3 teams BYU might want to see in the Big 12 Tournament
. . . 449. Cincinnati Bearcats. . Previous Matchup: L 60-71, @ The Marriott Center. . 3.
Much like in football, BYU's first Big 12 conference game was against the Cincinnati Bearcats in Provo. While Cincinnati has been a fantastic basketball program over their history, the past few years have been down for the Bearcats (I watched this team lose to Aziz Bandaogo's former team, UVU in the NIT Tournament last year). Both teams were picked to be Big 12 bottom-feeders in their inaugural seasons of power conference membership, but the paths these teams took following this game couldn't have been more different.
Cincy sits at 11th in Big 12 standings with a 6-10 conference record. In this game, BYU's shooting percentages fell off a cliff and were never able to catch up to Cincinnati, as the Bearcats hit 40% of their long-rang attempts. BYU shot 32% from the field in this game, and Trevin Knell's 27 points were the only bright spot for a BYU team that looked unprepared for Big 12 competition. Since this game, BYU has reached 4th place in league standings, and is making buzz as a sleeper for March Madness after wins against Baylor, Kansas, and Iowa State.
BYU would love another crack at this Bearcats team to settle the score. Despite the loss, BYU is the better of the two teams, and would love a chance to make that certain.