Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Storylines: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

UC won this game at home 89-54 last year.

Cincinnati Bearcats guard CJ Fredrick (5) drives to the basket as Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Miles Kelly (13) defends in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game between Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Cincinnati Bearcats, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — A tougher road equation awaits Cincinnati (4-0) on Saturday in a trip to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-2).

Cincinnati destroyed GT last campaign at home 89-54 and is trying to keep its undefeated momentum going against the best team it has played yet this season. Damon Stoudemire's team is ranked 105th nationally on KenPom, while Cincinnati sits at No. 11.

ESPN's matchup predictor has Cincinnati winning this game 80.4% of the time. UC is 8-3 against GT since the 1949 season.

Offensive Storyline: Competition Stiffens

The Bearcats have played one of the lightest schedules of any AP-ranked team so far this season. It's hard to take away much from their strong outings against a four-game stretch ranked 356th in difficulty on KenPom.

That changes a bit on Saturday, playing a balanced GT team that has a defensive force in forward Baye Ndongo. The sophomore leads GT in scoring and rebounding at 15.8 points and eight rebounds per game. He sports an impressive 99.5 defensive rating as well. All in all, GT is ranked 106th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency mark. That's the highest of any Bearcats opponent thus far.

They've defended Cincinnati's top offensive strength well this season (30.8% three-point mark allowed, UC shooting 44.9% from outside). GT plays solid, connected team defense and can clamp down in the half-court (just 19.5 three-point attempts allowed per game, 50th nationally).

Another 60%-plus day from Simas Lukošius on the outside will be very impressive against this unit. It may behoove the Bearcats to fake the shot and attack downhill hunting contact off those threes. GT has allowed 25 free throw attempts per game this season (323rd nationally). A strong day at the free throw line, and Cincinnati could roll to another road blowout.

Defensive Storyline: Paced Up Saturday

Georgia Tech is the best team Cincinnati's faced this season and the fastest operating. Stoudemire's team gets up and goes, ranking 36th on KenPom in adjusted tempo.

GT is posting 67 field goal attempts per game (28th nationally), guided by a quadruplet of guards in Javian McCollum (14.8 points, 3.8 assists), Nathan George (8.5 points, 5.8 assists), Kowacie Reeves (12.3 points), and Lance Terry (14 points). Mixed with Ndongo, GT has four players averaging at least 12 points per game.

Any of them can go off in these paced-up scenarios. Cincinnati has been much more deliberate on offense, ranking 277th in adjusted tempo, but UC is a team that is more than willing to run the floor wuickly for shots. Getting Day Day Thomas some run this past Tuesday may end up being a skeleton key to victory here with another body to fill the stamina meter.

Thomas didn't shoot well against Northern Kentucky, but he played stout defense and Connor Hickman got a clear boost in stamina with him back, leading to Hickman's best offensive game at Cincinnati.

"Having Day Day back was such a lift for our team," Wes Miller said after Tuesday's win. "I thought he was really good at times defensively. He puts so much more pressure on the paint with his ability to drive."

Thomas, Hickman, Jizzle James, and Lukošius will have their hands full with those four Georgia Tech guards, but having four to combat four is much better than Thomas's injury still lingering. Cincinnati has to communicate succinctly and stay together on defense against GT's well-oiled passing machine (16.8 assists per game, 81st nationally).

Prediction: 83-75 Bearcats 

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