Connecticut @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 24, 2019 ) Cincinnati 64, Connecticut 60

Connecticut finished off non-conference play strong with wins in three straight games but will play its first true road game of 2019-20 when it opens American Athletic Conference play by visiting Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Huskies begin conference play with two consecutive games on the road, including a trip to South Florida on Saturday.

UConn beat Saint Peter's, New Hampshire and NJIT by an average of 19.3 points to finish off the non-conference slate and did not allow more than 62 points in any of its last seven contests. "You feel relief getting through this last 'buy game,'" Huskies coach Dan Hurley told reporters after the 69-47 win over NJIT on Sunday, "because there's not a lot to gain by winning it, and there's a lot to lose by blowing it. Now, we get a chance to play for something. We get a chance to play in high-level conference games and try to move this thing forward." The Bearcats are stumbling into conference play with losses in three of the last four games but got 10 days off to regroup following a 77-70 loss to Iowa in Chicago on Dec. 21. Cincinnati was coming off a win over Tennessee when it fell to the Hawkeyes and shot 34.7 percent from the floor in the loss, including 6-of-24 from 3-point range.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (9-3): Huskies senior guard Christian Vital scored 23 points in Sunday's win but was more excited about his four steals. "I'm trying to make a steal every play," Vital, who leads the team in scoring (14.3 points), rebounds (7.4) and steals (2.7) told reporters. "You've got to have feel. I knew the guy I was up against wasn't their best perimeter ballhandler. You know what guys to pressure. You've got to know what guys to respect a little bit more, and you just play the game and have that awareness on the court." UConn is looking for more from center Josh Carlton, who is second on the team in scoring (10.9 points) but totaled 14 on 6-of-16 shooting in the last three games.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (7-5): The Bearcats' losses mostly feature poor shooting, with the team shooting 40 percent or worse from the floor in four of the five setbacks, while the team is shooting 49.2 percent in its seven wins. Leading scorer Jarron Cumberland (13.3 points) needed 16 field-goal attempts to reach 18 points against Iowa and shot 33.3 percent in the team's five setbacks. Center Chris Vogt is not having as much trouble finding the bottom of the net and is shooting 67.4 percent while averaging 12.6 points, scoring in double figures in each of the last 11 contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. UConn freshman F Akok Akok grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds on Sunday and is averaging 6.1 boards.

2. The Bearcats are 25-2 at home against AAC opponents since the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign.

3. Cincinnati owns a seven-game winning streak in the series.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 64, Connecticut 59