Preview: Cincinnati’s tough defense will test KU as Jayhawks look to keep pace in league race
Men’s Basketball
AP Photo/Alonzo Adams
Kansas head coach Bill Self yells to his team during a play against Oklahoma State during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Stillwater, Okla.
Kansas coach Bill Self won’t complain about a double-digit road win, but he had little trouble pinpointing areas in which the Jayhawks could have played better on Wednesday at Oklahoma State.
KU’s 23rd-year head coach didn’t think his team was sufficiently tough, quick enough to loose balls or stingy enough on defense in the second half — a period in which OSU actually outscored KU by two points.
The extent to which the Jayhawks are able to improve in those respects will be tested on Saturday when they welcome physical, defensively minded Cincinnati to Allen Fieldhouse for another pivotal conference matchup at noon on Saturday as KU, a game back of the Big 12 lead, looks to keep pace in the league race.
“Like Coach Self says, ‘We’re in the game! Come on!’” forward Flory Bidunga said. “Something like that. But yeah, obviously, we’re in the game.”
“We don’t have any margin for error, and our guys know that,” Self added. “… Certainly we’ll talk about the biggest game on our schedule’s Cincinnati. We’re not going to mention anything else past that.”
KU is encountering Cincinnati at a particularly dangerous time. The Bearcats fell to 3-7 in Big 12 play on Feb. 5 with a home loss to West Virginia, after which head coach Wes Miller apologized directly to a group of fans after the game, telling them, “You guys deserve to be frustrated.” Since then, UC has ripped off three straight wins, including blowouts of 20 and 29 points over UCF and Kansas State, respectively. The Bearcats will be coming off a midweek open date when they meet KU on Saturday.
“They can guard, and they’re extremely long up front, and they’re very quick in the backcourt,” Self said. “They’ve got a good team. They’re a better team than what their record shows.”
In addition, they are beginning to get healthier. Moustapha Thiam, a 7-foot-2 center with some shooting ability who was a standout at UCF and is averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in conference play, played in Cincinnati’s last game after missing two of three due to an ankle injury. Wing Shon Abaev, a freshman and former McDonald’s All-American who hasn’t played since Jan. 24, appears to be drawing closer to returning given that he received a doubtful designation on one injury report last weekend. Sixth-year senior guard Kerr Kriisa has also battled injury in recent weeks.
Thiam and Kriisa aren’t the only familiar faces from Big 12 teams past. Jalen Celestine, a 3-point marksman on the wing, made some big shots against KU when he was at Baylor last season, and defensive specialist Sencire Harris previously played at West Virginia. Then the Bearcats return the potent guard duo of Day Day Thomas (9.3 points, 3.7 assists per game) and Jizzle James (10.8 points). James was not on the roster due to a personal matter at the start of the season and was reinstated in mid-December; he’s improved his shooting from last year.
The Bearcats’ biggest name this year, though, might be Baba Miller, a talented and versatile 6-foot-11 forward who previously played at Florida State and Florida Atlantic. He is averaging 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in league play to lead UC in both categories (he’s second in the Big 12 in boards) and also matches Thomas with 3.7 assists.
“Miller and Thiam are probably as long of guys as we have on the same team in our league,” Self said, “at least that I can think of off the top of my head.”
As the fairly tame scoring numbers for top contributors James, Miller and Thiam suggest, Cincinnati is far more a defensive team (No. 11 in KenPom, two spots below KU) than an offensive one (No. 169, worst in the Big 12). The Bearcats have broken almost exactly even in league games, scoring 68.8 points and allowing 68.5; they are also neutral in turnover margin as they commit and force 11.2 per game.
The defensive strength is an all-around effort with solid opponent field goal (43.1%) and 3-point field goal (33.9%) percentages that rank just above the middle of the Big 12. Miller and Thiam have the length to protect the rim well.
“You’re not going to score easy against them,” Self said. “You’re going to have to run good stuff.”
The Jayhawks will need all the firepower they can muster against the Bearcats. That makes Darryn Peterson’s availability — not just to start the game but to finish it — as significant as ever. Self suggested he’ll be able to play again after his season-low 18 minutes on Wednesday.
NO. 8 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (19-6, 9-3 BIG 12) VS. CINCINNATI BEARCATS (14-12, 6-7 BIG 12)
• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 12 p.m.
• Broadcast: CBS
• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9 / KMXN FM 92.9)
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Quiet nights: Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr. had a lot to do with KU’s eight-game winning streak that encompassed much of late January and early February, but neither excelled in the Jayhawks’ bounce-back win over OSU. Bidunga managed four blocks and 11 rebounds against the Cowboys but was held well below his scoring average at eight points and had trouble at times with OSU big man Parsa Fallah; he’ll need to get a lot sturdier against Miller and Thiam. Council had seven assists but matched a season high with four turnovers and only took six shots, his lowest total since Dec. 22, finishing with seven points. The Jayhawks had plenty of players contribute on Wednesday, a good sign for the future, but they won’t operate anywhere near their full potential without these two rolling at the offensive end.
At long last: Kohl Rosario’s 3-pointer in the second half on Wednesday was a sight for sore eyes. Specifically, for the eyes of his teammates and coaches, who have seen him work extensively over the course of the season as his minutes and opportunities have dwindled (recall that he originally began the season as a starter as a reclassifying freshman). Rosario’s 3 on Wednesday was his first field goal of any kind in league play, after he had been 0-for-10 in eight league appearances. The hustle and athleticism are clearly already in place, and developing some sort of shooting consistency in March could help him play a more notable role down the stretch.
Same old song: KU still hasn’t outscored an opponent between halftime and the first timeout of the second half since Jan. 24. While OSU only outpaced KU by one point in the minutes in question on Wednesday, it was particularly striking given how easily the Jayhawks had scored at times in the first half. They would do well to come out stronger following the break on Saturday.
OFF-KILTER OBSERVATION
The 54 points the Jayhawks scored in a win at Cincinnati last season were their fewest in any game in 2024-25. Luckily for KU, the 40 the Bearcats scored were the fewest by any opponent that year.
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Preview: Cincinnati’s tough defense will test KU as Jayhawks look to keep pace in league race
Written By Henry Greenstein
