Cincinnati is 2-0, and the latest win came with a little more punch than polish.
The Bearcats handled Green Bay 81-64 in the first meeting between the schools, controlling the game almost from the start. They didn’t cover the betting spread, but they did absorb some early injury trouble and still found a huge answer in Myles Colvin, who poured in 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Colvin’s night stood out for more than just the final total. It was the third time in his career he’s reached 30 points, and it marked the third-highest scoring performance of his college run. Afterward, he said the key was staying with it after a rough shooting stretch.
"I mean, obviously, just it's good to see the balls in the basket after a tough shooting night," Colvin noted after the game. "But I mean, I think it's just trusting it.
Obviously, I put a lot of shots up, and my teammates trust me; my coaches trust me. So you know, they put me in a position today to be able to get as many points as I did today.
So I think it's just trusting the work."
Jerrod Calhoun’s team also had to play through injuries to Jayden Hastings and Akai Fleming, but Cincinnati still led basically wire-to-wire. That kind of response matters as the schedule tightens up, because the Bearcats are about to get their first real tests of the season.
Minnesota comes to Fifth Third Arena on Monday for a 7 p.m. ET tip, and Dayton follows on Saturday. Cincinnati is currently ranked in the top-40 on Bart Torvik, and those games will give the Bearcats a chance to make some statements.
Calhoun said the offense is still a work in progress, and he pointed to the kind of in-game adjustment his group will need to keep making.
"It’s the process over the outcome," Calhoun said after the game about his team’s offense so far. "We missed 10 threes in the first half at one point.
I thought most of them were really good looks, but you have to have the ability as a college basketball player to adjust, right? And we thought we’d get them in closeouts, and we probably got to do a better job of getting them to understand that, If you can't make threes, get to the rim.
We kept harping on it, but we kept launching, and you know sometimes that happens. But this group is still learning.
We are a work in progress."
The Golden Gophers are next, and Cincinnati will get that test in its own building.
In Other News...
Bearcats Face A Brutal Road Test Against No. 17 Houston
Cincinnati heads into a difficult road spot Nov. 7, traveling to TDECU Stadium to face No. 17 Houston in a Big 12 matchup that already carries plenty of weight for both teams. The Bearcats and Cougars are each trying to bounce back from losses to Utah, and Houstons 6-2 record has kept it firmly in the ranked conversation as the season moves into its late stretch.
For Cincinnati, the challenge starts with keeping pace in a hostile setting and finding enough consistency on offense to make the afternoon matter deep into the fourth quarter. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on FOX, with JC French IV expected to be part of the Bearcats plan as they try to pull off an upset against a team that has handled most of its business so far. [Read more 🡒]