Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET a major American Athletic Conference showdown will tip off between the visiting No. 13 Cincinnati Bearcats (19-2, 8-0 AAC) and No. 12 Louisville Cardinals (17-3, 6-1 AAC). Watch the game on ESPN or live stream it for free by clicking this link. Bearcats fans can find the matchup on 700 WLW AM, while Louisville fans may catch the radio broadcast on WKRD 790 AM.
Both teams enter tonight's matchup on winning streaks, although Louisville's four-game run pales in comparison to the 12-game streak the Bearcats have put together. Their most recent win was costly though, as top defender Justin Jackson hurt his ankle in an 80-76 win against Temple on Sunday. His availability for tonight's showdown is in question.
David Nyarsuk came in to replace Jackson, but he is foul prone according to ESPN. Without Jackson Temple scored 50 points in the second half and nearly topped Cincinnati. Even in the loss they snapped a lengthy streak of holding opponents under 70 points.
Bearcats coach Mick Cronin acknowledged losing Jackson could be difficult. "What to do without him for 10 minutes is Dave. What to do without him for 40 minutes is a different story. To not have him for an entire game is the issue, and we've got to have that plan ready," Cronin said.
Meanwhile Rick Pitino's swarming pressure defense has begun to click, making Louisville very scary. "We have gained a lot of strength in terms of being able to change our defenses and recognize when we should change our defenses," Pitino said.
Offensively Louisville's been good, and they will get Chris Jones back which Pitino said makes their backcourt truly dynamic. "He's a big steal guy. He's an explosive scorer," Pitino said. "When you have three guards like that, you're dangerous. We escaped while he was out." The other two guards Pitino was referring to are leading scorer Russ Smith, and Wayne Blackshear.
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