Louisville Cardinals (4-0) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0)
The Hoops Classic
Game Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Heritage Bank Center: Cincinnati, Ohio
Television: ESPN2
Announcers: Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Jay Williams (analysis)
Officials: TBA
Favorite: Louisville by 9.5
Series: Louisville leads, 56-44
Last Meeting: Cincinnati won 81-62 on Nov. 23, 2022 in the Maui Invitational 7th place game in Lahaina, Maui, HI
Series History:
Projected Starting Lineups:
Louisville
- G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
- G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
- G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
- F J’Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
- F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)
Cincinnati
- G Day Day Thomas (6-1, 190, Gr.)
- G Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 185, Gr.)
- G Shon Abaev (6-8, 210, Fr.)
- F Baba Miller (6-11, 225)
- C Moustapha Thiam (7-2, 250, So.)
Statistics:
Cincinnati’s Season to Date:
Relevant Videos:
About Cincinnati:
Wes Miller arrived in Cincy five years ago with a reputation as one of the best young coaches in college basketball and the expectation (from some) to be the next head coach at North Carolina. Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since then.
While Miller has produced winning campaigns in each of his four seasons at UC, he has let to lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament. Cincy is also a combined 14-24 in its first two seasons as a member of the Big 12, a disappointment to fans who were expecting a return to their ‘90s glory when Miller was hired.
The first major test in what feels like a make-or-break season for Miller will come on Friday when old rival Louisville visits the Queen City for what is technically a neutral court showdown at Heritage Bank Arena.
Cincinnati has won each of its first four games by double figures. Its three wins over Western Carolina, Georgia State and Mount St. Mary’s don’t figure to wind up being anything to write home about, but its 74-62 win over Dayton looks better after the Flyers went on the road and took down Marquette in overtime earlier this week.
The most glaring thing about the Bearcats statistical profile is that they enter Friday ranked No. 2 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Put simply, UC has been a monster on the defensive end so far this season. Despite playing at one of the faster paces in the country (more on that in a bit), Cincinnati hasn’t allowed any of its opponents to score more than 64 points so far this season. They rank in the top 30 nationally in turnover percentage, 2p% defense and block percentage. A combination of super physical guards and an incredibly imposing frontcourt have made the Bearcats one of the most difficult teams to score on in the country.
That super imposing frontcourt is headlined by 7’2, 250-pound center Moustapha Thiam, a Central Florida transfer. The native of Senegal figures to be one of the top rim protectors in college basketball this season, and has blocked a combined 8 shots in Cincinnati’s last two games. With Thiam at the back end, Cincinnati’s defensive game plan figures to be pretty straightforward: Run every Louisville shooter off the three-point line and try to funnel them towards the big man at the basket.
Thiam is more than just a massive human being who can swat shots. He has a nice touch around the rim and enters the game against the Cards averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Don’t be surprised if we see a healthier dose of Aly Khalifa in this game than we did against Kentucky. If Khalifa can effectively force Thiam to abandon the paint, it should change the way Louisville is able to operate in the halfcourt. Sananda Fru knocking down a couple of outside shots could also create the same problem for UC.
When Jizzle James, who led Cincinnati in scoring last season, was kicked off the team in August, the face of the squad became Florida Atlantic transfer Baba Miller. The 6’11 senior forward — who was pursued by Louisville and virtually everyone else in the transfer portal during the offseason — is a supremely gifted talent who is an elite shot-blocker in his own right as well as a player who can score at all three levels on the other end. The native of Spain leads the team in both scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 rpg).
It’ll be interesting to see how Louisville handles Miller. At 6’11, he has a good four (at least five, if we’re being honest) inches on J’Vonne Hadley. This is a spot where you’d love to have a fully healthy Kasean Pryor to do his best to put the clamps on Miller. With Pryor likely not ready to play 20+ minutes, this is a spot where Khani Rooths is going to need to step up and play at a high level for an extended period of time in a showcase game.
Cincy’s leading backcourt scorer entering Friday is senior guard Day Day Thomas. Thomas is a heady 6’1 floor general who has gotten progressively better in each of his three seasons under Miller. He’s a crafty finisher around the rim who takes good shots in halfcourt situations. Due in part to this shot selection, he is shooting an absurd 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from three so far this season. He shot 40.2 percent from deep a year ago, so while he’s do for a regression at some point (obviously), he’s still the guy Louisville can least afford to leave open on the perimeter.
Guard Sencire Harris and Kerr Krissa are two names Louisville fans should be familiar with. The Cards faced Harris last year when he was with West Virginia, and Krissa when he was suiting up for Kentucky.
Harris is known more for his defense than his offense, and will likely try to get physical with Ryan Conwell to keep him from lighting things up from the outside. Krissa is still one of college basketball’s ultimate feast or famine performers. He could single-handedly win this game for UC or finish with no points and 9 turnovers. It’s always a roll of the dice. He hasn’t scored a ton for the Bearcats so far (6.5 ppg), but he does lead the team in assists at 5.0 apg.
The best pro prospect on Miller’s roster is freshman guard/forward Shon Abaev. The 6’8 Florida native was the 22nd-ranked player in the vaunted class of 2025 according to 247 Sports, and he’s got the skills to back up that lofty ranking. The lefty wing is a supremely gifted one-on-one scorer who can create his own shot in virtually any situation. As is the case with lots of talented freshman, sometimes the ball stops when it gets to him, as he’s still figuring out how to play with other really talented players. Make no mistake about it, though, this is a dude. He can flip this game on its head if he gets a little confidence and momentum early on.
If you looked at Cincinnati’s statistical profile, at first glance you’d probably assume the Bearcats were still playing the slow, plodding, muck the game up style that Mick Cronin utilized in the early 2000s. In reality, UC enters Friday playing at a slightly faster pace than Louisville does. They will absolutely try and run with the Cardinals, for better or worse.
Cincinnati turns the ball over a ton, but they turn their opponents over even more. U of L can’t allow the pace and flow of the game to trick them into thinking they can get away with being as sloppy as their opponents. Still, with how well UC defends in the halfcourt, the Cards can’t afford to slow things down either. Transition threes off of turnovers and Bearcat misses figure to provide some of the best scoring opportunities in this game.
UC’s unique combination of elite size, extreme physicality on the perimeter and a pair of 6’8+ wings who are three-level scorers present Louisville with multiple challenges they haven’t seen up to this point. It’ll be very exciting to see how the Cards handle it.
Notable:
—This will be the 101st all-time meeting between Louisville and Cincinnati. The Bearcats are U of L’s most-played all-time opponent.
—Louisville is 3-4 all-time against Cincinnati in neutral court games.
—Louisville enters Friday’s game ranked No. 6 in the AP top 25 poll, its highest ranking since February, 2020.
—Cincinnati, allowing just 61.0 points per game defensively, ranks second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Bearcats’ 91.1 rating sits only behind Houston at 89.6 and just ahead of Gonzaga at 92.1.
—UC enters Friday ranked second in the Big 12 in blocks per game (6.3), opponent field goal percentage
(35.6%) and turnovers forced per game (17.75), along with third in defensive rebounds per game
(30.75) and fourth in scoring defense (61.0 ppg).
—Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey, a Cincinnati native, has never faced Cincinnati as a head coach, but was 2-1 against the Bearcats during his time as an assistant at Xavier.
—The 2025-26 campaign marks the 125th season of competition for Cincinnati men’s basketball, and the Bearcats will commemorate the milestone with a year-long celebration honoring the program’s rich history, iconic players and cultural legacy.
—Louisville is 118-1 all-time when scoring at least 100 points in a game, which they’ve done in three of their four games so far this season.
—Louisville has a 262-84 record against non-conference opponents over the last 24 seasons (includes postseason).
—Pat Kelsey is the reigning ACC Coach of the Year and is one of 10 active DI head coaches that have earned a Coach of the Year honor in three or more DI conferences.
—Louisville is 31-0 under Pat Kelsey when leading a game with 5 minutes to play.
—Louisville is 14-0 over the past 10 seasons when limiting opponents to no more than one three-point field goal.
—Louisville is 118-0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points in non-overtime games.
—Louisville has won 165 consecutive games when holding an opponent under 50 points.
