Cincinnati @ Bowling Green preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 4, 2016 ) Bowling Green 56, Cincinnati 85

Teams separated by 180 miles on I-75 in Ohio will meet far from home when Cincinnati squares off against Bowling Green in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on Sunday. The winner advances to Monday's championship game to face Valparaiso or Nevada.

Cincinnati is fortunate to be in this position after a late rally salvaged a 66-65 victory over Illinois State in Friday's first round. The Bearcats took their first lead since early in the first half with 34 seconds remaining, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final eight minutes. Cincinnati standout Jarron Cumberland returned after missing one game and showed some rustiness, making 5-of-16 shots from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range but hitting the winning bucket with eight seconds left to finish with a game-high 23 points. Bowling Green won in similar fashion Friday when Justin Turner scored with 3.8 seconds left to sink Western Kentucky 77-75.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT CINCINNATI (3-1): Cumberland's 3-point shooting struggles were part of the Bearcats' 1-of-16 effort from behind the arc Friday. Forward Tre Scott (14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots) and Chris Vogt (13 points, 13 rebounds, 4-for-4 from the field) played well again for Cincinnati. Bench production was nearly non-existent against Illinois State for Cincinnati, whose reserves were outscored 32-2.

ABOUT BOWLING GREEN (4-1): Turner, the Falcons' leading scorer this season at 20.8 points, was clutch against Western Kentucky by not only hitting the winning bucket but filling the stat sheet with a game-high 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Dylan Frye is the only other Bowling Green player averaging in double figures at 13 points per game after scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half Friday. The Falcons are outrebounding opponents by 7.6 per game and Tayler Mattos has played a big role on the boards with a team-best 8.4.

TIP-INS

1. Cincinnati junior Chris Vogt, a 7-foot-1 transfer center from Northern Kentucky, posted his second consecutive double-double in the win over Illinois State and is shooting 73.1 percent from the field in four games.

2. Jaevin Cumberland's streak of making at least one 3-pointer in 36 straight games ended Friday when he missed two attempts from beyond the arc and ended up with two points in eight minutes.

3. Bowling Green was ranked 18th in free-throw percentage entering Saturday at 79.3 percent and two of its major contributors - Turner (14-for-14) and Daeqwon Plowden (12-for-12), have yet to miss.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 72, Bowling Green 69