 32.1 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 16 times in what was probably their worst performance of the season in AAC player.
“We played hard, we tried hard,” coach Dan Hurley recalled. “We got physically beat up during the game, and we were inept offensively. We’ve had some bad offensive performances this year, but that one may get the Oscar. We’ve got to be stronger with the ball, win at the point of screens. They’ve got such great size at the rim, we can’t go to the basket without a plan. Can’t overpenetrate. We’ve got to be really smart and tough with the ball on offense.”
The Bearcats have won five straight and are playing better now than they were on Jan. 1 at Fifth Third Arena.
“There’s a serious age and strength discrepancy ( Sunday),” Hurley continued. “We can’t allow them to bully us at the point of screens at both ends of the court. We can’t allow them to punk us. They punked us the last time.”
Big problem: Chris Vogt, Cincinnati’s 7- foot- 1 center, killed the Huskies inside in the team’s prior matchup with 19 points on 8- for- 10 shooting. It was one of the best games of the season for Vogt, who is among the nation’s leaders in field goal percentage.
“He’s a giant,” said Hurley. “We’ve got to do a better job pre- catch, post defense, post- catch. We’ve got to be much more physical. They beat us up the first time.”
Josh Carlton will draw the bulk of the challenge in stopping Vogt, and knows what he has to do.
“Make sure he doesn’t get in position, not give him angles or easy buckets, and fight him off the block,” the 6- 10 junior center said.
Sid back on the grid?: Sid Wilson ( knee) practiced fully for the first time in a week, but Hurley wasn’t sure if the sophomore forward would be ready to return to action on Sunday after missing the prior three games.
“He may get a chance, we’ll see how his knee responds,” the coach said. “This is kind of a tough one to return to, because of how intense and physical the game’s gonna be.”