GAME NOTES: The Houston Cougars desperately are trying to put a stop to a six- game losing streak, but they'll have a tough test ahead as they travel to face the Cincinnati Bearcats in an American Athletic Conference clash at Fifth Third Arena.

Houston started the season off at 7-4 before conference play hit. Since then, the Cougars have dropped six consecutive games, and are now 0-6 in the AAC. They're also 1-4 in road contests. Houston was dropped by Tulane at home, 68-65, on Saturday.

Cincinnati was on a small losing streak that consisted of two games before the Bearcats hammered Temple on Saturday, 84-53. Now Cincinnati will look to put a win streak together at home where they are 10-1 this season. Cincy is 3-2 in conference play.

The Bearcats have absolutely dominated the all-time series against Houston, having won 24 of the 25 head-to-head matchups in a series that dates back to 1957. Cincinnati has won 12 in a row over the Cougars, and is 12-0 at home in the series.

Houston trailed Tulane by four points, 66-62, with 13 seconds remaining in Saturday's clash. But a missed 3-point try by Jherrod Stiggers led to a Green Wave rebound and more foul shots, and a LeRon Barnes 3-pointer for Houston at the buzzer cut the Tulane lead to three, but with no time remaining. Danrad Knowles was phenomenal in the loss for the Cougars, as the big man netted 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor. Devonta Pollard chipped in with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Barnes grabbed nine rebounds of his own. The Cougars shot 47.9 percent from the floor, but made just 3-of-17 from 3-point range.

Stiggers only had four points in the loss to Tulane, but he still leads Houston in scoring this season with 15.5 ppg, though he's shooting just 35.8 percent from the field. Pollard is second in scoring at 11.3 ppg, and Knowles rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers at 10.9 ppg. Houston is averaging 67.5 ppg this season as a team, but the defense has been spotty as a whole, allowing 68.1 ppg to opponents on 42 percent shooting. Barnes leads a group of talented rebounders for Houston with 6.9 boards per outing, while Pollard (6.6 rpg) and Knowles (6.1 rpg) also grab more than six rebounds on average per contest.

Cincinnati hasn't been known as an offensive team this season, but it certainly didn't read that way on Saturday as the Bearcats absolutely demolished Temple behind 53.7 percent shooting. Jermaine Sanders scored 16 points to lead Cincy in the win, while Kevin Johnson chipped in with 14 points. Octavius Ellis scored 13 points and hit 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, and Gary Clark added 11 with a team-best eight rebounds. The Bearcats held Temple to just 36.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Cincinnati's scoring defense is the best in the American Athletic Conference this season, as the team currently allows just 55.1 ppg to opponents on 38.3 percent shooting. Its offense is netting 63.0 ppg - the lowest total in the league - but it gets the job done. Troy Caupain leads Cincinnati in the scoring department, but checks in under double digits with 9.8 ppg (adding in 63 assists to lead the squad). Ellis averages 9.5 ppg for the Bearcats, and dominates on the defensive end with 43 blocked shots and 6.8 rpg. Clark is the team's leader in rebounding, however, bringing down 7.7 boards per outing.

Houston will somehow have to find a way to out-muscle Cincinnati underneath the basket, but it won't be easy with Clark, Ellis and the rest of the Bearcats waiting to strike. At home, the Bearcats are almost unbeatable, and the struggling Cougars likely won't change that.