The Bearcats kept the basketball wins humming in their opening week this season via a 81-64 result over Green Bay.

The Phoenix coughed up 21 turnovers in the game as Cincinnati's defense powered its offense at home. UC got the two warm-up games out of the way this week before welcoming Big 10 foe Minnesota into Fifth Third Arena on Monday night.

UC has won eight home openers in a row after the perfect opening week.

Myles Colvin (31 points, seven rebounds, 7-12 from outside) took the reins as Cincinnati's lead offensive motor tonight, ringing things up from downtown after a cold first game against American. Tonight was the first-ever battle against Green Bay as Colvin posted the most points by a Bearcat since Dan Skillings scored 29 against Stetson in 2023.

Cincinnati didn't have Jayden Hastings (week-to-week) and Akai Fleming (day-to-day) for the contest as some of the depth got tested against the Phoenix.

Top Takeaway: Foul Fest Favors UC

The referees sure weren't afraid to try and star in this show. Both teams combined for 34 fouls in this game with a ton of head-scratching light contact whistled.

Alas, Cincinnati got a lot of chances to work on their in-game free-throw shooting, with so-so results. They shot 15-22 from the line as fans hope the typical free-throw shooting issues don't haunt this again in this latest season (below 70% as a team in every season since 2022-23).

David Iweze (six points, three rebounds, 6-8 from the line) found the most contact and continued to show he'll likely be a major part of this rotation this season and potentially years to come. His aggression helped connect Cincinnati's disjointed scoring a bit in this game.

The Bearcats shot 48% from the floor and played elite defense ball-pressure defense on the other end to wash out the shaky shooting night. It's a solid result against a team ranked basically right in the middle of Division I (181st nationally on Bart Torvik).

Among all the fouls, Cincinnati gave up fewer free throws and has posted really great defensive metrics through two games, allowing a 34% effective field goal rate in the opener and just 0.94 points per possession tonight.

Player of the Game: Myles Colvin

The veteran guard stayed after Monday night's game to fine-tune his shot, and it paid off a few days later. Colvin came out aggressive to fire from deep and attack the basket, fitting the strong analytical mold Cincinnati is filling under Calhoun.

The 100-plus game vet hit 35.1% from deep and 81.5% from the free-throw line last season as a solid shooter, and he'll improve those marks this campaign if Thursday is any indication.

He was scorching hot from three with quick, clinical shot mechanics. Colvin also added great defense on the other end (two blocks and a steal).

“Myles is a really versatile perimeter player,” UC head coach Jerrod Calhoun said in recent months about Colvin. “He has a tremendous ability to make shots but also can be a lockdown defender. Myles will be a tremendous asset in so many of our offensive schemes.”

Colvin went 4-5 from the line and was a rebound maven, hauling in a ton of tough boards and largely playing all over the floor in this win.

Amani Lyles (14 points, four rebounds, three assists) had a very solid night as well, playing without a minutes cap for the first time in a UC uniform. He initiated paint offense well, distributed as the point-of-attack ball handler, and looks like the perfect late addition to a front court that'd be very thin right now without him.

Cincinnati has the weekend free of games before taking on Minnesota to start the week.

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