East Carolina @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2019 ) Cincinnati 71, East Carolina 73

Cincinnati has been a sub-.500 team since starting the season with six wins in eight games and looks to begin changing that when it hosts East Carolina for an American Athletic Conference matchup Sunday night. The Bearcats, who played three of the next four games at home where they are 7-1, had won two straight before dropping a 60-49 decision at 22nd-ranked Memphis on Thursday.

Memphis led by as many as 15 early in the second half before Cincinnati rallied to take the lead and trailed by three with five minutes to go before getting outscored 13-5 down the stretch for its second league loss. “We were able to come back,” Bearcats coach John Brannen told reporters after the setback. “I was disappointed in the last three minutes. Our character wasn’t that great, but we’ve always been able to come back. That’s what we do. We’ve got some tough kids.” Cincinnati owns a 12-2 edge in the all-time series - 7-0 at home - but suffered a 73-71 loss at East Carolina last January as Jayden Gardner registered 13 points along with 12 rebounds, and the Pirates hope to pull the upset after suffering their second loss in eight games last time out. East Carolina was held to a season low in points in Wednesday’s 65-49 loss to Tulsa at home and Gardner told reporters: “This game was very frustrating. We couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean tonight. We didn’t have anything going in.”

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (8-9. 2-2, AAC): Gardner, a 6-7 sophomore forward, entered the weekend leading the AAC in scoring (21.2) while sitting third in rebounding (9.1) and fourth in field goal percentage (56.2). Gardner was held to fewer than 20 points (19) for the first time in nine games against Tulsa, connecting on 3-of-8 from the field, and will need more help if the Pirates are going to make an impact in the AAC race. Junior guard Tyrie Jackson (9.3 points per game) scored four versus Tulsa and freshman forward Brandon Suggs (9.3) was held to five in 18 minutes last time out.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (10-7, 3-2): Senior guard Jarron Cumberland, who is 13th in program history with 1,568 points, recorded a team-high 19 against Memphis and leads the club in scoring (13.7) and assists (3.8). Jaevin Cumberland, Jarron’s cousin who transferred in from Oakland this season, tops the Bearcats in made 3-pointers (38) and is fourth in scoring (9.9). Junior Chris Vogt (13.2 points) was held to fewer than 10 points by Memphis (nine), marking the first time that happened since the season opener, and the 7-1 center leads the league in field goal percentage (68.8) while hauling in 6.6 rebounds per contest.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. East Carolina freshman G Tristen Newton chips in with 8.1 points and a team-high 3.8 assists per game.

2. Cincinnati senior F Tre Scott, who tops the team in rebounding (9.0), was 2-for-13 from the field versus Memphis.

3. The Pirates entered Saturday second in the league in free throw shooting percentage (72.3) and Cincinnati is 11th (66.8).

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 70, East Carolina 60