Tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS the NCAA Tournament resumes, pitting No. 8 seed Cincinnati against the No. 9 seeded Purdue Boilermakers in a matchup that can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Cincinnati fans can listen to the radio broadcast on 700 WLW while Purdue fans may do likewise by tuning in to WCYM 95.7.
The Bearcats will enter play sporting the sixth-best mark in the country in opponent points per game. Cincinnati's fearsome defense limits opponents to just 55 points a night; unfortunately they only manage 62.4 points per game on offense.
Junior forward Octavius Ellis leads the Bearcats in scoring with an even 10 points per game, shooting almost 58 percent from the field. He also leads the team with 7.8 rebounds, and acts as their defensive anchor, turning away 2.1 shots a night.
Purdue boasts a similar profile as the Bearcats. They don't defend quite as well as Cincinnati's group, but they pack a bit more punch on the other end of the court. Three of Purdue's regulars shoot better than 50 percent from the field, but none of their top three scorers managed to top 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Neither team has much experience in the tournament, but Purdue head coach Matt Painter expects his team to lean on their preparation and execute regardless.
"There's no substitute for the actual thing," Painter said. "We have a lot of guys outside of one that hasn't been here. You still have to play hard. You still have to produce."
Cincinnati has dealt with its own inexperience by shifting away from its man defense at times and throwing zone looks at opponents.
"As my dad used to say, there's 100 ways to skin a cat," assistant coach Larry Davis said. "You've just got to figure out which way is best for you."
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