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No. 22 Cincinnati, SMU meet in early battle for AAC lead

CINCINNATI -- By late Thursday night, there will be one remaining unbeaten team in American Athletic Conference play after No. 22 Cincinnati and SMU meet at 9 p.m. ET in Fifth Third Arena.

When the Bearcats hosted SMU last season at Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati won despite shooting just 29.5 percent behind a stifling defense that held the Mustangs to 54 points in a seven-point loss.

Suffocating defense continues to be the Bearcats' mantra this season.

Cincinnati (13-2, 3-0 AAC) ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents shooting just 36 percent, and 15th in scoring defense allowing 61.