Cincinnati @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 1, 2020 ) Connecticut 51, Cincinnati 67

Following a pair of tight victories, Cincinnati hopes for a more relaxing win Sunday when it visits Connecticut in American Athletic Conference action. The Bearcats have won their last two games by a combined three points and move on to face a Huskies team that is seeking its third win in four tries.

Cincinnati has won five in a row overall, most recently an 80-79 triumph over Wichita State as Jarron Cumberland converted a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left for the decisive bucket. "Like Jarron does, he makes the right decision," said Bearcats coach John Brannen. "That’s a heck of play. When you’ve got the best player on the floor, you put the ball in his hands." The Huskies posted a quality 16-point road win over Tulsa in their last game as James Bouknight had a season-high 22 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting. “Hats off to our guys,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. "After all the brutal, close losses, to come into a place we had never won before and get a nice win, I was just happy for the group to finally get rewarded for their efforts.”

TIME: Noon ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT CINCINNATI (15-7, 8-2 AAC): Cumberland finished with 24 points against Wichita State for his third 20-point performance in the last four games, raising his season average to 15.5 points. Chris Vogt is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points and has eight blocks over the last two games, including five in a big win against No. 25 Houston last weekend. Keith Williams pitched in 17 points against Wichita State - his sixth double-digit scoring effort in the last seven games - but his 3-point shooting over the last five contests (2-of-13) has been uncharacteristically poor.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (12-10, 3-6): The Huskies' bench came up big in the win over Tulsa as Alterique Gilbert had 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Isaiah Whaley chipped in 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting. Bouknight, a freshman guard, was the star of the show, however, as he surpassed his previous season high of 19 points set in the second game of the year. Bouknight averages 10.9 points, which is second on the team behind Christian Vital (14.1), who was held to 10 points against Tulsa and committed at least three turnovers for the fifth time in the last six games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Vital has scored in double figures in eight straight games.

2. Cincinnati topped UConn 67-51 on New Year's Day as Bearcats F Tre Scott registered 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while Chris Vogt contributed 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

3. Scott has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in seven of the last eight games.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 64, UConn 60