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Men's Basketball Kirk Downs

Bisons Travel To Cincinnati For Wednesday Showdown

Wednesday, December 2
4 p.m.  – Lipscomb (1-1) vs. Cincinnati (0-0)
Location: Fifth Third Arena| Cincinnati, Ohio
Series History: Cincy leads 2-0 (Last meeting: L 91-68 | Nov. 26, 2016 | Cincinnati, Ohio)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Play-by-Play: Matt Noonan
Color Analyst: Kevin Johnson
 

STORYLINES
  • After splitting its first two games of the season, the Lipscomb men's basketball team heads north to The Queen City on Wednesday to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats at 4 p.m. CT at Fifth Third Arena.
  • The Bisons look to get back in the win column after dropping a 68-66 contest with Tulane on Sunday.
  • Lipscomb will play its first three games of the season on the road for the first time since 2015-16. It battled Santa Clara, Milwaukee and Denver in the Cable Car Classic that season.
  • A win would give the Bisons a 2-1 start to the season for the fourth time in five seasons.
  • Cincinnati holds a 2-0 advantage in the series, winning both games at home in 2016 (91-68) and 2009 (82-50).
  • Wednesday's game will be the season opener for Cincinnati, a team picked to finish fourth in the AAC by the league coaches, behind Houston, Memphis and SMU.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
  1. On Saturday, Lipscomb picked up its 89th victory since the start of 2016-17 season. Over that stretch, the Bisons have three straight 20-win campaigns. Those victories are the second-most in the ASUN in that span, trailing only Liberty's 104, and are the most in the program's D-I history during a four-year span.
     
  2. Grad transfer Romeao Ferguson was exceptional for the Bisons throughout the Tulane Classic. He recorded team-highs in points in both games and was named the ASUN Newcomer of the Week on Monday for his efforts. The Burlington, North Carolina native averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game as Lipscomb went 1-1. He shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field, 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from behind the arc and 75.0 percent (6-of-8) at the free throw line. In his Lipscomb debut, Ferguson totaled 15 points and four rebounds against Lamar. He then followed it up with 18 points and seven boards against the Green Wave.
     
  3. Ahsan Asadullah picked up where he left off last season, impacting the game in every way possible. The junior center and ASUN Preseason Player of the Year averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the tournament and ranks among the league leaders in multiple categories; total assists (14 – 2nd), minutes per game (33.5 – 3rd), rebounds per game (7.0 – 3rd), field goals (13/22 – 5th), defensive rebounds (11 – 5th), total rebounds (14 – 6th) and field goal percentage (59.1% - 8th).
     
  4. Greg Jones enters the matchup second on the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg. He also put up 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game in the opening weekend. Jones put up 12 points, all on triples, in the opener. He then dropped 18 points in a team-high 37 minutes against Tulane. The junior guard ranks 8th in the country averaging 4.0 threes per game, 38th in total threes made (8) and 69th in three-point field goal percentage (50.0). Dating back to last season, Jones has scored double figures in 9-of-13 games. He would reach double figures in three straight games for just the second time in his career if he does so against Cincinnati.
     
  5. Lipscomb's coaching staff, head coach Lennie Acuff and assistant coaches Roger Idstrom, Kevin Carroll and Tyler Murray are in their second season together in Music City. Acuff enters Wednesday with a 572-342 career record after previous stops at Belhaven College, Berry College and Alabama-Huntsville. Although it's just his second year with the current staff, Idstrom enters his eighth season overall with the Bisons after joining the team in June of 2013.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS 
  • UC was predicted to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference (behind Houston, Memphis and SMU) according to a preseason poll of the league coaches.
  • Senior guard Keith Williams earned preseason First Team All-AAC honors while senior center Chris Vogt was tabbed a Second Team 
  • All-AAC selection according to league coaches. 
  • Williams enjoyed his best season as a Bearcat a year ago, starting 29 of UC's 30 games while averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Vogt posted his best numbers at the collegiate level in 2019-20, his first in a Bearcats uniform. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and shot 64.8 percent from the field.
  • The Bearcats won a share of the AAC regular-season crown with Houston last season, finishing 13-5 in the league and 20-10 overall. 
  • John Brannen became the first UC coach since Tay Baker (Missouri Valley Conference) in 1966 to guide the Bearcats to a regular-season league crown in his first season at the helm.

HERD NOTES
  • The 55.6 field goal percentage by Lipscomb against Lamar, marked the highest percentage for the team in a season opener in the last decade.
  • The Bisons' 23 assists marked the most dimes since Lipscomb's NIT quarterfinal victory over North Carolina State in 2019 (24). They reached 20 just once last season (Kennesaw State).
  • The Bisons rank second in the conference and 39th nationally averaging 18.5 assists per game. Asadullah (7.0), Greg Jones (3.5) and Miles Miller (3.5) are tops on the team.
  • The team's 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio also ranks second in the ASUN and 48th in the country. Miller, who has seven assists to one turnover, comes in 10th across Division I with a 7.00 ratio.
  • Asadullah leads the ASUN in assists per game and ranks 20th in the nation.
  • Jake Wolfe and Carson Cary average 6.5 points per game. Cary is tops on the squad with a 71.4 field goal percentage after making 5-of-7 attempts. His three triples match Ferguson for second most on the team.
  • Parker Hazen comes in just behind Asadullah on the boards, pulling down 6.0 per game. He's also pouring in 5.5 points and 2.0 assists each time out.
  • Lipscomb has played in the ASUN Tournament championship game each of the last three seasons, winning the crown in 2018.
  • The Bisons have racked up 41 road wins over the last five seasons. The win on Saturday was just the sixth time in the program's NCAA era that it won its road opener. The previous victory came in 2018 against SMU (79-73) in Dallas.
  • Lipscomb returns 72.4 percent of its offensive production from a season ago. The Bisons return their top two scorers and 10 of their top 12 overall.


UP NEXT
The Bisons head east of the Mississippi this weekend with a trip to SEC country, where they will take on the University of Arkansas at 5 p.m. in Fayetteville.


 
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Players Mentioned

Greg Jones

#1 Greg Jones

Guard
6' 3"
Sophomore
Jake Wolfe

#10 Jake Wolfe

Guard
6' 5"
Sophomore
Ahsan Asadullah

#23 Ahsan Asadullah

Center
6' 8"
Sophomore
Carson Cary

#12 Carson Cary

Guard
6' 0"
Freshman
Parker Hazen

#13 Parker Hazen

Forward
6' 7"
Junior
Miles Miller

#25 Miles Miller

Guard
6' 2"
Freshman
Romeao Ferguson

#3 Romeao Ferguson

Guard
6' 5"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Greg Jones

#1 Greg Jones

6' 3"
Sophomore
Guard
Jake Wolfe

#10 Jake Wolfe

6' 5"
Sophomore
Guard
Ahsan Asadullah

#23 Ahsan Asadullah

6' 8"
Sophomore
Center
Carson Cary

#12 Carson Cary

6' 0"
Freshman
Guard
Parker Hazen

#13 Parker Hazen

6' 7"
Junior
Forward
Miles Miller

#25 Miles Miller

6' 2"
Freshman
Guard
Romeao Ferguson

#3 Romeao Ferguson

6' 5"
Graduate Student
Guard
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