Cincinnati looks to remain perfect and extend its best start in five years as it hosts DePaul on Saturday.
The 11th-ranked Bearcats (10-0, 1-0 Conference USA) routed Tulane 71-44 on Wednesday night, relying on their strong defense to overcome a sloppy start. Cincinnati's 33 points in the first half were its lowest of the season as it shot just 36 percent from the field in the opening period.
Senior guard Tony Bobbitt had 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half, and blamed the team's slow start to its lackadaisical practice.
"The problem was we fooled around in practice too much," he said. "Coach told us we'd play like we practiced.
"We kind of lost our edge being 9-0, but we know we haven't accomplished nothing yet."
Cincinnati finished shooting 43.5 percent for the game, and held Tulane to 28.8 percent for its lowest percentage and point total of the season.
The Bearcats also held a 47-33 edge in rebounding, led by junior forward Jason Maxiell's 11 and Kareem Johnson's 10.
"We didn't change a lot other than our effort," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said.
Cincinnati has won its last five games by an average of 30 points, and only one game victory this season came by fewer than 20 points. The Bearcats' stifling defense is forcing 22.9 turnovers a game and holding opponents to 37 percent shooting.
Maxiell, senior guard Field Williams and Bobbitt account for 51 percent of the Bearcats' offense. Maxiell leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points a game, while Bobbitt and Williams follow with 13.6 and 13.5, respectively.
Bobbit, the Bearcats' sixth man, leads a solid bench that has averaged 39.2 points over the last five games, and outscored the opponent's starters in two of those games.
DePaul (7-5, 0-1) is led by the conference's top scorer - senior forward Delonte Holland, who averages 19.6 points.
Center Andre Brown, who grabs a team-high 10.6 rebounds a game, has missed four games due to knee discomfort. The Blue Demons have split those games, including a 75-70 loss to Charlotte in their conference opener on Tuesday.
"Without Andre and not being complete, (others) are going to have to do things outside of their box and do things they have not been asked to do more as a team," DePaul coach Dave Leitao said.
Cincinnati has won 12 straight over the Blue Demons at home, and are 25-10 in the all-time series.
