KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- There will be times when Cincinnati is beset by fouls. And when it happens, as it did Saturday, it seems the Bearcats don't quite have the depth to overcome it.

Cincinnati shot 8 of 28 from the three-point line to stay in the game. But the Bearcats had 26 fouls called on them, which resulted in Tennessee shooting 25 for 30 at the free throw line, the foul out of senior center Chris Vogt and senior Keith Williams limited throughout with his own foul trouble.

Sophomore Jeremiah Davenport had a team-high 14 points to pace Cincinnati.

"It comes down to the last five minutes," he said. "Just our focus, our intensity. We're definitely gonna work on that."

And while coach John Brannen made a few adjustments, including using freshman forward Tari Eason at the five position late in the game, he was shorthanded going into it. Junior forward Mamoudou Diarra opted out of the rest of the season for reasons related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"I don't know," Brannen said. "This is our first game without him. JD (Davenport) will play some more four, hopefully not get into so much foul trouble, play some more zone at times. Mamoudou was playing seven and a half minutes for us, so I don't think it will be earth-shattering, what we have to do."