Scouting report: Cincinnati Bearcats host Bradley in NIT second round

Unlike last season, when they had to go on the road due to Fifth Third Arena floor maintenance, the Cincinnati Bearcats will host a second-round NIT game Saturday afternoon. UC will face Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference at 2 p.m.

Simas Lukošius curled around a teammate and hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left Wednesday night to give the Bearcats the dramatic 73-72 overtime victory over San Francisco to advance.

"It was amazing!" Lukošius said. "The crowd was just as good as the other time (when he hit a game-winning 3-pointer vs. Kansas State). You can hear how everybody explodes. I almost forgot that we've still got to get a stop to win the game. It's an amazing moment. You dream of it as a child."

Tickets for Saturday's game went on sale at noon Thursday on gobearcats.com. Wednesday's crowd was 3,899 as UC only utilized the lower bowl.

Bradley advanced with a 74-62 win over Loyola-Chicago Wednesday in Peoria. The Braves beat NCAA teams UAB and Utah State during the season and lost three times to Drake, also an NCAA tourney team. As for common opponents, Bradley beat Illinois-Chicago three times, a team UC opened the season with minus pivots Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds.

The Braves also lost to Evansville by 36 but beat them in their next matchup. UC beat the Purple Aces by 18 on Dec. 29.

Notable Bradley games

Led by Chet "The Jet" Walker, a Naismith Hall of Famer, Bradley took one of their two NITs in 1960 and played UC in 1962 for the right to go to the NCAA tournament. The No. 2 Bearcats beat the No. 8 Braves and went on to win their second NCAA championship.

In 1981, Ed Badger's Bearcats went seven overtimes with Bradley before Doug Schloemer scored to give UC a 75-73 win. Their last meeting came in 2008 when Mick Cronin's second UC team was granted a CBI invite to play Bradley with a 13-18 record and lost 70-67.

3 keys to advance over Bradley

1. Run, enjoy, win

It might not be the tournament they preferred, but UC is still playing when many are home. Plus, the opening obstacle has been hurdled thanks to Simas Lukošius.

"The first one's always hard," UC coach Wes Miller said. "When you get through the first one it gets to be a lot of fun. I'm glad they found a way. I'm proud to be the coach of these guys."

2. Guard perimeter, but please don't foul

Bradley only made four 3-pointers in their opening round over Loyola-Chicago, but guard Connor Hickman and forward Almar Atlason both hit at a 41% clip from the perimeter. Three-friendly San Francisco hit nine, but fortunately, Lukošius had 8 of UC's 11 to prevail. As UC sadly found out at Oklahoma, guarding shooters too close to the arc can take away a win. A shot that misses 60-70% of the time shouldn't be rewarded with three free shots after a foul.

3. Keep Bradley off free throw stripe

The Braves made 20-of-25 free throws against Loyola-Chicago Wednesday, compared to UC's 10-of-14 vs. San Francisco. UC has faced better free-throw shooting teams, but 25 free chances is a lot. The Bearcats escaped at home allowing Kansas State 25 free throws, but fell short at Oklahoma, which got 34 to their 11. In the Big 12 tournament vs. Baylor, the Bears shot 22 to UC's nine.

Cincinnati vs. Bradley

Tip: Saturday, March 23, 2 p.m. (Fifth Third Arena)

TV/Radio: ESPN+/700WLW

Series: UC leads 19-14

Scouting report for Bradley Braves

Record: 23-11 (13-7 Missouri Valley)

Coach: Brian Wardle (ninth year, 158-137)

Offense: 74.6 ppg

Defense: 66.9 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Duke Deen (G, 5'8", 14.2 ppg)

Darius Hannah (F, 6'9", 11.8 ppg)

Malevy Leons (F, 6'9", 13.7 ppg)

Connor Hickman (G, 6'3", 14.5 ppg)

Almar Atlanson (F, 6'8", 4.8 ppg)

Cincinnati Bearcats scouting report

Record: 21-14 (7-11 Big 12 before conference tournament)

Coach: Wes Miller (third season, 62-42)

Offense: 74.6 ppg

Defense: 68 ppg

Projected lineup

(Position, Height, Stats)

Dan Skillings Jr. (F, 6'6", 12.7 ppg)

Simas Lukošius (G, 6'8", 11.2 ppg)

Day Day Thomas (G, 6', 10.4 ppg)

or Jizzle James (G, 6'1", 8.0 ppg)

John Newman III (F, 6'5", 9.3 ppg)

Aziz Bandaogo (C, 7', 6.7 ppg)

Players to watch

Connor Hickman from Bloomington, Indiana leads Bradley in scoring at 14.5 points per game and was one of four Braves in double figures against Loyola-Chicago. He has a high game of 28 at Valparaiso and made 6-of-9 treys in the Missouri Valley tournament against Illinois-Chicago.

For UC, point guard Day Day Thomas injured a foot at the end of UC's round one victory and Wes Miller was alarmed.

"He's a warrior," Miller said shortly after the game. "I knew instantly when he was limping off the court, it's serious. For him to be in the pain that he's in concerns me a lot. I'm hoping for the best, but I am worried about his foot."

Thomas has started every game this season. If he is unable to go, Jizzle James could get his first collegiate start.

Next game?

Should the Bearcats win, they would face the winner of Sunday's game featuring top-seed Indiana State and Minnesota. If Indiana State wins, UC would travel to Terre Haute for an NIT quarterfinal. If it's Minnesota, UC could host a third game.

Rankings

NCAA NET: UC finished at No. 37, Bradley at No. 57

KenPom.com: UC is now No. 42, Bradley No. 58

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 3 keys for Cincinnati Bearcats to beat Bradley in second round of NIT