Three Things We Learned About the Cincinnati Bearcats in Non-Conference Play

Cincinnati has built an interesting resume after some up and down performances against non-conference opponents.

The Bearcats finished their non-conference portion of the schedule with a win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night. 

Before we focus on the AAC schedule, here are three takeaways from a roller coaster stretch of non-conference performances.

1. Efficient, Not Flashy

When the Bearcats have the ball, they excel at keeping it, ranking 18th in the country in turnover percentage at 14.7%. They also are one of the better teams in the country at rebounding missed shots with a 34.1% offensive rebound rate. That was evident on Tuesday night against Tennessee Tech, a game Cincinnati was out-shot in, where they turned the ball over just nine times. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles had 16 giveaways and the Bearcats won the battle on the offensive boards 13-5. It’s also worth noting that Cincinnati has been out-rebounded in all three of their losses.

The defense is also excellent at limiting the other team’s efficiency. They are fifth in the country in effective field goal percentage allowed (41.1%).

2. Jeremiah Davenport is the Straw that Stirs the Bearcats' Drink

Davenport leads the way, but unlike past teams, he isn't the only option for points. David DeJulius actually leads the team in points per game (12.5) and Mike Saunders is the leader in field goal percentage with a 45.6% clip. When you really need a bucket, though, Davenport is your guy.

The biggest evidence of that are the back-to-back losses UC suffered to Arkansas and Monmouth. Davenport went scoreless against the Razorbacks and scored just six points against against the Hawks. Take away those two games and he's averaging 14.6 points per game and is shooting 45% on the year.

3. Plenty of Ball Left

What we know now could be much different when we look back on the conference schedule. It’s very hard to have an entire picture of a team after a non-conference slate. There are some things we have a decent idea about, but a team’s flaws, however small, will come to the forefront during their conference slate of games.

Right now we may be feeling this team could fight for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, but that may change due to their upcoming schedule.

Cincinnati is playing the three best teams in the AAC over the next three weeks (Houston, SMU, and Memphis) starting with the Cougars on Dec. 28. 

We'll know much more about the Bearcats after they make it through the upcoming gauntlet of conference opponents. 

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