West Virginia Mountaineers (10-2, 19-8) at Cincinnati Bearcats (7-7, 17-10)

Thursday, Feb. 26—7 p.m. EST on ESPN

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Preview

Two bubble teams face off during Judgement Week when West Virginia travels to Cincinnati on Thursday. Both programs have been very successful at times and fallen short at others.

The Mountaineers are currently on a three-game win streak, which started with a win over Villanova and was followed up with a victory over Notre Dame. They faced Rutgers most recently.

The Bearcats have been less successful recently, but their opposition has been a little bit tougher. They have lost their past two games, but those have been against Pittsburgh and Louisville.

The Bearcats are lead by junior guard Deonta Vaughn, who is averaging a team-high 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Matching Vaughn in the backcourt for the Mountaineers is Alex Ruoff, a senior who is averaging 16.1 points and is also leading West Virginia in assists (3.6) and steals (1.9) per game.

The frontcourt is going to provide an interesting matchup as well—the Mountaineers feature Da'Sean Butler (18.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG) and the Bearcats have Yancy Gates (10.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG).

These two matchups should be good ones to watch—especially as we get ready for the end of regular season play and the start of the Big East Tournament.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
West Virginia	19-8	10-2	13-10	14	10	73.3	61.4
Cincinnati	17-10	7-7	8-10-1	55	23	69.6	65.6

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
West Virginia	43.4	41.8	32.8	27.3	67.7	41.3	7.3	15.1	12.2
Cincinnati	43.1	41.6	34.8	33.1	67.8	41.1	5.9	14.8	14.1

Stat Leaders

	West Virginia	Cincinnati
PPG	D. Butler - 18.1	D. Vaughn - 15.5
	A. Ruoff - 16.1	Y. Gates - 10.4
	D. Bryant - 9.6	M. Williams - 9.9
RPG	D. Ebanks - 6.9	Y. Gates - 5.9
APG	A. Ruoff - 3.6	D. Vaughn - 4.7
SPG	A. Ruoff - 1.9	D. Vaughn - 1.4
BPG	W. Smith - 1.6	Y. Gates - 0.9

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Prediction

Want to read the end of the article and see Ryan's FREE Pick Against the Spread? Please head over to CBBPlace.com!

 Mick Cronin makes his mildly suggestive way back into our powdered sugar hearts again this Thursday when West Virginia travels to Cincinnati.

We all know the man on the sideline, the one that makes us question just what he's trying to get his team to do in that picture to the right.

But what about the man away from the court? Mick was kind enough to send us the transcript of his "Losing is a Great Motivator" speech from this past offseason.

Men, losing is a great motivator. Remember when you were a little kid and you used to get picked on by all the other kids in your neighborhood? Crowd sits perfectly still.

Remember how you would have to run home with your underwear pulled over your head? Crowd sits perfectly still. I could go on but I said I would keep this to an hour. The point is, those were some powerful feeling! And you need to find a way to turn those feelings into action!

Now when I was a kid, those feelings motivated me to run home and cry in my bedroom all afternoon until mom got home with the jelly beans. I found a way to take that motivation to cry from my bedroom to the court. Back rows start to empty out. I cry about everything that happens out there.

My guy misses a layup, I'm screaming for a foul whether there's anyone around him or not. They dribble, I cry. They set a screen, I cry. I'm in that ref's head so deep, he probably can't stop thinking of the sound of my voice days after the game.

And one of these days I'm going to turn that approach into basketball glory! Woooo! Look where it's gotten me so far! Crowd starts talking amongst themselves and filing out.

It's in every last one of you. All you have to do is let it out. Last man in the crowd walking out the door, "Would you shut up?!"

St. John's Red Storm (3-8, 12-11) at Cincinnati Bearcats (6-5, 16-8)

Wednesday, Feb. 11—7:30 PM EST

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Preview

St. John's (3-8, 12-11) sits in a disappointing 12th in the Big East. After starting the season off 9-1, the Red Storm have gone 3-10, and their upcoming schedule (Cincinnati, Marquette, Duke) doesn't provide a lot of reason to hope.

The Bearcats (6-5, 16-8) have been very successful recently. After starting conference play 0-3, they have gone 6-2 and upset some big name Big East schools, including Georgetown twice and Notre Dame once.

Another one of those wins came on the road a Madison Square Garden, when Cincinnati upset St. John's 71-60.

Since that game, St. John's has won two of their Big East three (although they were wins over Rutgers and South Florida—two teams beneath them in the standings), and Cincinnati has upset Georgetown twice and Notre Dame once, and lost to a very hot Villanova team.

Cincinnati is in the midst of proving that they are a team worthy of dancing, and a sweep of St. John's can only help. After St. John's, the Bearcats travel to Pittsburgh before hosting Louisville and Syracuse.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
St. John's	12-11	3-8	8-9	143	77	67.3	66.3
Cincinnati	16-8	6-5	7-9	51	29	69.9	64.7

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
St. John's	43.6	42.6	30.0	34.7	63.9	41.7	7.1	12.2	14.7
Cincinnati	42.2	40.9	33.7	32.7	68.5	42.4	6.1	14.6	14.3

Stat Leaders

	St. John's	Cincinnati
PPG	P. Horne - 14.4	D. Vaughn - 16.1
	D. Kennedy - 13.1	Y. Gates - 10.3
	J. Burrell - 9.8	M. Williams - 9.6
RPG	D. Kennedy - 6.8	Y. Gates - 6.2
APG	M. Boothe - 4.8	D. Vaughn - 4.6
SPG	M. Boothe - 1.6	D. Vaughn - 1.4
BPG	D. Coker - 1.2	Y. Gates - 1.0

Prediction

Current Line: Cincinnati -10.5

Want to see Ryan's final pick? Please head over to CBBPlace.com!

See thousands of free College Basketball Picks Against the Spread this season

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

Well isn’t this a nice mid-winter surprise?  I’m excited to report that the young, resilient Cincinnati Bearcats have just completed a season sweep of the Georgetown Hoyas, placing Mick Cronin’s squad smack dab in the middle of the conversation for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Yes, you read that correctly. 

Think back to about a month ago.  UC (16-8, 6-5 Big East) was in the midst of getting roasted by Rutgers, down 29-13 at home, struggling to shake free from the death grip of a brutal four-game losing streak. 

Then, junior banger Steve Toyloy calmly creamed two free throws and the lid was off. Helium-legged sophomore Darnell Wilks canned a 25-foot three-pointer to end the first half to cut the deficit to seven and swing the momentum in the Bearcats' direction. 

UC came out on a mission in the second half, as juniors Deonta Vaughn (16.1 PPG, 4.6 APG) and Mike "Everything's Jelly" Williams (9.6 PPG, 70.4 percent FT) took turns wetting jumpers, and the Bearcats went on to win, going away, 71-59. 

Since that spirited comeback, Brandon Miller and the ‘Cats have been on a serious roll, claiming hard-fought victories in six of their last eight Big East games. UC now sits in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Big East! Helluva turnaround, huh?

The come-from-behind triumph at Georgetown (13-9, 4-7) on Saturday was enough to make a Bearcat fan stream tears of joy. Seemingly down-and-out, time-and-time again in the second half, UC continued to hop up off the mat and throw vicious left hooks at the grills of the Hoya players. 

The spark came from sophomore marksman Alvin Mitchell (36.5% 3-pt FG), who drained a deep bomb to shave the 11-point deficit to single digits with 15:17 to go. Minutes later, Mitchell again pasted a deep three, then stole the subsequent inbound pass, and found Larry Davis, who splashed another three-point bucket from the left corner. 

In a matter of fourteen seconds, a ten-point deficit was cut to four, and the battle was on. 

“I’m just out there fightin’,” Mitchell said.  “If you leave me open, I’ma stick it.  I saw my boy LD in the corner and knew I had to get the rock to him, because he can stick it too.  DaJuan Summers cain’t hold me!  Representin' the 9-5-4 son!”

Back and forth it went, as both teams dug in defensively down the stretch. With two minutes left in regulation, the Bearcats found themselves trailing by five to the desperate Hoyas, a team ranked in the Top 10 just a month ago, but now fighting for an NCAA bid.  Vaughn then got his man in the air and calmly popped a fifteen footer to cut the deficit to three. 

Then, after a DaJuan Summers turnover, Mitchell again made his presence felt. Sprinting hard off a baseline screen, the sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale swished the sh*t out of a catch-and-shoot left-wing three-pointer to tie the game at 59! 

The Bearcats would then go on to win in overtime, holding the Hoyas without a field goal for the entire period. Unbelievable.  F***in' unbelievable. 

What a difference a month makes. I wrote an article following the Providence loss a few weeks ago questioning the cajones of these Bearcats. At the time, it appeared that they weren’t quite big enough...yet. 

After the win on Saturday in D.C. though, nobody should be questioning this team’s heart…or balls. That was an incredible victory, and no matter what happens the rest of this season, Bearcat fans everywhere can be proud of our boys.   

Next up: Wed, Feb 11, vs. St John’s (12-10, 3-7)

  -- 4:30 PST, ESPN360

Cincinnati Bearcats (5-5, 15-8) at Georgetown Hoyas (4-6, 13-8)

Saturday, Feb. 7—12:00 PM EST

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Preview

Redemption.

That is all the Hoyas (5-5, 15-8) are thinking about when they host the Bearcats (4-6, 13-8) on Saturday. When they last met at the end of January, Cincinnati upset Georgetown 65-57 in Ohio.

But this is a new month, which the Georgetown faithful hope actually means something. After going 2-7 in January, the Hoyas were glad to start February off with a 10-point win over Rutgers.

But the Bearcats are a much better team than the Scarlet Knights—for starters they have more than one Big East win. In their five wins, they have played a big part in the collapse of two strong Big East schools—they defeated Georgetown by eight and Notre Dame by 10.

However, both of those wins came on their home court. The Bearcats have only traveled to the Verizon center three times, and all three trips have been unsuccessful. In fact, their win in January was the first time they ever beat Georgetown. Will they be able to make it a clean sweep this year, or will the Hoyas bounce back and stay strong at home?

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Cincinnati	15-8	5-5	6-9	57	25	70.1	64.8
Georgetown	13-8	4-6	6-10	21	2	71.7	63.5

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Cincinnati	42.1	40.9	33.5	32.4	68.5	42.8	6.2	14.6	14.2
Georgetown	47.2	39.8	33.5	31.6	72.1	36.7	8.2	14.0	14.0

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Prediction

Current Line: Georgetown -11.0

To see Ryan's prediction, please head over to CBBPlace.com!

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-6, 12-8) at Cincinnati Bearcats (4-5, 14-8)

Wednesday, Feb. 4—7:30 p.m. EST

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Preview

Notre Dame (3-6, 12-8) is tied for 10th in the Big East after losing five straight. These losses have all come against respectable, ranked opponents—Louisville, Syracuse, Connecticut, Marquette, and Pitt—but the slide has taken them out of the Top 25.

Cincinnati (4-5, 14-8) has had to fight an uphill battle all season. After losing their only true point guard during the preseason, they have been playing without a natural ball handler. While this hasn't been a huge issue all season, it has caused problems in some of their bigger games (in their most recent game, they have 17 turnovers against Villanova—not something they should be proud of).

Notre Dame's strength lies in two players—Luke Harangody (F, 25.1 PPG, 13.2 RPG) and Kyle McAlarney (G, 15.9 PPG, .458 3P%). While both have been stellar, the Irish's lack of depth has caught up with them recently, most notably against Louisville when they were outscored by 14 in OT.

The Irish need this win. Badly. The Bearcats defeated an equally struggling Georgetown team last week, and another win over a big name school could do wonders for their program.

By the Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Notre Dame	12-8	3-6	4-9	76	50	79.3	71.3
Cincinnati	14-8	4-5	5-9	58	22	69.1	64.0

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Notre Dame	44.1	43.2	40.3	33.9	71.1	43.3	6.2	18.1	9.9
Cincinnati	41.9	40.8	33.1	32.8	67.8	42.8	6.2	14.6	14.6

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Prediction

Current Line: Notre Dame -3.5

Notre Dame ATS: 4-9, 4-5 when favored.
Cincinnati ATS: 5-9, 2-6 when underdog.

I said it in the preview and I'll say it in the prediction—Notre Dame needs a win. Luke Harangody is having too strong a season for the Irish to finish in the bottom half of the Big East.

The Irish's main problem is the depth of their bench, and I don't see that issue rearing its ugly head against the Bearcats.

They may have been able to defeat the Hoyas, but Cincinnati's not going to be able to take down this other big-name school tied for 10th in the Big East.

Ryan's Pick: Notre Dame -3.5

*This article is also featured on CBBPlace.com*

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

Cincinnati Bearcats (4-4, 14-7) at Villanova Wildcats (4-3, 16-4)

Sunday, Feb. 1—Noon EST

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Preview

Both teams are coming off huge upsets and their first victories over Top 25 teams this season. Cincinnati (4-4, 14-7) took down No. 23 Georgetown 65-57 on Wednesday, while Villanova (No. 21 AP, No. 21 Coaches, 4-3, 16-4) upset third ranked Pittsburgh in their last game at the Spectrum.

After failing to take down their first four ranked opponents they faced, Villanova (who has been ranked all season) started hearing speculation about whether they were starting to be NIT-bound. They were firing on all cylinders on Wednesday, and the surprise hero of the game was Reggie Redding, who scored 18 points while only averaging 7.3 this season.

The Wildcats' normal heroes are Dante Cunningham (F, 16.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG) and Scottie Reynolds (G, 14.5 PPG, 4.2 APG), who were the only other Villanova players to score double-digit points against Pitt.

The offensive weapon for the Bearcats is Deonta Vaughn (G, 15.6 PPG, 4.8 APG), who has been great when Cincinnati has won and has struggled when they have fallen short.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Cincinnati	14-7	4-4	5-8	59	30	70.0	63.7
Villanova	16-4	4-3	8-7	13	22	74.1	61.9

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Cincinnati	42.6	40.4	33.6	33.2	67.6	43.0	6.3	14.8	14.5
Villanova	45.0	39.0	36.3	31.8	74.3	40.6	7.8	14.9	12.7

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Prediction

Current Line: Villanova -12.0

Cincinnati ATS: 5-8, 2-5 when underdog
Villanova ATS: 8-7, 6-5 when favored

Villanova just pulled the upset of their lives, while Cincinnati's win over Georgetown didn't shock the hoops nation (they have been on a huge slide as of late). In the only two times the Bearcats have been the underdog by double-digit points, they have fallen short.

In the Wildcat's four last games they are 4-0 ATS—including one game when they were favored by 14. They have overcome larger spreads than this this season, and I think the guards of Guard-U are going to pick apart Cincinnati, since they have no true point guard right now.

Ryan's Pick: Villanova -12.0

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

*This article is also featured on CBBPlace.com*

The Power of Positive Thinking

There are 11 games left in the basketball season, and the Bearcats have officially matched their win total from last season.  At this point it is really hard to project how the rest of the season will go, so I am not going to even try.

Last season the Bearcats got their 13th win on Feb. 20 and then went on to lose seven more times without picking up a win.  This team is considerably better than that one, so I expect the season to go better this time around.

Instead of projecting, I want to look at what the Bearcats need to do to make the NCAA Tournament.

Many of you may be thinking that the NCAA tournament is out of reach this season, but we are the University of Cincinnati, and the NCAA tournament is exactly where our eyes should be fixed.  I think there is a lot of confusion about what the selection committee looks for in terms of NCAA tournament teams, so let’s get out the myths right away.

1. The Selection Committee does not factor in conference affiliation.  Playing in a better conference helps insofar as you have opportunities for more quality wins and play a better strength of schedule, but the committee does not count the number of teams in each conference when they are selecting the teams.

2. RPI is purely a grouping mechanism.  It is used to get a feel for how many quality wins a team has.  In the end it is supposed to come down to the most deserving teams based on their body of work. You will see teams with lower RPIs ahead of teams with higher RPIs all the time.

3. The other polls do not matter one bit.  The committee does not look at them at all.  They discuss the teams, who they have beat, and what they thought when they saw them play.  In fact, when you start looking at seeding, you notice how little it really reflects the polls (though the polls generally get the top seeds close to right).

With all that said, it is time to evaluate the Bearcats to date in much the same way the committee will do come March.  As of right now, the Bearcats sit at 59 in the RPI.  This is not important in and of itself; what is important is who they beat and who they lost to.

Five of Cincinnati’s seven losses are to teams in the RPI top 25.  Those losses are not really hurting the Bearcats.  The Bearcats' other two losses are to Providence, a team ranked 65th in today’s RPI.  These are the losses I worry about come Selection Sunday.  Providence, in beating Cincinnati twice, would clearly get the nod if both were sitting on the bubble (though there is always the possibility both could get in). 

The Bearcats have three solid wins to their credit.  UNLV and UAB are both currently sitting in the top 50 RPI (43 and 45 respectively).  The UNLV win could loom particularly large for the Bearcats because it will be a road win against a team that likely is going to finish on the good side of the bubble.

Mississippi State has a lower RPI, but if they could somehow win the SEC West, that could help the Bearcats.  Both UAB and Mississippi State are likely to be sitting on the wrong side of the bubble come Selection Sunday (admittedly there is a lot of basketball to be played). 

Here are the basic numbers you need to know about the Bearcats right now.

They are 0-5 against the RPI top 25.

2-0 against RPI 26-50.

1-2 against RPI 50-100 (both losses to Providence).

2-0 against 101-150.

And 7-0 against sub-150 RPI teams.

(This is another issue that hurts the Bearcats.  The committee does not look positively when more than half of your nonconference wins are against teams with sub-150 RPIs.  It should also be noted that the Bearcats only have 12 victories according to how the committee will evaluate because one of their wins was against a team not factored in the RPIs.)

All in all, the Bearcats are not in bad shape right now, but they are going to have to play significantly better basketball to make the Big Dance.  I still think losing to Providence twice could loom large, but looking at the rest of the schedule, the Bearcats have plenty of opportunities to play their way into the dance.

I have bolded some games that are as close to must win games as you can have (they are St. John’s, @South Florida, and Seton Hall).  For the Bearcats to be an NCAA team they almost certainly have to win those games.  I think 4-4 in the other eight games will get the Bearcats into the NCAA tournament.  That would put the Bearcats 20-11 overall and 10-8 in the Big East.

I think at 3-5 in those eight games the Bearcats would be left with some work to do in the Big East tournament, but could play their way in with a run to the semifinals (which would likely include winning three games). 

Jan. 28: No. 23 Georgetown 7:30 PM ET 

Feb. 1: at No. 21 Villanova 12:00 PM ET 

Feb. 4: No. 22 Notre Dame 7:30 PM ET 

Feb. 7: at No. 23 Georgetown 12:00 PM ET 

Feb.: 11 St. John's 7:30 PM ET 

Feb. 14: at No. 3 Pittsburgh 4:00 PM ET 

Feb. 21: No. 7 Louisville 2:00 PM ET 

Feb. 26: West Virginia 7:00 PM ET  

Mar. 1: at No. 15 Syracuse 2:00 PM ET 

Mar. 3: at South Florida 7:00 PM ET 

Mar. 7: Seton Hall 12:00 PM ET

The question then becomes: Where do those wins come from?  The two key four-game stretches are Georgetown/Villanova/Notre Dame/Georgetown and Pittsburgh/Louisville/West Virginia/Syracuse...at least on paper, the latter looks significantly harder.

If the Bearcats can somehow manage to go 3-1 in the next four games, it will be time for Bearcat fans to get excited.  That is no doubt a tall order, but one that could really pay off huge.

If the Bearcats go 2-2 the next four games, I think things start to look a little more bleak, but there will still be hope.  If the Bearcats go 1-3, I think you can close the door on an NCAA bid. 

So let’s say the Bearcats win the next three games before losing to Georgetown on the road.  They then manage to spoil Huggy Bear’s homecoming and take out the Mountaineers.  That would give the Bearcats 5-6 top 50 RPI wins with two of those wins possibly being top 25 wins.  It would give the Bearcats 20 wins and a winning record in the toughest conference in the nation.  That is an NCAA tournament profile.    

All in all, we are not in terrible shape.  The chance will be there to play our way into the tournament over the course of the next few weeks.  It is going to take significant improvement.  It is going to take big-time efforts night in and night out, but it is very possible.

The next four games are enormous for this team.  By the time they are through this stretch, we may start getting a pretty good idea of where the Bearcats are heading come March.

Georgetown Hoyas @ Cincinnati Bearcats

Wednesday, Jan. 28—7:30 PM EST

Preview

The Hoyas (No. 25 AP, No. 23 Coaches, 3-4, 12-6) are on a three-game slide and now sit with a losing Big East record—a place where no one expected them to be after they upset Connecticut in the Big East opener.

Fans were hopeful that they could be successful against Duke—I even incorrectly picked them +8.0 (they lost by nine). But everyone in the wild world of basketball expected them to defeat West Virginia and then-Big East winless Seton Hall.

Georgetown's biggest problems have come from downtown shooting—while they are still shooting .324 on the year, in their last two outings the Hoyas are 5-38 from beyond the arc. This also goes hand-in-hand with their rebounding problem—they have been clearing out as the shot goes up instead of fighting for rebounds.

The Bearcats (3-4, 13-7) were set up from the beginning of this season to have a long season. They lost their starting freshman point guard in preseason play and are now forced to go the whole season without a true point guard. It has caught up to them numerous times this season, and the lack of depth on their team has shown through on multiple occasions.

The Bearcats are winless against Top 25 this season, and their conference wins have come over the bottom of the Big East (Rutgers, DePaul, and St. John's).

The Cincinnati offense revolves around junior guard Deonta Vaughn (15.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.9 APG)—when he is on, they play well, and even in their losing efforts they are generally close. But when he is off (six points against Providence part deux and no points against Marquette), the game has seemed like a lost cause for the Bearcats.

This match is the first of two this season for Georgetown and Cincinnati—they face off in DC in a little over a week on Feb. 7.

Stats

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Georgetown	12-6	3-4	6-7	13	1	72.8	62.6
Cincinnati	13-7	3-4	4-8	59	32	70.3	64.0

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Georgetown	47.3	38.9	32.4	29.9	72.8	37.3	8.0	13.7	13.9
Cincinnati	42.4	40.4	33.4	33.4	67.4	43.5	6.1	14.8	14.5

Prediction

Current Line: Georgetown -6.0

Georgetown ATS: 6-7, 5-5 when favored
Cincinnati ATS: 4-8, 1-5 when underdog

The Hoyas came off the worst stretch in college basketball this season unsuccessful, and in their first game out of the stretch they fell short—against Seton Hall. Cincinnati has struggled so far this season, especially during conference play. If the Hoyas can't defeat the Bearcats by more than six, their season is more in shambles than everyone initially thought.

The Seton Hall game was just a fluke, and the Hoyas will get their long-range stroke back.

Pick: Georgetown -6.0

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*

*This article is also featured on CFBPlace.com—and soon to be featured on CBBPlace.com*

Preview

After losing their only true point guard in the preseason, the Cincinnati Bearcats (2-4, 12-7) played well during their non-conference schedule, and there was talk of them being a bubble team for the Big Dance. While they defeated the likes of UAB and UNLV, they fell to Florida State, Xavier, and Memphis.

They started conference play off on the wrong foot—their only two wins have come by the way of two teams that are winless in conference play (DePaul and Rutgers), and they have fallen twice to Providence and once to both Marquette and Connecticut.

St. John's started conference play differently. After a disappointing 21-point loss to Providence, they bounced back to upset Notre Dame. They are yet to be victorious since their win over the Irish, though, having lost to Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Villanova.

They also lost their senior leader—Anthony Mason, Jr.—at the beginning of the season to a torn tendon in his foot, but the Red Storm have managed to still put together an overall winning record.

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Cincinnati	12-7	2-4	3-8	69	35	70.2	64.2
St. John's	10-7	1-4	6-5	123	80	69.1	65.9

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG
Cincinnati	42.4	40.3	33.6	32.4	67.3	43.8	5.9	15.0
St. John's	44.2	42.8	28.5	34.7	64.5	41.1	7.3	12.9

These two Big East foes stack up well against each other—they shoot similarly from the floor and charity stripe, and have comparable rebounds and steals per game. There are a few differences, though, that give a slight advantage of Cincinnati. The Bearcats average two more assists per game and shoot five percent better from beyond the arc, and have a scoring margin of six points versus three for the Red Storm.

Prediction

Current Line: St. John's -2.0

Cincinnati ATS: 3-8, 0-5 when underdog
St. John's ATS: 6-5, 4-0 when favored

St. John's has had a very tough conference play schedule so far, playing only one unranked team. Cincinnati, on the other hand, has not played great basketball recently (they only escaped DePaul by four points), and their lack of a true point guard is going to keep catching up with them as conference play progresses.

If St. John's wants to make it to the NCAA Tournament, they need to pull off this win (as well as wins in their following four games over Rutgers, West Virginia, South Florida, and Seton Hall).

Pick: St. John's -2.0

*This article is also featured on CFBPlace.com—and soon to be featured on CBBPlace.com*