The Wichita State Shockers are finding their second season in the American Athletic Conference to be a little more trying than their first. And unless they have a miraculous run in the conference tournament, their string of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances will be snapped. The Shockers haven’t lost more than six conference games in a season since 2010 when they were in the MVC. They’ll have to knock off the second-place Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday to avoid losing their seventh AAC game this season.
Wichita State Shockers at Cincinnati Bearcats
Date and Time: Sunday, February 17, 2019, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH
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Wichita State at Cincinnati TV Coverage: ESPN
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Following a 20-point loss to UConn late last month, the Shockers were 8-11 overall and on their way to their first losing season in over a decade. They took advantage of a break in the schedule by knocking off bottom-feeders SMU, Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane for their longest winning streak of the season and find themselves over .500. It isn’t saying much, but for a team that has won at least 25 games in each of the past nine seasons, they are accustomed to winning and they weren’t going down without a fight.
Overall the Shockers are 12-11, but their downfall has been on the road where they’ve won just once in seven true road games. That lone victory came in their last trip with a 65-49 win over ECU. They are 2-5 ATS in those seven games, easily covering the 5.5-point line against the Pirates.
Cincinnati is eager to hit the floor after a disappointing loss at Houston last weekend that knocked the Bearcats out of first place and out of the national rankings. It also snapped an eight-game winning streak. They had a week to lament their scoring woes against Houston, going the last six-plus minutes of that game without a point. Cincy will put its 13-game home winning streak on the line in this one. The Bearcats lost their season opener to Ohio State and haven’t lost since.
Players to Watch
We will see the AAC’s top two scorers go head-to-head in this matchup. Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland leads the way with 19 points per game and was the only player to do anything in the recent loss to Houston. Making a move for conference player of the year honors, Cumberland tallied 27 of Cincy’s 58 points in the loss to the Cougars, topping the 20-point mark for the 12th time, including four times in his last five outings.
Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie is just a tick behind with an average of 18.9 points per game. He tallied 25 points in a win over Tulane last weekend and is averaging over 20 points per outing during the Shockers four-game winning streak while connecting on nearly 50 percent of his field goals. The tear lifted McDuffie’s field goal percentage to 47.6 percent for the season.
Last Meeting
Cincinnati used a late flurry to pull away from the Shockers, 66-55, when the teams met in Kansas last month. However, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. Clinging to a five-point lead with just over five minutes left, the Bearcats were awarded free throws after technical fouls were called against WSU’s Erik Stevenson and coach Gregg Marshall. Justin Jenifer and Jarron Cumberland, who combined for 35 points, made all six freebies and the game was over.
It was another solid all-around effort by Cincy with Cumberland leading the way with 18 points and six rebounds. Jenifer tallied 17 points, Keith Williams added 14, and Tre Scott grabbed 10 boards. You typically don’t see visiting teams outshoot the hosts by 28 at the free throw line, but the Bearcats attempted 35 freebies to only seven for the Shockers.
College Basketball Live Betting Picks
The Bearcats have the best homecourt edge in the AAC for any team not named Houston. They’ve won 13 straight and have been dominant in most of them. Cumberland is a talent and he has an exceptional supporting cast. They didn’t play that well against Houston last week and I expect the Bearcats to come out firing after marinating in that loss for a week. This isn’t the same Wichita State team we’ve seen over the last 10 years. Outside of McDuffie the Shockers struggle to find points, and that’s not good against a defensive club like Cincinnati.
College Basketball Score Prediction: Cincinnati 68, Wichita State 60
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