GAME NOTES: The Cincinnati Bearcats watched a four-game win streak come to an end in their last outing, but will look to start a new one as they play the Memphis Tigers in an American Athletic Conference bout at the FedEx Forum.

Cincinnati was on a hot streak until the team ran up against defending national champion Connecticut on Saturday. The Huskies downed the Bearcats, 62-56, to hand Cincy its first AAC loss this season.

Memphis was experiencing a two-game skid directly after the team had won five in a row. But the Tigers got back in the win column on Sunday with a 62-44 victory over Houston on the road to improve to 9-6. The Tigers are 7-3 at home this season.

This will be the 70th all-time meeting between Cincinnati and Memphis. The Bearcats lead the series, 38-31, but the Tigers own the advantage in Memphis, 20-13.

Cincinnati isn't really known for its offensive prowess this season, but the team was still a little off its game against the Huskies. The Bearcats shot 39.6 percent from the floor in the game, and ended the contest with a 6-of-18 mark from 3-point range. Troy Caupain was the only double-digit scorer for the Bearcats in the loss, as the guard netted 14 points with five rebounds. Octavius Ellis led the squad in the loss with six boards and six blocked shots. UConn connected on a healthy 46 percent of its attempts from the field.

Cincinnati is 11-4 this season with a 2-1 mark in the AAC, and the Bearcats have made it this far despite the worst scoring offense statistically in the conference. Cincinnati is averaging just 62.5 ppg on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor. That's where the team's strong defense comes into play. The Bearcats own the league's best scoring defense, allowing just 54.7 ppg to opponents through 15 games played. Ellis tops the squad in scoring at 9.7 ppg, and adds in 7.2 rpg which fits in just behind Gary Clark's team leading 7.5 rpg.

Memphis didn't need a big offensive performance to get past Houston on Sunday. The team simply put up a tough defensive effort that held the Cougars to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, and forced 18 Houston turnovers. Austin Nichols did the most damage for the Tigers on offense, netting 16 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Markel Crawford chimed in with 12 points, and Kedren Johnson came off the bench to add 10 points in the win.

The Tigers, like Cincinnati, have used a strong defensive effort this season to help pick up wins. The Tigers enter Thursday's matchup allowing only 60.9 ppg to opponents, who are shooting just 37.8 percent from the floor. Meanwhile Memphis is netting 67.5 ppg this season, which fits into the top four in the AAC rankings. Nichols leads the scoring charge at 13.0 ppg, also adding in 6.0 rpg and a team-best 53 blocked shots. Trahson Burrell is the only other Tigers player in double-digit scoring figures at 10.1 ppg. Shaq Goodwin is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 6.3 boards per outing.

This will be a battle of two top-notch defensive teams, though Memphis has proven it has more scoring depth than Cincinnati. The Tigers are strong at home, but the Bearcats will push the Tigers more than most teams will. It could come down to the wire on Thursday night.