CINCINNATI — The Bearcats are in an early hole to start Big 12 play amidst a 70-67 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats.

The road crowd roared and KSU’s best players fed off it all night to limit Cincinnati’s offense and scored 70-plus points on their top-five defense for the first time this season.

Coleman Hawkins (season-high 20 points, 10 rebounds, four steals three assists) showed why he was so coveted in the transfer portal to reignite life into the Wildcats season. It was a masterful performance from the 6-10 big man.

Cincinnati now leads the all-time series 8-2, with the first seven of those played from 1958-68. The Wildcats avenged the loss at Fifth Third Arena last season.

The Bearcats’ offensive struggles against good teams continued in this game. Featured most heavily in the worst game of the season for Simas Lukošius (four points, two assists). He couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm and it paralyzed UC’s offense through long stretches.

UC posted just 11 assists and attempted 26 combined free throws and threes. That kind of defensive discipline is hard to overcome and UC couldn’t get enough rim looks to do it. Stagnant is a perfect word, with KSU shutting down off-ball actions and crushing screens.

“We showed some toughness to figure out a way to dig back in and take the lead, and then we have some plays in the open court that are just kind of hard to swallow, right?” Wes Miller said on 700 WLW after the game. “Like, you get some key stops and get some momentum, and then you just throw it right back to them. That was very frustrating. But, I mean, there’s a lot, like, some of the rebounding on offense and defense was extremely frustrating.

“Going after it with one hand, like not boxing out. I mean, I could go on and on, but there’s a lot of stuff tonight that was very frustrating. Some of the execution to screen the way they were defending. It was really important we screened and we didn’t screen well.”

Turnovers were a huge problem in the second half, then things flipped into a hot shooting home party for KSU in the second. Playing that tight defense with little easy buckets on the other end is hard to do. UC saw five different players commit multiple turnovers in a tough road environment.

Still, this is likely the easiest opponent they’ll face on the road, and in two true away games (@ Villanova) against good teams, they’ve combined for 127 points on 60 field goal attempts in both games (sixth time this season with 60 or fewer shots). More transition looks (9-11 loss in transition points) and composed possessions are a must starting this Saturday.

McDaniel entered the Wildcats starting lineup and showed why throughout the game with a vintage point-guard performance. It paired with Coleman Hawkins posting one of his best offensive games this season.

They did a great job breaking down an otherwise stout defense outside of their usage possessions (five assists combined). Above all though, they shot lights out from the field, including some fantastic shots against good defense. McDaniel did a great job penetrating off the dribble and laying soft rolling looks at the rim.

Hawkins channeled the K-State crowd all night long to hit an uncharacteristic efficient three-point mark (3-5 from deep). Too many of those were open looks to go with mismatches on guards down low a few times.

“We should be able to guard guys,” Miller said about the performance. “This isn’t to belittle any player on any other team, but I think we have a team that when we’re playing with the right mentality and focus, we should be able to guard the best players in the country, regardless who they are, but a nice game. So congrats to him.”

They did plenty enough at home to grind out a ranked win over Cincinnati and become the first team in weeks to shoot over 40% on that defense.

Cincinnati needed every point it could get from Dan Skillings Jr. (18 points, 4-8 from deep, two rebounds) on Monday night. The dynamic wing got outside shooting back on his menu and it helped keep UC in the game.

They needed someone to hit outside shots on the road and he answered the call amidst a rough shooting night from most of the team. Dillon Mitchell (15 points, 2-3 from deep, 11 rebounds) pulled his weight with Skillings. The forwards hung around the corners, and it helped them combine for a 6-10 outside shooting night.

The silver lining from this loss is both players are in peak form, with Big 12 play ramping up early. They played strong defense on the other end and look like cornerstones for the rest of the season, guard play has to be better. The creation and easier looks around the rim haven’t been consistent enough against top-100 KenPom teams.

“I’m so mad I can’t see straight,” Miller said about things to correct before aming off a bevy of problems. “There’s, like, a lot of stuff we got to get to. And I haven’t had a chance to focus my attention on the next opponent yet, but we’ll get through this one and then start working on the next one. That’s how it goes.”

The Bearcats get another test on Saturday against Arizona and needs all they can get from this pair in the Big 12 battles to come.

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