Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Notches First Three-Game Big 12 Winning Streak With Triumph Over Utah

The Bearcats are rolling as they prepare for their toughest test this season at Iowa State.

Jan 28, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Day Day Thomas (1) goes to the basket against Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats withstood a shooting barrage from Utah 85-75 on Tuesday night to earn a three-game winning streak in the Big 12 for the first time in the Wes Miller era.

Jizzle James (Cincinnati season-high 25 points, six assists) has assumed the mantle of offensive dynamo at the right time for UC basketball and he got just enough help to overcome a three-point spamming by the Utes (13-32 from outside).

Cincinnati dominated the glass 41-29 and committed just 11 turnovers while continuing to run at a nice pace in a high-octane up-and-down matchup. Four different Bearcats were in double figures again as they continued to play free and loose heading into the biggest game of the season against No. 10 Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.

Jizzle Keeps Cooking

The Bearcats got another stellar game out of James on Tuesday night as he scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2024 NIT.

He did it at every level: Deep balls, midrange, at the basket through traffic. The dynamo guard was the top defensive option for Utah, but he willed his way to another great outing on hyper-effective efficiency (10-15 from the floor, game-high 26 efficiency score). 

James was easily the team's most efficient player throughout the game and helped catalyze another monstrous team game from outside (11-22 from deep). He was one of four Bearcats to hit multiple threes and UC is now 6-0 this season when they hit 10-plus threes in a game.

James's nasty handles got encapsulated on a filthy crossover around the 10-minute mark of the second half that he turned into an easy layup. UC's been needing an offensive killer that can create their own looks and bend defenses to their will. The sophomore has done just that over the past few games.

Josh Threeed

Cincinnati got another standout performance off the bench from Josh Reed (career-high 13 points, four rebounds) following his career-high 12 points in Saturday's win over BYU.

Cincinnati found some great open looks from deep with nice ball movement and Reed was a key benefactor. He shot the ball with confidence on the catch and even rolled in a nasty stepback triple he created himself. It marked the second time in his career he's hit three-plus threes in a game (three against East Carolina in Jan. 2023).

This kind of bench-scoring impact has been exactly what Cincinnati's offense has needed in conference play. Tyler Betsey (2-2 from deep) rolled in some bombs as well to give Cincinnati another double-digit showing from deep on nice efficiency.

The tempo was rapid in this game with Cincinnati attempting a whopping 61 shots against a top-100 pace team in the Utes. Reed and Betsey were ready for those quick looks, and it helped connect Cincinnati's offense en route to a third consecutive win and game over 80 points.

Gabe Madsen Molten Lava

Cincinnati's mascot stupidly poked fun at the Madsen brothers pregame with a childish sign propped in front of their bench, and it did not help UC contain him (season-high 28 points, two assists).

He hit 8-22 shots from outside and absolutely ate Dan Skillings Jr. (nine points, six rebounds) alive when he was on that assignment. The cutting and swift movement in the halfcourt was a massive problem for UC's normally strong three-point defense.

It's a complete outlier volume performance from his recent games. Madsen had been shooting 38% from the field entering this game. Alas, he was more than comfortable taking 26 shots as the fifth-highest usage player in the Big 12 entering this game (27.5% usage rate entering the game). His 22 three-point attempts were a single player record in Fifth Third Arena's history.

Madsen's gravity outside led to some brutal interior defense as the Utes outscored Cincinnati 32-24 in the paint, thanks to some questionable defensive switches. Starting center Lawson Lovering (14 points, four assists) rolled to the basket for a handful of dunks and shot 7-9 from the floor.

It didn't matter in the end, as UC closed the game on a 13-3 run to take both revenge outings against their Utah-based conference opponents. Next up is a true road measuring stick at Iowa State on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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