Men's Basketball Takes on Oklahoma in Tuesday Tilt - University of Cincinnati Athletics (2024)

David Cohen Director / Strategic Brand Engagement

• On a night in which leading scorer Dan Skillings Jr. was a gameday scratch, Cincinnati opened with six-straight stops (its second Big 12 game opening with a double-kill, also against Oklahoma), and led by as much as 13 before Simas Lukosius nailed the winning trey with 9.9 seconds left.
• It was Lukosius' second-game winning bucket, also at No. 15 Texas Tech this year. He was one of four Bearcats to score in double-figures, led by John Newman III's 18. Newman, whose defense is one of the best in the league, was averaging 4.6 ppg over his previous five before his 8-for-12 display.
• Day Day Thomas' 14 points included a breakaway windmill dunk and five assists to two turnovers, putting him at 11:3 the last two games. He also collected four steals for the fifth time this season. With 49 now, it's the most by a Bearcat since Gary Clark's 51 in 2018. Next up from there is Justin Jackson's 55 in 2014. Thomas is also 49th in KenPom with a 3.9 steal percentage.
• Aziz Bandaogo had a season-high three steals to go with his fifth-straight multi-block game.
• Turnover-wise, the offense's six matched its season-low (Georgia Tech), while the 19 on defense matched a season-high. K-State's Tylor Perry went 6-for-8 from deep, a rare sight against the Bearcats' perimeter defense, while the rest of the Wildcats were 3-for-13 there.
• Cincinnati's six turnovers came on the heels of 36 over a two-game road swing at TCU and No. 1 Houston, its most in any-such span this season. The Bearcats, who shot a modest 40 percent in the first half, adjusted well when K-State switched to zone in the second to shoot 54.8 percent over the final 20.
• Cincinnati's defense is 24th in adjusted defensive effiency in KenPom and are 13th nationally with 8.2 rpg.
• With Skillings' absence last game, only point guards Day Day Thomas and ji*zzle James and wing John Newman III have played in every game this season. Most of the rotation has dealt with a blend of two players dealing with two-time transfer eligiblity, lengthy injury (CJ Fredrick, 14 missed games), and one-offs of Skillings, Viktor Lakhin and Simas Lukosius. Lakhin exited early against KSU due to injury and Newman went down with a midsection blow in the final 2 minutes in a 2-point game at WVU.
• Thomas and ji*zzle James (season-high 28 minutes) shared the floor for a season-high 19:17 against KSU, an emergence over the past three games (8:58 at Houston, 14:57 at TCU). It was sparingly used since Dec. 16.

SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati is 4-3 against the Sooners, winning four in a row before a 69-65 home defeat on Jan. 20.
• Oklahoma was held scoreless on the first six possessions, but Cincinnati only held a 4-0 lead despite three blocks during its intense defensive display, and it allowed the Sooners to stay in the game.
• Oklahoma led by 9 in the second half, but the Bearcats got within 65-62 with 28 seconds left after four-straight foul shots.
• John Newman III had 14 points to go with four steals, while Simas Lukosius took 12 of the team's 26 three-point attempts and finished with 17 with seven rebounds.
• The most recent non-conference matchup came in downtown Cincinnati's Heritage Bank Center in 2011, completing a neutral home-and-home series.
• Oklahoma guard La'Tre Darthard was teammates with Aziz Bandaogo at Utah Valley last year, playing against the Bearcats in an NIT matchup.

LUKOSIUS: MR. CLUTCH

• Three of UC's Big 12 wins have come with Simas Lukosius nailing the game-winner or an equally-impressive dagger in the final seconds.
• His pull-up jumper with 21 seconds left at No. 15 Texas Tech gave UC a 73-72 lead, and after a Red Raider miss, John Newman III was all alone in the backcourt to stall time before a dunk with 2 seconds left to close the 75-72 win.
• At UCF, Lukosius drove baseline and hit a tough layup to make it a 3-point game in that eventual victory.
• Finally, in a pivotal game for the Bearcats against K-State, he nailed an NBA-range, top-of-the-key triple over his defender with 9.9 seconds left to put UC ahead and win, 74-72. Even better, it came with his family in attendance.

LUKOSIUS: WINNING TIME IN NYC

• Reggie Miller isn't the only player to come into Madison Square Garden and leave with a heroic performance.
• Lukosius scored 12 of his then-career-high 27 points in overtime of his Big East Tournament debut, leading Butler to an 89-82 win in 2022 as a freshman. His defensive rebound and succeeding free-throws with 4 seconds left extended it to OT as well.

SEVEN-NATION SIMAS

• Lukosius, by virtue of his father's coaching career, has lived in seven countries: Lithuania, Russia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Germany, Bahrain and the United States.