NCAA tournament preview: Cincinnati vs. Purdue

No. 8 Cincinnati (22-10) vs. No. 9 Purdue (21-12)

Time, TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

Where: Louisville

Why Cincinnati will win: The Bearcats (No. 8 seed in Midwest) won five of six down the stretch, an impressive season on the whole considering the abrupt coaching change early on. It's also impressive considering none of Cincinnati's top five scorers started a game for the Bearcats last season. No matter — they've got one of the best defenses in the country and a very balanced offensive attack.

Why Purdue will win: The Boilermakers' starting lineup — Vince Edwards, Dakota Mathias, Rapheal Davis, A.J. Hammons and Jon Octeus — is 9-1 as a group, with the lone loss coming to No. 1 seed Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. If Purdue is going to win this game, it will need a big game from Hammons (11.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.6 apg) in general.

History lesson: Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin took a leave of absence because of health reasons in the early part of the season. Associate head coach Larry Davis has led the Bearcats to a 15-8 record in Cronin's absence.