The Bearcats basketball team kept growing in this exhibition battle against Illinois. Jerrod Calhoun's team got split open a bit on the defensive end, but kept pace with what could be the best offense in the nation pretty well during the 105-96 loss at home.
Illinois is a top-10 team nationally on most preseason analytic metrics, so a loss at home in this format is nothing to go crazy about. The Illini shot a scorching 52.9% from the floor, and its international core came through for the victory.
Andre Stojakic (24 points) drove the Illini win, while UC's Tylen Riley (31 points, 13 assists) continues to look like this team's leading offensive engine.
The Bearcats seem to be fitting in right around a top-40 status nationally after these two tune-up showings.
Cincinnati is now 1-1 in exhibition outings after winning last Wednesday outdoors against Ohio State.
Top Takeaway: Riley Runnin
Cincinnati's best player seems pretty locked in already. Riley was an offensive hub on Saturday afternoon, helping notch out a team-best 141.5 offensive rating while on the floor.
Now, Cincinnati needed every bit of that to keep up any consistent pace with a blitzing Illinois offense. It's not hard to see why Bart Torvik has them as the nation's No. 1 offensive unit entering the season. They move the ball with ease, give up good shots for great shots, and shoot an analytical diet.
Both these teams took a ton of triples, combining for 66 attempts on the outside. Riley produced a nasty 32.6 game score and led all players in assists during a dialed-in night for the fresh transfer.
MJ Collins also made his mainland Bearcats debut after getting eligible through Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's executive order. He posted eight points and two rebounds and looked a little rusty but ready to help be another lead scorer alongside Riley.
Cincinnati is not at the same level as Illinois, but they also missed a few key players due to injury, like Elijah Perryman, Akai Fleming, Javontae Campbell, and Deshaun Vaden.
The Bearcats have a lot of defensive issues to clean up before their final exhibition against Oakland on Oct. 27.
Player of the Game: Tylen Riley
It's hard to pick anyone else for Cincinnati after Riley outscored the next closest teammate by 16 points.
He showed all the signs of being a top guard in the Big 12 and should average at least 15 points and five assists if he stays healthy this season.
Adlan Elamin (15 points) also popped a bit, but Illinois bottled up a lot of the other offensive talents on Saturday. Cincinnati played nine players heavy minutes as the injuries start to stack up a bit.
Oakland tips off against UC on the 27th at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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