Cincinnati vs Memphis LIVE Stream/Preview: Bearcats Need 2 Wins to Lock Up ACC Title
ByThe Cincinnati Bearcats (15) are down to their final two regular season games, both of which they need to win to capture their first AAC title.
Their opponent's Thursday night are the Memphis Tigers (20), a team coming off a win over Louisville, the team competing with Cincinnati for the conference title. Both Cincinnati and Louisville end their regular seasons Saturday.
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Since losing just two games in their first 24, Cincinnati has lost three of its last five, including once to Louisville. Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said his team knows the heat is on for them to win these last two games, according to the Associated Press.
"Playing for a conference championship in your last two games, that's big," he said before practice Tuesday. "Then you go to the conference tournament that's one-and-out, and the NCAA tournament is one-and-out.
"So you've got to be sharp this time of year or it's going to cost you. There's a lot on the line each night out."
For his last home game, senior guard Sean Kilpatrick, the team's leading scorer with 20 points per game, will leave his school only outscored in his college career by NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
"I'm still kind of lost for words," Kilpatrick said Tuesday, according to the AP. "It probably won't hit me until after the game, maybe a little before when I'm crying a little bit."
In their last three losses, the Bearcats posted 55 points against SMU, 57 against Louisville and 45 against UConn. Out of all their 24 wins, the team has fallen below 60 only once.
Cronin said he has had to become creative in practice to challenge his veteran starters, who he said can score too easily on the younger players. Still, if Cincinnati will want to play deep into March, they will need contributions from their young players and veterans.
"It's something we've been working for all year long, and now we're in control of our destiny and able to really do this," Kilpatrick said. "It's something the young guys have been really focusing on and thinking about."