What we learned from Cincinnati Bearcats' loss to Texas Longhorns in Big 12 home opener

A second Quadrant-1 win opportunity in less than three days for University of Cincinnati basketball fell short with eight seconds to go Tuesday night when Texas guard Max Abmas rippled the net for the 14th lead change of the game.

That put the Longhorns in front 74-73. No timeout was called and UC's Simas Lukošius fired a final shot that missed the mark denying the Bearcats a win over No. 25 Texas in front of their home fans.

"I wouldn't say we were worried at all about proving anything," Lukošius said. "We know how good we are and we know we belong. In terms of disappointment, we have a few hours to be sad. We knew what we were coming into with the Big 12 and tomorrow we've got to come in and prepare for Baylor."

Both UC and Texas are now 12-3 and 1-1 in the Big 12.

It was the first win for Texas in the short three-game series between the schools. With the Longhorns heading to the SEC, it may be the last meeting for a while unless they square off in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

"We knew it was a big moment for us," Abmas said. "It was a great atmosphere. It got real loud. At times where you really couldn't hear anything."

Texas 6-foot-9 grad student Dylan Disu got the start for the injured Kadin Shedrick who was out with a back injury. He responded with a game-high 33 points while the final shot by Abmas gave him 15 on the night.

Lukošius led UC with 19 points and had the Bearcats in the lead at 73-70 after consecutive baskets with 59 seconds to go.

5 thoughts on UC's first Big 12 loss

1. Not much D on Disu

Disu had played five games for Texas due to injury. He was averaging 11 points and three rebounds. He left with 32 points, going 13-for-23 from the field and 4-for-10 from the arc. It was a career-high surpassing the 29 he scored for Vanderbilt against Kentucky in Feb. 2021.

"It was really loud," Disu said of UC's Big 12 fans. "The student section was great. It was a great atmosphere."

Said UC coach Wes Miller, "We certainly had a ton of trouble with Disu and Abmas and the high ball screen and they kind of kept going to it over and over. The one guy we found that could defend it was Jamille (Reynolds). That's why he was playing so much. Then he finds his way on the other end scoring on the box, which was good to see him come alive."

Reynolds had 11 points in less than 18 minutes, while Aziz Bandaogo, brilliant against BYU, was held scoreless.

2. No foul or timeout at end

The Bearcats were a shot away from beating consecutive ranked teams for the first time in 11 years. Miller was asked about fouling Texas as they had one to give before the bonus but said it's difficult to signal that in the final seconds.

As for not calling a timeout after the Abmas score:

"Do you get it out quick before the defense is set or do you get a timeout and let the defense set?" Miller said. "If I were at a coaching clinic I'd tell you there's no right answer. What's the best thing for your team? We work on running and getting it out quick every day."

3. A rough night on the line

Down 41-39 at halftime, UC was only 6-for-12 in the first half from the charity stripe. They would finish the game just 8-for-15 with the last miss allowing Texas a possession. The Longhorns fouled late and eventually put John Newman on the line for a one-and-one. He had made his previous two, but missed the last opening the door for the Abmas heroics.

"Nobody's going to beat himself up more tonight than John Newman and that just breaks my heart," Miller said. "It ain't fair because he shouldn't do it. One missed free throw on a one-on-one does not define the game. We had two chances to get stops to win a game and we didn't get stops. That's why we lost."

UC did miss several layups that might have changed the game.

"You look down and you score 73 and I don't know how many layups we missed but it felt like a ton," Miller said. "

4. Should fans expect games with 14 lead changes?

"That's Big 12 play right there man!" Texas coach Rodney Terry said. "That's why it's the best league in the country. There's no night off. Whether you're at home you're on the road, you've got to come and take these wins. No one's going to give you a win. We found that out on Saturday. These are possession games. These are tough venue games."

5. Close, but no sellout

There was a lot of anticipation about the Big 12 opener at Fifth Third Arena and the game was arguably as loud as any of the UC games this season have been. On the other hand, attendance was announced at 11,014 which is 998 shy of the building capacity of 12,012.

"I thought our fans were unbelievable tonight," Miller said. "That was a high, high-level environment."

Next game

UC makes its first visit to Waco, Texas to face the No. 14 Baylor Bears Saturday at 8 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Longhorns analysis Big 12 basketball