United Center, Chicago; Saturday, 8 p.m. CST (7-p.m. pre-game on KJAN)
BOTTOM LINE: Cincinnati and Iowa both look to put winning streaks together . Cincinnati is coming off a big 78-66 win on Wednesday over No. 21 Tennessee. Iowa is coming off an 84-68 road win over Iowa State on Dec. 12.
STEPPING UP: The powerful Luka Garza has put up 22.4 points and 9.9 rebounds to lead the way for the Hawkeyes. Joe Wieskamp is also a key contributor, accounting for 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Bearcats are led by Keith Williams, who is averaging 13 points and 4.9 rebounds.WATCH OUT FOR WILLIAMS: Williams has connected on 40 percent of the 25 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 6 of 14 over his last five games. He’s also converted 75.6 percent of his free throws this season.
WINNING WHEN: The Hawkeyes are 6-0 when they block at least three opposing shots and 2-3 when they fall shy of that mark. The Bearcats are 7-0 when converting on at least 65.5 percent of its free throws and 0-4 when they shoot worse than that from the line.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Hawkeyes have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Bearcats. Iowa has an assist on 46 of 89 field goals (51.7 percent) across its past three outings while Cincinnati has assists on 37 of 80 field goals (46.3 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The diligent Iowa offense has turned the ball over on just 15.8 percent of its possessions, the 12th-lowest mark in all of Division I. 21.8 percent of all Cincinnati possessions have resulted in a turnover.