The Cincinnati Bearcats (18-8 8-5) return to action Saturday afternoon against the Seton Hall Pirates (18-8 7-7) at 4 pm inside 5/3 Arena.

As goes Jordan Theodore so go the Seton Hall Pirates. The Bearcats must find a way to contain him on Saturday.

As the season winds down, both teams are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives.

The winner will inch closer to a spot in the dance, while the loser leaves an opportunity to boost their resume.

Seton Hall is coming off their most impressive performance of the season in a 94-64 route of St John's that saw them shoot a remarkable 62.3% from the field for the game.

The senior combo of point guard Jordan Theodore and forward Herb Pope are the heart and soul for the Pirates, and Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin knows slowing them down is much easier said than done.

Theodore has been through it all in his 4 years at Seton Hall, and is finally putting it all together in his final campaign. He is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 assists a contest, and has been nearly impossible to stop when he has it going.

“Jordan Theodore is a great player,” Cronin said. “They go as he goes, I think he accounts for nearly 50% of their offense with points and assists. He's just a tremendous point guard.”

On the interior Pope has been a major factor on the glass with 10.4 boards a night while producing 15.6 points a game on the season.

Pope has routinely had big performances against the Bearcats in his career, and slowing him down will be critical.

“Herb's always given us trouble,” said Cronin. “He's done a good job getting to the foul line and he's a great rebounder. As he's gotten older he's learned to stay out of foul trouble and that's been a big factor for them.”

Two other important players for the Pirates are 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Fuquan Edwin and 6-foot-9 freshman Brandon Mobley.

Edwin leads the nation in steals with 78 on the season, and is 3rd on the team in scoring at 12.8 a night. He is also 2nd on the team in rebounding with 6.7 a game.

While Mobley's numbers are modest, he has been an increasingly important factor in the recent 3 game winning streak as he has moved in to the starting line up and added a new dimension to the team as a 4 man that can spread the floor and connect from deep.

“He can shoot,” Cronin said. “He gives them the stretch 4 man that can spread the floor. All of their young guys can shoot. Mobley, (Hadalds) Karlis and Aaron Cosby is a great shooter.”

Seton Hall has very solid on the defensive end, allowing 63.2 ppg and holding opponents to 41% from the field and 28.9% from beyond the three point line.

What might be most troublesome for Cincinnati is the ability of Edwin to create transition opportunities with his defense and Theodore's ability to get the ball to the rim in a hurry and finish.

Lately slowing down opponents in the open court has been a major problem for the Bearcats, and Cronin knows that has to change on Saturday if his team is going to pick up an important victory.

“The book on us right now is go score early on us,” said Cronin. “That's what I would try to do against us.”