The Bryant Bulldogs will travel to Fifth Third Arena to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats this Sunday night in College Basketball action.
The Bryant Bulldogs lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 3-5 on the season after being defeated by the 15th ranked Houston Cougars, 111-44, this past Friday night. Bryant had no answers on either end of the court for Houston and could not fight back after the Cougars went into halftime with a 52-21 lead. Bryant shot just 27.4% from the field & 18.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Houston to shoot 62.0% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Chris Childs who had 13 points, 2 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Bryant is averaging 72.4 ppg on 40.5% shooting form the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 29.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Bryant has been led by Peter Kiss (19.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.8 spg), Charles Pride (13.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg), Chris Childs (11.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Hall Elisias (8.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg).
Defensively, Bryant is allowing their opponents to average 75.8 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of -2.6 and a turnover margin of -1.9.
The Cincinnati Bearcats snapped a 2-game losing streak and improved to 6-2 on the season after defeating the Miami (OH) RedHawks, 59-58, this past Wednesday. Cincinnati trailed by a 45-37 margin with 12:03 left in regulation, however, the Bearcats were solid defensively down the stretch and was able to hold off the Redhawks for the win after taking a 53-49 lead with 3:57 left in regulation. Cincinnati shot 36.4% from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc while holding Miami (OH) to just 37.9% from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bearcats was Abdul Ado who had a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 2 steals.
On the season, Cincinnati is averaging 71.4 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Bearcats are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 28.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Cincinnati has been led by David DeJulius (12.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg), Jeremiah Davenport (11.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Mike Saunders (8.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Mika Adams-Woods (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Cincinnati is holding their opponents to an average of 58.6 ppg on 35.9% shooting from the field. The Bearcats have a rebound margin of 4.8 and a turnover margin of 3.8.
The Bulldogs are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Byrant, despite their poor showing at Houston, have been led by their offense that ranks 180th in scoring offense & 67th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Bulldogs have struggled defensively as they currently rank just 299th in scoring defense. Cincinnati has struggled a bit offensively as the Bearcats rank just 195th in scoring offense & 265th in FG%, however, the defense has been outstanding as they come into this game ranked 29th in scoring defense & 9th in defensive FG%.
It’s hard to trust Bryant after getting absolutely destroyed by Houston in their last game, however, this is an offense that is better than what we saw, and I think that performance has shifted this line to a number that I can’t just trust a Cincinnati offense to cover. I’m sure this is not going to be a popular pick, however, after seeing Cincinnati lose at home to Monmouth and barley beat Miami (OH), I think the play here is to take Bryant and the points. Good Luck!