Revenge game for Pitt with Cinci coming in tonight.

Cinci has had an ongoing problem with scoring points.

“It’s demoralizing when you can’t score,” UC coach Mick Cronin said after the Georgetown game. “It takes the heart out of your team.”

Why does UC struggle so mightily on offense?

If it were just one thing, it would be easier to fix. But the Bearcats face a preponderance of offensive issues that have combined to limit their effectiveness.

For starters, they rank last in the league in forcing turnovers. As a result, they’re forced to grind out every basket in their half-court offense.

“We just don’t get a lot of fast-break points,” said UC point guard Jamual Warren. “We’ve got to change that. We’ve got to get easy buckets. That’s why were not scoring as much as were supposed to.”

In addition, the Bearcats don’t consistently attack the rim, nor are they a good offensive rebounding team, so they don’t get to the free throw line very often. Only DePaul (473) and Georgetown (484) have attempted fewer free throws than UC’s 489.

And finally, they just don’t have very many scoring threats. Only sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn (17.2 points per game) and senior forward John Williamson (10.6), average in double figures.

Of course, Pitt has it’s own struggles with shooting. Mainly on the outside.

Benjamin said the shooting woes can’t continue – at the peril of Pitt’s season.

“At the beginning of the year, everybody was shooting a very high percentage,” he said. “It fell apart. Now, we’ve got to pick it back up.”

Pitt still ranks sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (33.8) in conference games, but made only 14-of-57 3-pointers during the three-game losing streak.

Lapses on defense and rebounding are to blame, too, but poor shooting has emboldened the opposition. Missed 3-pointers typically lead to defensive rebounds. They create fast-breaks the other way.

“Our shooting from the outside has had something to do with our rebounding,” coach Jamie Dixon said.

Missing on threes means long rebounds. Pitt’s rebounding strength is inside. A legitimate criticism of Pitt’s perimeter shooting is that most of Pitt’s perimeter shooters don’t follow their shot. Only Brown seems to do it with any consistency.

The usual Dixon optimism still comes out even as he stresses what the team isn’t doing well — including the rebounding.

“We feel good given the situation,” Dixon said. “It’s the first time we’ve lost three in a row in a long time. Most schools have that happen more often. We’re No. 25 in the RPI. Given everything that we’ve gone through, people find that amazing. We feel our best basketball is ahead of us.”

Dixon’s players have a similar view. Junior forward Sam Young believes the Panthers are close to having things come together.

“I’m starting to feel like my back is up against the wall, but, at the same time, I feel like as a team we’re starting to come together and play like we should,” he said.

“A lot of people are starting to understand their roles. In the near future, we’re going to take off as a team. That motivates me more than the losses. If we just keep in the same direction and get over the hump, these three losses will just be a steppingstone for us.”

And of course the defense needs to pick it up. Cinci of course goes so slow, that stops will be vital. Turnovers would be nice, but simply not getting confused on screens and sticking with their men to contest the shots for a full 40 would be nice.

Cinci is heading to the Big East Tournament this year. Technically they aren’t there yet. A win with a St. John’s loss tonight would clinch it.