Game #99. Unbeaten Cincinnati gets it toughest test of the season as it travels to take on Villanova on the Main Line this afternoon.
One of the more important early Big East Conference match-ups this week will pit #25 Cincinnati against host #7 Villanova on Sunday at noon. An accidental blockbuster, few fans of either school (or the mainstream media) circled their calendars when this match-up was posted, the game’s significance has snowballed as each team has put together impressive unbeaten streaks. Cincinnati, led by solid nucleus of upperclassmen including junior forward/center Yancy Gates, senior Rashad Bishop, junior wing Dion Dixon, senior forward/center Ibrahima Thomas and redshirt sophomore point guard Cashmere Wright has gone through the first 15 games of their 2011 slate undefeated. If there was a marshmallow or two in their schedule, most likely the reason AP and Coaches Poll voters just moved them into the Top 25, few can argue the way the Bearcats disposed of Dayton (68-34), Oklahoma (66-56) or Xavier (66-46) was in any way soft. Villanova will counter with their own nucleus of veterans, sophomore center Mouphtaou Yarou, sophomore point guard Maalik Wayns, senior forward/center Antonio Pena, senior off guard Corey Fisher and senior wing Corey Stokes. This is the fourth conference game where both teams are ranked. Each team played and won on Thursday night, Cincinnati pummeled Crosstown Shootout rival Xavier by 20 points, 66-46, while Villanova downed the South Florida Bulls in the Sun Dome 83-71. Join RTC Live Sunday at noon, as Cincinnati meets Villanova at the Pavilion on Villanova’s campus.