The fight for the top of the American Athletic Conference continues Thursday night when the Cincinnati Bearcats head west to visit the Wichita State Shockers. At home, the Shockers are favored by 4.5 points, with an over/under of 134 points.
At the moment, the Bearcats sit just half a game out of first place in the AAC. Cincinnati has strung together four straight wins to get to 7-2 in conference play.
The Bearcats are also coming off arguably their most important win of the season, a two-point victory of Houston, who is also half a game off the pace in the American standings.
Meanwhile, Wichita State is 5-3 in conference play, putting it two games behind first-place Tulsa, which it lost to over the weekend. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Shockers looked like genuine contenders to win the conference title.
However, they’ve now lost three of their last five games on the heels of a nine-game winning streak. With games this week against Cincinnati and Houston, things aren’t getting much easier for a struggling Wichita State team.
Sophomore Slump
Wichita State’s recent losses can be tied to the struggles of sophomore Erik Stevenson. He leads the Shockers in scoring this season with over 12 points per game. But he’s not looked like an elite player recently, scoring in double figures just once in his last five games.
He’s shooting just 23 percent from the field during that span, which includes an 0-for-8 performance in a loss to Temple that snapped Wichita State’s winning streak.
Stevenson’s running mate in the Wichita State backcourt, Jamarius Burton, has also gone into a slump, averaging less than six points per game over his last four games. The Shockers don’t have the kind of elite depth to make up for two of their top scorers going cold.
The silver lining has been center Jaime Echenique, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Tulsa over the weekend. However, the Shockers desperately need their lead guards to get back on track.
Filling the Gap
The Bearcats are getting a star performance from senior Jarron Cumberland, who is averaging 15 points per game on the season and 20 points per contest during the team’s four-game winning streak. He’s been locked in while also getting plenty of support from the likes of Chris Vogt and Keith Williams.
Both are averaging 12 points per game, with the Bearcats having five players on their roster who average over nine points per contest.
Vogt, a 7-1 center, is a force on both ends and could help neutralize Echenique. Cincinnati, as a team, has played strong Defense during conference play.
Only one team has scored more than 62 points against the Bearcats in their last seven games. Defense of that caliber combined with a balanced offensive attack is usually a winning recipe, as the Bearcats have proven in recent weeks.
Home Shocker
Wichita State’s struggles are likely to continue against a hot Cincinnati team, even at home. The Bearcats will pose problems for the Shockers on both ends and look ready to beat a quality team on the road. Bet on Cincinnati to beat Wichita State, or at least beat the 4.5-point spread.
