Read below for a full Arizona State vs Cincinnati prediction and preview.
Arizona State looks to get back in the win column after three consecutive losses as it heads on a two-game road trip that starts against Cincinnati. It will be the first all-time meeting between the two sides, but the Sun Devils’ second trip to the Queen City. The first came in Dec. 16, 2006 with a 76-58 road loss to Xavier, the Bearcats’ crosstown rival.
General Information:
Teams: Arizona State (10-6, 1-4) and Cincinnati (11-5, 1-4)
Tip Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Listen: ESPN 620 AM (KTAR)
Latest on Cincinnati basketball:
Like the Sun Devils, the Bearcats have endured some hardships since transitioning to the Big 12. After a 7-11 showing in the conference last season, they have gone 1-4 in Big 12 play in the 2024-25 campaign. However, they broke their losing streak last Wednesday with a 68-62 win over Colorado, a team that Arizona State beat by 20.
Wes Miller’s side has a strong starting five. Junior guard Dan Skillings Jr., averages the most points per game, with 12.6 after missing most of non-conference play. Senior guard/forward Simas Lukošius is right behind Skillings with 12.5 points per game. Junior forward Dillon Mitchell and sophomore guard Jizzle James also average double figures. Fifth-year forward Aziz Bandaogo rounds out the lineup.
Much to Arizona State’s dismay, Cincinnati has a solid defense that only allows 60.6 points per game, which is second least in the Big 12. It also boasts a defensive rating of 91.7 on KenPom, the seventh-highest rating in the nation. The Maroon and Gold have faced two other teams in that Top 7: Duke in an exhibition on Oct. 27 and Kansas on Jan. 8. They averaged 51 points in those games combined.
Latest on Arizona State basketball:
After losing only two games in non-conference play, the Sun Devils have lost four games in Big 12 play. One of them happened on Tuesday night with a 95-89 home loss to UCF. On a night where seven players reached double figures, UCF’s junior guard/forward Keyshawn Hall shined the brightest, with a career-high 40 points, 20 of which were scored in the opening 10 minutes.
“It was hard to game plan against what he does,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said after the game. “The only thing we could have done better with him is get back on defense. I think Basheer (Jihad) missed a free throw, and we did not look back, and he’s now loose in the open court. When a guy’s got a game going like that, you just can’t afford to have breakdowns in transition defense.”
On the other side, the Maroon and Gold saw two players have 20+ point nights, with freshman forward Jayden Quaintance having 20 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the waning moments. Senior guard/forward BJ Freeman scored a team-high 26 points, as he stepped up with freshman guard Joson Sanon once again sidelined due to injury.
Arizona State vs Cincinnati prediction: Bearcats by 9 (67-58)
Many people expected the Bearcats to blossom, projected to finish sixth in the conference at the start of the season. They should carry the energy found in Boulder back to the Queen City to get their first home conference win of the season over an Arizona State side that will most likely be without Joson Sanon again.
[…] State basketball fell 67-60 on the road to Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, losing another close Big 12 […]
[…] Maroon and Gold are currently on a four-game losing streak, which continued last Saturday with a 67-60 road defeat to Cincinnati. The Bearcats led 36-22 at halftime, withstanding the second half surge […]