A crucial game with NCAA Tournament bubble ramifications happens Saturday as Cincinnati visits TCU in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams in Fort Worth, Texas.
Cincinnati (17-13, 9-8) enters the contest as one of the nation’s hottest teams, pushing hard for a potential at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning six of its last seven.
“I do believe in my heart when it’s all said and done, we’ll play in the NCAA Tournament,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said after a 90-68 home victory over BYU on Tuesday. “The only thing that we’re doing is trying to win the next day.”
TCU (20-10, 10-7) has won seven of eight, including four straight, and is coming off one of its most impressive wins, a 73-65 decision at No. 10 Texas Tech, giving the Horned Frogs a team-record 10 Big 12 wins.
TCU won the rebounding battle 39-25, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.
“It’s what we’re emphasizing,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “Our offensive rebounding has improved these last eight games or so. We’ve taken it up a whole other notch. They’ve handled it well and they’ve known when it was time to get down to business. I think that’s part of this growth, this improvement.”
Cincinnati has won seven of the eight previous meetings against TCU.
With a win, the Horned Frogs clinch at least a No. 6 seed Big 12 tournament and could improve to No. 5. There’s much more at stake for Cincinnati.
A Bearcats win would clinch a first-round bye as one of the top eight seeds, while a loss could knock them down to the No. 9 seed, which would force them into a Tuesday first-round game.
David Punch leads TCU with 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest, while big man Xavier Edmonds is averaging 13.0 ppg and a team-leading 6.8 rpg. Micah Robinson (10.7 ppg) and Jayden Pierre (10.2 ppg) also score in double figures.
Miller continues to dominate for the Bearcats, averaging a team-leading 13.8 points, 10.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game. He is one of three Division I players this season averaging at least 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, joining Duke’s Cameron Boozer (22.6, 10.0, 4.0) and Butler’s Michael Ajayi (16.4, 11.1, 3.1).
