Wichita St. @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 6, 2020 ) Cincinnati 80, Wichita St. 79

If the first matchup is any indication, Sunday's rematch between Cincinnati and visiting Wichita State should be another classic. The Bearcats won the first contest between the teams this season and sit in a tie for second place in the American Athletic Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of fourth-place Wichita State.

Back on Feb. 6, Cincinnati slipped past the Shockers 80-79 when Jarron Cumberland converted a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left. The teams went back-and-forth several times in the final minute of that one before Cumberland's heroics that prompted coach John Brannen to say: "Like Jarron does, he makes the right decision. That’s a heck of play. When you’ve got the best player on the floor, you put the ball in his hands." That win was part of a 7-1 stretch for the Bearcats, whose hot run was stopped by Central Florida in a surprising two-point loss on Wednesday. Wichita State, meanwhile, has won three in a row by 17, 25 and 10 points but now must play three of their next four games on the road.

TIME: 1 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (20-6, 8-5 AAC): The Shockers have given up fewer than 60 points in each game during their winning streak and rank in the top 40 nationally in points allowed per game (63.6). Jaime Echenique paved the way against South Florida on Thursday with 20 points and nine rebounds, not to mention four blocks, two assists and two steals, while Jamarius Burton notched 10 points and four assists. Erik Stevenson is the team's leading scorer at 11.7 points but has scored more than seven points only twice in the last 10 games.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (17-9, 10-4): The Bearcats' previous four wins have come by a total of 12 points and they nearly came away with another close victory against UCF before falling 89-87 in double-overtime. In Cincinnati's fourth consecutive overtime game, Tre Scott scored 22 and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds, bumping his season averages to 11.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. Cumberland is the top scorer on the squad at 15.2 points per contest, but over the last four games he is just 12-of-46 from the field.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cincinnati G Keith Williams is looking to register double-digit points for the ninth straight game.

2. Scott is aiming to become the first Cincinnati player to average a double-double since Dwight "Jelly" Jones in 1982-83.

3. After five straight games scoring in single figures, Wichita State G Tyson Etienne has 32 points combined in his last two outings.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 67, Wichita State 62