Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2015 ) Arkansas-Pine Bluff 50, Cincinnati 99

A strong showing last week has Cincinnati back in the national rankings - and they're a good bet to stay there for a while as they prepare to host Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Tuesday night. The No. 22 Bearcats have responded to a pair of tough losses with two consecutive wins and will wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule with a pair of highly winnable games.

Having to travel to California following a 65-50 victory over Mississippi State, Cincinnati didn't look travel-weary at all, putting together an 18-0 first-half run en route to a 77-61 win over UCLA that served as a fitting bit of revenge after the Bruins bested the Bearcats in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Kyle Washington, who had just four points on 2-of-10 shooting in last year's defeat, broke through with 19 points Saturday and said afterward: "We lost last year, and I know I wasn't there for my team. "I just wanted to show I was way better than that. I didn't show what I could do on the defensive end or offensive end last year in the tournament, and I was really hurting from that." Next up: a date with an Arkansas-Pine Bluff team that is still looking for its first win of the season. The Golden Lions watched Jerrick Hardin pour in a season-best 30 points en route to a 96-74 loss to Weber State last time out.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (0-12): Southwestern Athletic Conference play can't get here quickly enough for the Golden Lions, who have been outclassed in nearly every game this season and are struggling to find answers on offense, averaging just 58.7 points per game - fourth-fewest in all of Division I. Junior guard Martaveous McKnight (17.3 points per game) is the only Arkansas-Pine Bluff player averaging in double figures, and is coming off an impressive 27-point showing in the loss to Weber State. The Golden Lions average just 26 rebounds per game, the lowest mark in the country.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (9-2): Stout defense and balanced scoring have been the foundation for the Bearcats so far this season; they have four players averaging double figures in points and are allowing a scant 60.8 points per game, 10th-fewest in the nation. Jacob Evans paces the offense at 14.4 points per game and has discovered his long-range shooting stroke, going 8-of-13 in victories over Mississippi State and UCLA after connecting on just three of his 12 attempts in the losses to Xavier and Florida. Gary Clark adds 12.5 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds, and has blocked eight shots over his previous two contests.

TIP-INS

1. Clark has three double-doubles on the season.

2. The Bearcats average 6.3 blocked shots per game, ranking inside the top 10 nationally.

3. Only one Arkansas-Pine Bluff player - F Travon Harper - averages more than four rebounds per game.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 86, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 42