By Derek DeBurger
No. 6 Louisville will travel up I-71 to reignite an old rivalry when they face the Cincinnati Bearcats.
This will be the first matchup between the Cards and the Bearcats since 2014.
Show me something
Cincy is in year five of Wes Miller, and things do not look very bright.
The Bearcats have yet to make the NCAA tournament despite being analytical darlings.
This year is no exception, with Cincy ranking as the second best defense in the nation per Kenpom, but their results tell a different story.
They’ve held every opponent they’ve faced to 64 points or below, but most of the teams they’ve gone against have been pretty weak opponents.
The best team Cincy has faced has been Dayton, who is a well-coached team with decent talent. But they cannot shoot from the outside, making defending them much less daunting.
The biggest rim protector the Bearcats have is Baba Miller, a 6-foot-11 center with an enormous wingspan and great timing. The big has recorded at least two blocks and one steal in three of Cincy’s four games this season.
Louisville doesn’t have anyone that can match Miller length-wise, but they do have elite outside shooting that can stretch a defense thin.
Outside of Miller, the Bearcats are very good at staying in front of defenders and hunkering down. They don’t generate a lot of steals, but they do force a large number of turnovers elsewhere.
If Louisville has a hot night from beyond the arc, it shouldn’t be too hard to get Cincinnati out of sorts defensively.
Baba this, Baba that
If Miller is Cincinnati’s best defender, he’s virtually their only scorer.
He averages 15.8 points a game and at times is their only offense.
He’s a versatile scorer who prefers to do his work in the post, but can step outside and make you pay.
However talented Miller is, his play has been significantly worse against high-major teams. That’s been no exception in 2025, as his worst game of the year by far was against Dayton.
As a team Cincy has been atrocious from deep, but they have two players that should be very dangerous from range.
Day Day Thomas is an athletic guard that can shoot, and he’s having a career-year from three at 61.1%.
Kerr Kriisa has been a good shooter throughout his career, but has struggled early this season. Where he has been excellent is passing, averaging six assists a game and a 29.5% assist rate.
Louisville’s defense has been ok this season, but they’ve given up open looks from deep to every team they’ve played this season.
Cincy may not be a good shooting team, but everyone shoots better without a hand in their face.
Louisville is the better team. They should win and get another leg up in this longtime rivalry.
Tip-off is Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Photo by Nolton Alfred / The Louisville Cardinal
