Central Florida has been one of the hottest teams on the bubble of late, ending Houston’s 33-game home win streak over the weekend and winning six of its last seven straight up. At the window, the Knights have covered all seven of those games — and they will get revenge for that outright loss as Cincinnati rolls into Orlando on Thursday.
The first time these two played on Feb. 21, the game was slowed to a crawl with each team receiving fewer than 65 total possessions, which played into Cincinnati’s hands as the Bearcats rank 330th among Divison 1 teams in possessions per game.
Both these teams are highly efficient on offense, though, despite playing at a slower tempo. The Bearcats are 45th in the country in points per possession while Central Florida is 13th in the country in that category in its past three games.
The Knights have seen their 3-point shooting improve in their streak of seven straight covers, making 40.3 percent of their 3s in this stretch. That is Cincinnati’s biggest weakness, as the team ranks 10th in the country in defensive efficiency, but 210th in opponent’s 3-point shooting percentage.
Seven-foot-6 center Tacko Fall had five blocks in the first showdown, and with Cincinnati ranking 263rd in the country in percentage of their shots of offense that get blocked, it should lead to revenge and a bolstered résumé for Central Florida.
The play: Central Florida, – 2.



