Kansas
3 keys for UC Bearcats to beat Kansas who makes their 1st visit to Cincinnati since 1964
Cincinnati Bearcats coach Wes Miller on team approaching Kansas game
Cincinnati Bearcats coach Wes Miller on team approaching Kansas game Saturday, Jan. 11 at Fifth Third Arena
The Kansas Jayhawks visited the Armory Fieldhouse just a few months after The Beatles appeared at Cincinnati Gardens in 1964. Then-coach Tay Baker’s squad beat them 76-72, which would be the last UC win in the series until last year’s Big 12 tournament.
After falling short at Allen Fieldhouse in January 2024, 74-69 UC beat the Jayhawks 72-52 last March 13 in Kansas City, just 47 miles from their home. To be fair, Kansas played without Big 12 First Team players Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr., but the game was in front of over 18,000 at the T-Mobile Center pulling for the Jayhawks.
Kansas coach Bill Self was none too pleased about exiting a tournament his team had owned for years. Now, Kansas is again a highly-ranked team with 7-foot-2 Dickinson back as they come to Cincinnati for the first time in over 60 years Saturday.
Saturday a tall order for Cincinnati Bearcats
This Kansas team has only lost three times. Wednesday, they came from behind against Arizona State at halftime to win by 19, 74-55. The Jayhawks fell against Quad 1 opponents in Missouri, Creighton and had a one-point home loss to West Virginia. The Bearcats and Jayhawks share one common opponent: Howard. Kansas began their regular season beating the Bison by 30, while UC beat them by 17 in early December.
The Bearcats are coming off their worst game of the season, a 68-48 thrashing at Baylor Tuesday in Waco. UC will look to bounce back with a sellout crowd at Fifth Third Arena.
“You know you’re going to hit tough stretches, that is part of this,” UC coach Wes Miller said of the 0-3 Big 12 start. “That doesn’t make it fun. It’s part of college basketball, it’s part of high-level competition. Going into the year, I went, ‘When we do, we’re going to be OK because of who we have in the locker room’. I’ve got high-character guys that are bought into this place and our program and they want to win.”
A boost from UC AD John Cunningham
Miller and company received support from athletic director John Cunningham Thursday as they await the powerhouse Jayhawks.
“It’s everything we always wanted when we got into the Big 12,” Cunningham said. “It does remind a lot of people of the competition we saw week in and week out when we were in the Big East. This is even more so.”
As for UC’s 0-3 start, Cunningham says the Bearcats are a really good team going through a tough stretch in a demanding league.
“I see no cracks in the armor in terms of the confidence of the team,” Cunningham said. “If I’m going to battle, I want Wes Miller and his staff right next to me. He’s the right man to get this thing moving the right direction. Honestly, sometimes the shots don’t drop. They’re going to start to drop.”
Tough travels for Cincinnati Bearcats
After waiting four hours to fly to Waco Monday night and arriving early on game day, the Bearcats were also delayed getting home. Though Miller mentioned it had nothing to do with the Baylor loss, he said UC didn’t arrive home until Wednesday afternoon due to flight complications. By NCAA rules, they took that day off and didn’t get back to practice until Thursday.
“We had to get a new plane so we slept in Waco and couldn’t leave until that morning,” Miller said. “This isn’t news to anyone who knows our program but the will, the want, the mindset, I believe it’s where he needs to be and I believe it’ll continue to be where it needs to be regardless of the results and circumstances. This team has the right internal stuff and internal fortitude. We’ll figure it out.”
A ‘Big O’ moment
On March 12, 1960 in an Elite Eight NCAA tournament game in Manhattan, Kansas, UC beat the Kansas Jayhawks 82-71 as Naismith Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson had 48 points and 14 rebounds.
3 keys for Cincinnati Bearcats to beat Kansas Jayhawks
1. Seize momentum on your home floor
The University of Cincinnati winter semester begins Monday and Fifth Third Arena will be packed for a matchup with a team that has briefly been No. 1 and for the most part in the Top 10.
While the Arizona game drew 11, 212, students were not yet back and the intensity was nowhere near Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout levels. Of course, the Bearcats didn’t help matters getting behind by 13 at halftime. With an 0-3 Big 12 start, the Bearcats could use every piece of motivation they can find.
“You have to go through difficult moments, speed bumps and hurdles in order to do the things you have to do to become who you’re trying to become,” Miller said. “My fire burns in these moments. It burns brightest when things are at their most difficult times.”
2. Hound Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson
UC was able to hold him to 10 points and six rebounds in Lawrence last year thanks to foul trouble. They also outrebounded the Jayhawks 40-29 and the game was tied at halftime 35-35. Getting the prolific pivot in foul trouble would be beneficial again, as would the glass advantage.
Dickinson is often good for 16 points and 10 rebounds. He finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in their Arizona State win Wednesday.
“They’re the oldest team in the country, the most experienced team in the country,” Miller said of Kansas. “They’re a national championship contender. They present a load of challenges. The first is the depth and experience. You’re talking about guys on their roster that were the leading scorers at other high-major schools. They’re as deep as I’ve seen a college basketball team in the portal area.”
3. Let Dan Skillings Jr. get his minutes
Skillings was electric off the bench at Kansas last year with 16 points and even more so in the Big 12 tournament game when he popped in 25. When the 6-foot-6 wing is rolling, the Bearcats often follow suit. They didn’t on Tuesday, but maybe they do after a few spirited practices.
One solution might be to leave him on the floor. To date, Big 12 opponents are playing their starters more minutes than the UC starting five. No Bearcat has played 34 minutes yet and most games the starters are in for roughly 28 to 31 minutes of a 40-minute contest.
“We look at our coaching decisions after every game,” Miller said. “We always want to be consistent. I don’t ever want to be the guy that’s changing every game because I don’t think players can be effective like that. Over the course of time, we’re going to evaluate that. We have real data, real information, not just reactive information. We’ll adjust accordingly.”
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Tip: Saturday, 2 p.m., Fifth Third Arena (12,012)
TV/Radio: ESPN+/700WLW
Series: UC leads 5-4 (Bearcats won March 13, 2024, in Big 12 tournament 72-52)
Kansas Jayhawks scouting report
Record: 11-3 (2-1 Big 12)
Coach: Bill Self (21st season, 599-146)
Offense: 78.9 ppg
Defense: 63.6 ppg
Projected starting lineup
(Position, Height, Stats)
Hunter Dickinson (C, 7’2″, 15.9 ppg, 10.4 reb)
Dajuan Harris (G, 6’2″, 10.3 ppg)
K.J. Adams (F, 6’7″, 8.5. ppg)
Zeke Mayo (G, 6’4″, 14.6 ppg)
Shakeel Moore (G, 6’1″, 3.3 ppg)
Cincinnati Bearcats scouting report
Record: 10-4 (0-3 Big 12)
Coach: Wes Miller (fourth season, 73-47, overall 258-182)
Offense: 75.4 ppg
Defense: 61 ppg
Projected starting lineup
Simas Lukošius (G-F, 6’8″, 13 ppg)
Dan Skillings Jr. (G-F, 6’6″, 13.1 ppg)
Dillon Mitchell (F, 6’8″, 10.9 ppg)
Jizzle James (G, 6’3″, 11.1 ppg)
Aziz Bandaogo (C, 7′, 9.4 ppg)
Players to watch
Hunter Dickinson is a fifth-year player who reliably has been at or near averaging a double-double since he began in 2020. He has seven double-doubles this year. If UC has another game where they’re destroyed in the paint (40-16 at Baylor) that means Dickinson had his way.
Dillon Mitchell has been UC’s double-double leader with three but he’s coming off a scoreless game where he had just two rebounds. He hasn’t been held without a point since his freshman year at Texas. For the Bearcats to have a chance, Mitchell must be productive.
Rankings
KenPom.com: Kansas is No. 10, Cincinnati is No. 33
NCAA NET: Kansas is No. 9, Cincinnati is No. 35
Kansas
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First pitch between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for (ET) on Friday, June 19.
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All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
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- Time: (ET)
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
- 52% from Kansas or Missouri
- 33% from the United States
- 15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
- Stadium Direct: 57,302
- Regional Direct: 17,284
- Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Cooler temperatures today, but we will keep a chance of thunderstorms going in south-central Kansas this morning. One or two could be strong.
Temperatures stay cooler in southern Kansas thanks to clouds and rain in the area. Warmer temps and sunshine to the north.
Another chance of severe weather will visit Kansas this weekend, with a complex of strong storms rolling across the area Saturday night.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Maney:
Wichita:
Today: Mostly cloudy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 80 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers. Lo: 62 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 68 Wind: SE 5-15
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 87 Lo: 73 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 92 Lo: 67 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 65 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 68 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 69 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
SOUTHWEST: Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Greensburg, Guymon
Southwest:
Today: Partly to mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 84 Wind: NE/E 10-25
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. Lo: 58 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 62 Wind: SE 5-15
Southwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 92 Lo: 66 Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 91 Lo: 59 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 83 Lo: 60 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 61 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 89 Lo: 62 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHWEST: Colby, Goodland, Hill City, Oberlin, McCook
Northwest:
Today: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny. Hi: 86 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tonight: Mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lo: 61 Wind: E/S 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: S/SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 61 Wind: SE 5-15
Northwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 90 Lo: 61 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 84 Lo: 55 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 78 Lo: 56 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 59 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 87 Lo: 60 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHCENTRAL: Salina, Great Bend, Hays, Russell, Beloit, Osborne
North Central:
Today: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lo: 60 Wind: NE/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 66 Wind: SE 5-15
North Central Weekly
Sat: Hi: 88 Lo: 70 Partly to mostly cloudy. 70% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 88 Lo: 63 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 81 Lo: 62 Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 64 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 67 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
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