Winners
I think this is a clear gimme for Bearcat fans. Simas Lukosius willed the Bearcats to victory on Wednesday night. The Lithuanian finished with a team-high 28 points on 9-15 shooting (8-10 from behind the arch). Lukosius buried the game-winning three with three seconds remaining to keep the Bearcats' season alive.
The junior guard has shown over the recent weeks that he is an elite three-point scorer. We saw that vs West Virginia in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament where he set a new career-high following his 31-point performance against the Mountaineers.
"How about this guy to my left, in Simas Lukosius? He shot the absolute heck out of the ball," Wes Miller said. "He had a tough fall, with a bunch of nagging injuries but, he won't be the one to tell you guys that. Then he gets hit by the dang car. I know he was disappointed with how he shot the ball at the beginning of conference play but, to see him come back and do this tonight. He has been great. I am proud of this dude."
Dan Skillings also had another fantastic showing as the sophomore finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Skillings made it a priority to be aggressive early which played to Cincinnati's advantage on both ends of the court. Now for Skillings, he was looking to build off an incredible Big 12 Championship as Cincinnati would desperately need that same effort tonight.
Losers
It was safe to say John Newman III had his worst shooting performance of the season on Wednesday, where he finished the game 0-10 from the field. The sixth-year guard finished with a team-high nine rebounds, despite being held scoreless. The Dons' size and length caused a lot of issues, especially for Newman. I don't think we saw a team all season give Newman that much trouble.
Day-Day Thomas also didn't have the best of nights for Cincinnati, as it seemed like the junior was a little antsy at times. Thomas finished with just seven points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field. However, the difference maker in this one was the Bearcats' silly turnovers. Despite only turning the ball over 13 times, seven of those came from Thomas. That is something that can't happen in these big postseason games or it could get ugly very quickly.
Now for Thomas, things would get worse as the junior guard went down late in the overtime period with what we now know is a foot injury. The injury occurred late in overtime
"He is currently getting X-rays on his foot," Miller told reporters. "Day-Day is the type of kid that has had ailments all season that not many have known about. He is tough as nails and a warrior. I knew instantly when he hobbled off the court it could be serious,"
That will most definitely be something to keep an eye on heading into Cincinnati's second-round match-up vs Bradley on Saturday. Cincinnati is already without guard CJ Fredrick who has been in-and-out over the last month to a hamstring injury. If Thomas is unable to go on Saturday, look for Jizzle James to step into that starting role with CJ Anthony ready if needed.
Up Next
Now for Cincinnati, they quickly turn their focus to Bradley, who they will take on in the second round of the NIT, this Saturday at 2 pm.
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