Here's what you need to know before UC Bearcats play Utah Valley in NIT quarterfinals

The University of Cincinnati men's basketball will face Western Athletic Conference champion Utah Valley, who beat No. 3 seed Colorado, in the National Invitational Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night.

The Wolverines have won 27 games and have now taken out New Mexico and Colorado back-to-back on their own floors. Earlier in the season they also defeated Oregon in Eugene who is also in the NIT quarterfinals.

Coach Wes Miller's Bearcats hosted and defeated Virginia Tech, then won Saturday at Hofstra. Had work not already been scheduled on Fifth Third Arena's floor, the Bearcats conceivably could have hosted three NIT games.

Should the Bearcats advance, they would move to the NIT semifinals in Las Vegas against the winner of Wednesday's UAB at Vanderbilt game. Should it be UAB it would be interesting as Andy Kennedy was UC's interim coach in 2006 when they reached the same level in the NIT tournament. After starters Jihad Muhammad and James White were declared ineligible for the game, UC lost to South Carolina. Later that night, Kennedy was named new coach at Ole Miss with Mick Cronin named as his Bearcat replacement.

UC vs. Utah Valley

Tip: Wednesday 9 p.m., UCCU Center (8,500)

TV/Radio: ESPN2/1530WCKY

Series info: Cincinnati leads 1-0

Utah Valley Wolverines scouting report

Utah Valley 27-8 (15-3 WAC)

Coach: Mark Madsen (69-50, fourth season)

Offense: 77.2 ppg

Defense: 68.1 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Justin Harmon (G, 6'4", 13.8 ppg)

Tim Fuller (F/C, 6'9", 6.4 ppg)

Trey Woodbury (G, 6'4", 13.6 ppg)

Aziz Bandaogo (C, 7', 11.4 ppg)

Le'Tre Darthard (G, 6'4", 13.9 ppg)

Cincinnati Bearcats scouting report

Cincinnati 23-12 (11-7 AAC)

Coach: Wes Miller (41-27, second season)

Offense: 77.4 ppg

Defense: 69.2 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Landers Nolley II (G/F, 6'7", 16.7 ppg)

David DeJulius (G, 6', 14.7 ppg)

Viktor Lakhin (F, 6'11", 11.7 ppg)

Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6'3", 9.3 ppg)

Ody Oguama (F, 6'9", 5.6 ppg)

Players to watch

Le'Tre Darthard

Darthard was First Team All-WAC along with teammate Trey Woodbury for Mark Madsen who's up for the Hugh Durham Award as the Division I mid-major coach of the year. But, the Wolverines share the ball. Teammate Justin Harmon had 32 points in their win over New Mexico in the first round of the NIT and Woodbury had the hot hand against Colorado with 25. Darthard had a 31-point game against Southern Utah Feb. 11.

Ody Oguama

The 6-foot-9-inch senior has found his niche since taking the floor as a starter Jan. 5 at Wichita State. Oguama's been in double figures in rebounding five times this season with four coming since the first of the year. His double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in the NIT second round vs. Hofstra was crucial in UC pounding the Pride 42-27 on the glass. The rim presence of Oguama was necessary when redshirt sophomore Viktor Lakhin missed three games and enhances the looming Lakhin now that he's healthy.

Keys to the game

Go big or go home

While Utah Valley has its own rim-swatters, tandem tenacity from Oguama and Lakhin can be tough to overcome. Wes Miller even adjusted his subbing rotation in the Hofstra game when he saw that forcing players away from the arc down to the paint was particularly effective. The telling stat remains: UC is 20-2 when outrebounding the opposition.

Embrace the road

In theory, UC might have had three consecutive home games to earn a trip to the NIT Final Four. But, the floor work at Fifth Third Arena was scheduled prior to the season. For months it was known the most they could do was host one game. Saturday, they appeared loose and ready to play in a gym where the opponent had only lost once. They'll need the same swagger as Utah Valley is 13-1 at home. The Wolverines last played at home March 3 in front of 2,267 fans in their regular-season finale against Stephen F. Austin.

Typically, the tough team wins regardless of the playing surface.

"Our players are still improving," Miller said of extending the season. "Whether they're young players going to return or old players. They're still getting better before they get on to their next part of basketball. You're also still playing for a championship. You only get so many times to play for championships. It's not many times every year and we're doing that. We're trying to set a standard that in Cincinnati, this time of year we play basketball."

Ratings

NCAA NET: Cincinnati is No. 70, Utah Valley is No. 74

Ken Pom.com: Cincinnati is now No. 47, Utah Valley is No. 70

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NIT preview for Cincinnati vs Utah Valley in quarterfinals