Cincinnati @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2019 ) South Florida 74, Cincinnati 82

Cincinnati looks to stay alive for at least a share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title as it goes for an 11th straight victory against host South Florida on Tuesday night. The Bearcats had won eight of 10 to move into a three-way tie for first place in the league before suffering a 68-55 loss at Houston on Sunday to fall one game behind both the Cougars and Tulsa.

Leading scorer Jarron Cumberland was just 1-of-7 from the field and scored 11 points in the loss for Cincinnati, which was also hurt on the offensive boards (22-9) against Houston - giving the Cougars more chances to overcome their 36.4 percent shooting. “That was the game,” Bearcats coach John Brannen, whose father died Saturday after a fight with ALS and dementia, told reporters. “Fourteen more shots at halftime, 20-plus more shots in the game. It’s an easy numbers game when you shoot that many (more) shots than your opponent, you’re going to win the game.” USF is trying to head into the AAC Tournament with some momentum after two straight victories as the Bulls knocked off East Carolina in overtime last Wednesday before scoring 11 of the final 12 points in a 64-58 win at Temple on Sunday. “Give the guys credit,” USF coach Brian Gregory told reporters Sunday. “. … We had to win the battle on the glass, and we did. We also had to do a great job of taking care of the basketball and we did that with only nine turnovers. The defensive stops and rebounds at the end of the game were critical.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT CINCINNATI (18-10, 11-5 AAC): Cumberland tops the team in both assists (4.8) and scoring (15.3), going into Tuesday’s game tied with Pat Cummings (1,762 points) for seventh in the program’s history. Senior forward Tre Scott had 17 points and 11 boards for his fifth double-double in six games Sunday and leads the AAC in rebounds (10.5) - including eight straight games with double-figure caroms - while scoring 11.3 per contest overall. Junior guard Keith Williams is second on the team in scoring (12.1) but has struggled with his shooting of late, connecting on just 7-for-24 from the field the last three games.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (13-16, 6-10): Junior forward Justin Brown continues to raise his production level after averaging 17.7 points in the past three games and grabbing nine rebounds in each of the last two victories. The Bulls won the past two games despite below-average performances from leading scorer David Collins (13.8 points per game) as the junior guard went 7-for-23 from the field and 0-for-7 behind the 3-point arc. Senior guard Laquincy Rideau is second on the team in scoring (12.6) while leading the way in assists (4.0) and sitting 10th in the nation in steals (2.38) to start the week.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. USF sophomore C Michael Durr is averaging 11.3 points the last four games - almost five above his season average - and leads the team in rebounds (6.1).

2. Cincinnati junior C Chris Vogt is third on the team in scoring (11.4), but is 2-for-10 from the field the last two games for a total of four points.

3. Cumberland owns the AAC’s all-time record for most free throws made with 431 and Collins is second with 413.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 68, South Florida 62