The defending champion UConn Huskies haven’t had an easy go of it during the 2014-15 season, as they enter a huge Thursday night clash against the Cincinnati Bearcats in search of a quality win. Neither team has stuck inside the nation’s top-25 rankings, but both have at least four wins inside the American Athletic Conference and are still within striking distance of the top of the conference.

Despite neither team really having the luxury of being able to afford another big loss, Cincinnati Bearcats tickets are a conservative $35 on average (just $6 to get in the door). Considering Huskies tickets are usually around $68 on average, it looks like fans from both sides will get a nice discount when the two take the floor in Cincy on Thursday night. Of course, depending on who is able to squeak out the win, these squads could be headed in very different directions.

Fans looking to attend the game can review information on Cincinnati flights into Cincinnati Airport.  Currently, airline tickets can be found for less than $500 round trip. Hipmunk also has availability on cheap hotels in the greater-Cincinnati area, with rates as low as $65 per night, as well as even cheaper Airbnb options.

The University of Connecticut won the national title in men’s basketball last year, yet it seems like so long ago after a somewhat sluggish 11-7 start. The silver lining is that the Huskies have managed to win four of six tries inside their conference, although dropping a third conference game on Thursday to Cincinnati could end up being extremely damaging. The only big-name win the Huskies have to this point is a 63-59 nail biter over Florida, but with the Gators also struggling, UConn is left looking for more validation.

That validation could easily come on Thursday with a win over the Bearcats, which would give the Huskies a 2-0 sweep of the season series and give them much-needed momentum as they try to pick up steam the rest of the way. UConn was able to get past Cincinnati back on January 10th of this year (62-56), thanks to an elite performance from their guards. Ryan Boatright led the way, putting up 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the tight affair. That game originally helped cap a nice run of five wins in six contests – a feeling the Huskies hope to re-ignite during the rematch.