Cincinnati Basketball 2023-24 Preview Paw Prints: Florida Gulf Coast

The Bearcats are off to their best start this decade.

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats are gunning for a seventh consecutive win to start this season as they welcome 2-6 Florida Gulf Coast into Fifth Third Arena.

Sunday marks the two sides' first-ever meeting dating back to 1949 as Cincinnati gets one more lower-level opponent before the biggest game of the season thus far next Saturday: At Xavier.

Cincinnati enters this game as a 91.1% favorite on ESPN's matchup predictor and 37th in KenPom. FGCU is 229th in KenPom as they try to knock off one of the 20 remaining undefeated teams in Division I.

When UC Has The Ball

The Eagles are far from sound on the defensive end (300th in adjusted defensive efficiency) as Cincinnati gets a chance to continue its fantastic offensive start (85.3 PPG, 24th nationally).

It'll be interesting to see how UC's lead guard, Day Day Thomas, bounces back after his toughest game as a Bearcat against Howard. There aren't any stoppers in his way, or any of the Bearcats' way against a team allowing 74.1 PPG on limited possessions.

Every player in the FGCU rotation has a defensive rating over 111 points per 100 possessions. The small group has struggled across the board, allowing an eye-popping 55.5% effective field goal rate this season (323rd nationally). Cincinnati can get what it wants as long as it can keep the tempo high and control the glass like they have all season.

The one thing FGCU has limited so far is opponent rebounding, outworking other teams 35.1-32.4 on average. Yet, Cincinnati boasts a 41-30.7 average ratio on their end.

FGCU is allowing teams to shoot 37.9% from deep (338th) on 24.8 attempts per game (292nd). Funneling right Cincinnati's choice of offense as they look to pick the pace back up following a slowed-down game against Howard. The Eagles rank 344th in pace averaging just 64 possessions per 40 minutes.

I'd highlight an Eagle to watch on defense, but I truly can't land on one good defensive talent. 

Forward Keeshawn Coleman (10.5 points, team-high 7.6 rebounds) is the name to watch in the rebounding battle. If Viktor Lakhin and the rest of the frontcourt box out like they have throughout the opening six games they shouldn't have a lot of trouble with the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward.

Wes Miller preaches rebounding and his players are listening 👇👇#Bearcats https://t.co/ao9Ffbjh3q

— Russ Heltman (@russheltman11) December 1, 2023

When FGCU Has The Ball

Kellman is the Eagles' most efficient scorer (62.3% eff. FG rate), but he's limited to two-point range (0-of-3 from deep this season). The main offensive talents to clamp on are guard Isaiah Thompson (14 points, 2.1 assists) and forward Zach Anderson (12 points, 5.3 rebounds).

Anderson is the most versatile inside-out scorer on the team and a threat to go off each night. He's a strong 6-foot-7 forward who can hit threes at a decent volume (41.7% on three shots per game) and shows strong athleticism at the point of attack. John Newman III gets one of his tougher tests on defense so far this season as I expect him to match up with Anderson throughout the contest.

Thompson is a player you want shooting. He is first in scoring but fifth among qualified FGCU players in eff. FG rate (47.7%). He's chucking up 5.3 threes per game on a 29% mark. Cincinnati needs to get physical with the 6-foot-1, 160-pound scorer to knock him off his spots and create chaos.

There isn't a lot of ball movement to worry about with this team. FGCU ranks 317th nationally in assists per game (10.8).

Prediction: 78-63 Cincinnati

UC goes under its season points average due to a slowed-down pace, but Viktor Lakhin and the rest of the team find their three-point shot at home and barrage FGCU like so many of their opponents thus far.

Thomas and Jizzle James rough up Thompson all afternoon on the defensive end and Cincinnati gets another double-digit victory to support their early-season dominance (plus-19.8 scoring margin, 12th nationally) with a six-day break to prepare for Xavier on the road.

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