The Wes Miller era has officially begun.
Jeremiah Davenport had 11 points and eight rebounds, David DeJulius added nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists and the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team defeated Evansville 65-43 Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena for Miller's first win as UC coach.
"I can't lie, you kind of pinch yourself when you walk out there and see that kind of environment," said Miller, who took over the Cincinnati program in April after 10 seasons at UNC Greensboro. "It's a dream as a coach, it's a dream as a player to be in an environment like that. If it's really like that every night in here, it's going to be a heck of a run. It's going to be a heck of a lot of fun.
"That was really special to experience what I've heard about it. Honestly, it exceeded all expectations. Just for an opening night game in non-league play, I was blown away with the support, with the atmosphere. That was a heck of a rush."
Miller, who coached his first game at Fifth Third in front of 10,024 fans, said he was pleased with his team's effort and the players' ability to play together. Miller said he was especially happy that they had fun.
"I saw joy out there playing the game of basketball," he said. "That part was really cool."
Up next: Cincinnati will look to ride the early-season momentum past visiting Georgia on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Here's What we learned from Tuesday's win:
The starting 5
For the first time this season, fans got a glimpse into Miller's mind and what he's looking to do with this Cincinnati lineup. Miller said he didn't decide who the starting five would be until Monday.
Miller started senior guard DeJulius at point guard, followed by junior Mika Adams-Woods at shooting guard. Senior Clemson transfer John Newman III started at forward, while Davenport, a preseason second-team All-AAC selection, occupied the other forward.
Abdul Ado, the 6-foot-11 big man from Mississippi State, started for the Bearcats downlow.
Miller staggered the minutes of Ado and 7-foot-1 tower Hayden Koval, while going with former Wake Forest forward Ody Oguama and sophomore guards Mason Madsen and Mike Saunders Jr. to lead the second unit.
"It's going to take time," Miller said. "We'll take a look at the film. I never make rash judgements after games. I try to get back and look at the film. We'll grade it tonight and then we'll sit there and tinker with it. I'd be surprised if we don't have a solid rotation that's set in stone until January. I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if it takes that long."
Miller said he had lunch with Saunders on Monday and told him that even though Saunders "deserved to start as much as anybody" on the UC roster, Miller was going to start DeJulius because "it would be best for our team if you came off the bench."
"Before I could even finish the statement, he laughed and he said, 'Coach, I trust you and I'll do whatever you think is best for the team.' It was real and genuine It brought tears to my eyes. That's the kind of stuff that makes coaching special."
Mason Madsen still can shoot
The Bearcats started 0-for-4 from 3-point range, and then Mason Madsen went to work.
The sophomore guard checked in with 12:58 to play in the first half. and then knocked down back-to-back jumpers from deep about two minutes later. The personal 6-0 run gave Cincinnati a 16-13 lead, but more importantly lifted the Bearcats out of an early shooting slump.
"It felt like it had a lid on it there, didn't it?" Miller said. "You could tell there was some nerves. I had some healthy nerves. I tell our coaching staff, the minute I don't feel that stuff before a game, I will quit because that's what you live for, those moments. But you could tell our guys had some nerves, and it felt like there was a lid on it. But I like that we didn't get frustrated. We just kept playing. That's maturity."
Davenport followed Madsen by knocking down two 3-pointers of his own.
Cincinnati went on an 18-1 run, including 12 straight, and took a 31-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
UC held a 21-5 advantage in scoring off the bench at the break.
Madsen finished with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from long range and five rebounds.
"It's like anything, you just get in a little rhythm," Madsen said. "Obviously, it was only a matter of time before everyone got going on. I don't know if I'd credit that to me making a shot. But I think after that first media timeout, people kind of settled down and got comfortable."
UC is going to protect the rim
Koval showed early why he entered this season as the NCAA's active leader in career blocks (337)
The UNC Greensboro transfer added two blocks to his collection but also made it hard for Evansville to get anything going inside.
The Bearcats’ 25.9 field-goal percentage allowed marked its lowest in an opener since at least 2011.
Cincinnati had six total blocks on the night.
"I thought our rim presence was good at times," Miller said. "I think that's got to be a strength of this team."
Ody Oguama is going to be a force inside
Miller elected to bring Oguama off the bench in Game 1, but the 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward made a strong case to be in the starting lineup.
Oguama finished with seven points and three rebounds in 16 minutes, but also moved well without the ball and showed great lateral quickness on defense.
Viktor Lakhin looked sharp in first UC minutes
After missing all of last season with a knee injury, the 6-foot-11, 245-pound Russian had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, seven rebounds, a block and two steals in 16 minutes.
"Just the way he impacts the game is pretty special," said Madsen, who is Lakhin's roommate. "He does things not a lot of people his size can do. You saw a little bit today, but obviously, there's more that he has, for sure."
Lakhin showed why Miller and his staff have been so high on him since the beginning of summer workouts.
"He's been even better in practice," Miller said. "He was out for a week with an ankle injury so he didn't participate in our second scrimmage. He didn't participate in practice the week before that. So he probably only had five or six practices before today. He's had times where he's looked even better than that. If he continues to work, if he continues to stay healthy and develop, I think he's going to be a terrific player at Cincinnati. You could see tonight. He has real ability."