Cincinnati Bearcats Men's Basketball
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The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program represents the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. The school's team competes in
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
as part of the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
though they will move to the
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
conference (Big XII) within the next few years. The Bearcats are currently coached by
Wes Miller Wes or WES may refer to: * Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musici ...
. With over 1800 all-time wins, the Bearcats are the 12th winningest basketball programs of all-time. The school's merits include 2 National Titles, 6 Final Fours, and 33
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
appearances. As of 2019, Cincinnati had an all-time tournament record of 46–32. There have also been 42 All-American honors issued to Bearcats as well, while 36 have gone on to play in the NBA. Cincinnati has been playing its home games since 1989 at
Fifth Third Arena Fifth Third Arena is an indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1989 and is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. It primarily serves as the home venue for the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball, wo ...
, which received an $87 million renovation for the 2018 season. The Bearcats played their 2017–18 season at
BB&T Arena Truist Arena, formerly The Bank of Kentucky Center and BB&T Arena, is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. The arena was topped off on June 21, 2007, and the first event ...
on the campus of
Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University is a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It is primarily an undergraduate institution with over 14,000 students; over 12,000 are undergraduate students and nearly 2,000 are graduate students. Northern ...
in
Highland Heights, Kentucky Highland Heights is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,923 at the 2010 U.S. census. Highland Heights is home to Northern Kentucky University and General Cable, a Fortune 500 company wh ...
while their home arena was renovated. Cincinnati joined the original Big East Conference in 2005, which was rebranded as the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
(AAC) in 2013. They recently accepted an invitation to join the
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
conference.


By the numbers

Statistics and NCAA all-time rankings (through the end of the 2017–18 season): * Wins: 1835 (14th) * Win percentage: .641 (23rd) * National Titles: 2 (T-9th) * Final Fours: 6 (T-10th) * NCAA Tournament appearances: 33 (T-13th) * NCAA Tournament games played: 77 (16th) * NCAA Tournament wins: 46 (17th)
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament all-time team records This is a list of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the Unite ...
* Weeks in the AP Top 25: 434 (12th) * Weeks in the AP Top 10: 210 (15th) * Weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll: 45 (7th) * 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1992 to 2005 (T-11th longest streak all-time)
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament consecutive appearances This is a list of the most consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination to ...
* 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2011–present (T-5th longest active streak) * First-team Consensus All-American selections: 8 (T-22nd) * Current players in the NBA: 2 (T-26th) * First school to reach three consecutive National Title games (1961–63) * First school to reach five consecutive Final Fours (1959–63)


History


1901-1940s – The beginning

Basketball formally debuted as a selected varsity team in 1901 and played nine games. Cincinnati, in its first season lost to
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
but later defeated a team from the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
while compiling a 5–4 record, with the remaining games being against non-collegiate teams. Home games during this time were played in a gym in the basement of McMicken Hall. Pillars on the court gave UC a home court advantage. UC experienced moderate success in the early days, with the main highlights being them winning several conference championships in both the
Buckeye Athletic Association The Buckeye Athletic Association, also known as the Buckeye Conference, was an athletic league formed out of members of the Ohio Athletic Conference. Its original membership in 1926 included Ohio Wesleyan University (Battling Bishops), Ohio Univer ...
and the
Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great L ...
.


1954–1958 – The start of something special

Cincinnati opened its new on-campus arena,
Armory Fieldhouse Armory Fieldhouse is an on-campus facility located at the University of Cincinnati. It was built in 1954 to replace the old Schmidlapp Gymnasium, and originally was used as the home for the Bearcats men's basketball team, who opened the building w ...
, with a 97–65 win over
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
in 1954. One of the first of Cincinnati's long list of standouts was
Jack Twyman John Kennedy Twyman (May 21, 1934 – May 30, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. Twyman is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Basketb ...
, who earned
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
status in 1954–55. He went on to NBA stardom and is in the
Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
.
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...
made his debut in 1957, and quickly emerged as one of the top college players in the country. "The Big O" is still widely recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the sport—college or professional. A unanimous three-time All-American, he was college basketball's all-time leading scorer at the close of his career. His 33.8 scoring average today ranks third on the NCAA career charts, and he has the NBA's third-most career assists. The Bearcats celebrated their entry into the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
by winning the league title. Cincinnati made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1958, losing to
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
in overtime at the Midwest Regional.


1958–1964 – A run unlike any other

Sparked by the exploits of Robertson, who became the first player to lead the nation in scoring in three consecutive seasons, Cincinnati advanced to the Final Four in 1958–59 and 1959–60, settling for third place both years. Then the Bearcats, with a rookie head coach (
Ed Jucker Edwin Louis Jucker (July 8, 1916 – February 2, 2002) was an American basketball and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy from 1945 to 1948, Renss ...
) and without Robertson, won their first national title in 1960–61. Then to prove that its 1961 championship was no fluke, UC repeated as national champion in 1961–62. Cincinnati made a fifth-straight trip to the Final Four in 1962–63, and narrowly missed capturing a third-straight national crown when Loyola (Ill.) overcame a 15-point deficit and defeated the Bearcats by a basket, 60–58, in overtime. During those five seasons, UC recorded a 37-game win streak and posted a 161–16 ledger. The five straight Final Four appearances is a feat topped only by UCLA.
Connie Dierking Conrad William Dierking (October 2, 1936 – December 29, 2013) was an American professional basketball player from 1958 to 1971. Early life Connie Dierking was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up on Long Island, where he starred in basketbal ...
(1958), Ralph Davis (1960),
Bob Wiesenhahn Robert B. Wiesenhahn, Jr. (born December 22, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Wiesenhahn attended McNicholas High School in Cincinnati. He played basketball for the Rockets and graduated in 1957. College ca ...
(1961),
Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...
(1961, 1962), Tom Thacker (1963),
Tony Yates Tony Yates (September 15, 1937May 16, 2020) was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a player, he won consecutive national championships with Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Yates was named a third- ...
(1963),
Ron Bonham Ronald D. Bonham (May 31, 1942 – April 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati. Early life Born May 31, 1942, in ...
(1963, 1964) and George Wilson (1963) were accorded All-American recognition with Wilson playing on the U.S. 1964 Olympic gold medal team.


1970s – Continued success

The Bearcats during the 1970s compiled a 170–85 record (.667). The success was led by flashy-dressing head coach
Gale Catlett Wendell Gale Catlett Article refers to Catlett as "W. Gale Catlett". (born October 31, 1940) is a retired American basketball coach who was head coach at the University of Cincinnati and West Virginia University. Playing career Born in Hedgesvi ...
, who led the Bearcats to the NCAA tournament in the 1974–75 season returning Cincinnati to the Big Dance for the first time since the 1965–66 season. Cincinnati inaugurated the Metro Conference by winning the league's first two tournament championships and made four consecutive post-season appearances from 1974 to 1977, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1975. Catlett was also a skilled recruiter, bringing Jim Ard (1970),
Lloyd Batts Lloyd Batts (born May 9, 1951) is a retired American basketball player. Early life Born in Chicago, Batts was one of seven children. His father died when Lloyd was 12. His mother was deaf mute, and the state of Illinois decided the brothers and s ...
(1973),
Steve Collier Steve Collier is a former offensive tackle in the National Football League. Biography Collier was born on April 19, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. Collegiate career He played at the collegiate level at Bethune–Cookman University and the Univers ...
(1976), Gary Yoder (1977), Bob Miller (1978) and
Pat Cummings Pat Cummings (July 11, 1956 – June 26, 2012Fo ...
(1979) to Cincinnati who all earned All-American recognition. Cummings closed his career as UC's No. 2 leading scorer of all-time. After the 1977–78 campaign Catlett would leave to coach his alma mater
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
and Cincinnati hired
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
head coach
Ed Badger Ed Badger (born November 5, 1932) is a former college and professional basketball coach. Early life Badger played junior varsity college basketball at the University of Iowa, and later for the U.S. Air Force and division teams. He got his first ...
. Badger would have middling success with the Bearcats during his tenure, which was immediately challenged when a two-year NCAA postseason ban was handed down to the Bearcats due to violations by Catlett.


1980–1988 – Down in the dumps

Cincinnati fell into exceptionally hard times during the 1980s, going 112–142 over the course of the decade.
Tony Yates Tony Yates (September 15, 1937May 16, 2020) was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a player, he won consecutive national championships with Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Yates was named a third- ...
, a member of the national championship teams in the 1960s, was hired as head coach in 1983. In his first season in 1983–84, UC went 3–25 (0–14 in conference), the school's worst season (winning-percentage-wise) since going 1–9 in 1915. After several unremarkable campaigns thereafter, Yates was fired after the 1989 season. The Bearcats of the 1980s failed to make a single NCAA tournament, and only had one postseason appearance in the 1985 NIT.


1989–2005 – Back into the national spotlight

Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear,” he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coach ...
, the former head coach at the University of Akron, was named head coach at UC prior to the 1989–90 season. Taking over a team with a proud history but one that had not had any legitimate success in over a decade, Huggins quickly turned things around and rekindled the national championship expectations of the past. Posting winning records in each of his first two seasons, Huggins would soon prove that his team was for real and in only his third season at the helm he directed UC to the 1992 Final Four. The 1992 team that went on to lose to Michigan's "Fab Five" in the Final Four, would set a high standard of success that would last for years to come. The Bearcats advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament three times, and reached the Sweet 16 four times while Huggins was coach. Cincinnati also won its conference season and/or tournament title in 12 years out of a 13-year span (1992–2004). UC was also one of the top ranked teams of this time, often being ranked in the top 10 if not number one in the country. Huggin's team merits include claiming eight league tournament titles and 10 regular season crowns in addition to appearing in 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1992–2005). Fifteen Bearcats had garnered first team all-conference honors during this era with three of those,
Danny Fortson Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007. Early life Although born in Philad ...
, Kenyon Martin and Steve Logan, picking up a total of four C-USA Most Outstanding Player Awards. Fortson,
Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA teams from 1 ...
,
Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned t ...
, Bobby Brannen,
Melvin Levett Melvin Levett (born April 25, 1976) is a former American basketball player and American high school basketball coach for the Winton Woods High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), Winton Woods High School Warriors. As a shooting guard he was drafted by the ...
, Logan, Martin and Pete Mickeal have joined Cincinnati's list of All-Americans. Fortson was a consensus first team All-American in 1996–97 after receiving second team recognition in 1995–96. Martin was college basketball's top player of the 1999–2000 season, making a clean sweep of the national player of the year awards. Logan was a consensus All-American in 2001–02 and a finalist for every national player of the year award. Several Bearcats were NBA Draft Picks, including Martin being the number one overall pick in 2000. Huggins was forced to resign by school president
Nancy Zimpher Nancy L. Zimpher (born October 29, 1946) is an American educator, state university leader, and former Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY). Prior to her service at SUNY, Zimpher was a dean and professor of education at Ohio Stat ...
in August 2005. Zimpher was angered by the lackluster academic performance of Huggins' teams (he routinely only graduated 30 percent of his players), and felt that Huggins didn't fit in with her plan to upgrade UC's academic reputation. Huggins hadn't helped his standing with Zimpher when he was arrested for
DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
in 2004. This decision was met wide widespread criticism among virtually everyone connected to the program, creating a situation that would not bode well for the team in the near future. Looking to stay within the program, the school immediately promoted assistant coach Andy Kennedy as interim head coach for the 2005–06 season.


2006–2009 – Resurrecting a gutted program

In the spring of 2006, Mick Cronin was hired as head coach, replacing interim coach Andy Kennedy after the dismissal of
Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear,” he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coach ...
. Cronin was tasked with picking up the pieces from a depleted program after Huggins was abruptly asked to resign three months before the 2005 season, and a temporary coach in Kennedy for the previous season. Due to the school having little-to-no recruiting going on for around a full calendar year, Cronin was forced to scrounge for players. He even had a couple players on the school's football team play, one being future NFL linebacker
Connor Barwin Connor Alfred Barwin (born October 15, 1986) is an American football executive and former outside linebacker, currently serving as the director of player development for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Cincinnati, and was ...
. Although Cronin's teams struggled early in his UC career, he improved the school's win total each of his first five seasons. After two straight losing seasons, UC began to get back on track under Cronin in the 2008–09 season with an 18–14 record. This was then followed by an NIT appearance and a brief return to the Top 25 polls during the 2009–10 campaign.


2010–2019 – Return to winning ways

Despite the surroundings, Cincinnati began the retooling process, becoming the only program from a major conference to improve its win total every season from 2007 to 2011, building from 11 wins in 2007 to 26 victories and a return to the NCAA tournament in 2011. Now a fixture at the Big Dance, Cincinnati can include itself among an elite list of six programs appearing in eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments, along with
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
, Gonzaga,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
and
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. This run of 9 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances by Cincinnati would see UC advance to the Round of 32 five times and to the Sweet 16 once as of the 2018–19 season. During the 2014–15 season, Mick Cronin discovered he had an arterial dissection and sat out the rest of the season, last coaching December 17 against
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
. Assistant Coach, Larry Davis took the reigns and lead the team onto a respectable season and classic overtime victory over
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In 2013–14 season and 2017–18 season Cincinnati were American Athletic Conference regular season champions and in 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons Cincinnati won the
American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament The American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (sometimes known simply as The American Championship) is the conference tournament in basketball for the American Athletic Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament that involves ...
. During this time many notable players came to Cincinnati with several progressing to the NBA, such as
Sean Kilpatrick Sean Redell Kilpatrick (born January 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). A 6'4" shooting guard born in Yonkers, New York, during his senior season of 2013–1 ...
,
Troy Caupain Troy Caupain Jr. (born November 29, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Brescia of Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for Cincinnati. High school career Caupain attended Cosby High School and star ...
,
Jacob Evans Jacob Evans III (born June 18, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a junior in 2018, he earned first-te ...
, and Gary Clark. The Bearcats also featured consecutive AAC Player-of-the-Year (POY) winners in Gary Clark and
Jarron Cumberland Jarron Cumberland (born September 22, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. High school career Cumberland a ...
.


2020–present – Coaching shakeups

On April 9, 2019, it was announced that Mick Cronin would be leaving Cincinnati to become the next head coach of the
UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
after UCLA had fired Coach
Steve Alford Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was a ...
earlier in the season (ironically, his firing was due in part to a blowout loss to the Bearcats). On April 14, 2019, it was announced that John Brannen was being hired as the new head coach. In his first year, Brannen would lead the 'Cats to a share of the regular season AAC championship before both the AAC tournament and the NCAA tournament were cancelled due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In Brannen's second season the team struggled to find its footing and dealt with 5 COVID related opt-outs and a 25 day program pause. The Bearcats would finish 12—11 before leading a surprising run in the 2021 AAC tournament before losing in the final. On March 26, Athletic Director John Cunningham announced the university would begin investigating allegations against the program. Soon after on April 3, it was announced that head coach John Brannen was placed on indefinite leave. Finally, on April 9 the school announced Brannen had been relieved of his duties effective immediately along with assistants. On April 14 Cincinnati hired
Wes Miller Wes or WES may refer to: * Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musici ...
to become their next head coach, replacing Brannen.


Notable seasons

* 1959–60
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...
scored a school record 62 points in an early-February game vs.
North Texas State The University of North Texas (UNT) is a Public university, public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private Normal school, teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 y ...
and in the process became the NCAA's all-time leading career scorer. Robertson claimed national player of the year honors for the third straight year while Cincinnati won its third straight Missouri Valley title. The Bearcats made their second trip to the Final Four.
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
again turned back UC's title hopes as UC finished third. George Smith stepped down as head coach to become athletic director, capping a career in which he posted a 154–56 record in eight years. * 1960–61 Largely an unknown team, without Robertson, and with a new head coach,
Ed Jucker Edwin Louis Jucker (July 8, 1916 – February 2, 2002) was an American basketball and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy from 1945 to 1948, Renss ...
, in command, Cincinnati stumbled to a 5–3 start. The Bearcats then won their next 22 contests, garnering a league title, a third straight trip to the Final Four, and a national championship. In the first-ever championship game matchup of two teams from the same state, UC defeated
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in overtime, 70–65. * 1961–62 Cincinnati fashioned a 28–2 record, but the Bearcats had to defeat
Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...
in a league playoff game to defend their national title. UC won the Midwest Regional to earn its fourth straight trip to the Final Four. After edging
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, 72–70, in the semifinals, Cincinnati became a repeat champion with a 71–59 win over Ohio State.
Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...
was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. * 1962–63 UC breezed to its fifth straight
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
crown and, after winning the Midwest Regional, a fifth straight trip to the Final Four. An 80–46 win over
Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
in the semifinals put the Bearcats in position to win a third straight national title. Cincinnati held a 15-point lead over Loyola (Ill.) in the second half of the championship game, only to have the Ramblers come back to win, 60–58, in overtime. Cincinnati led the nation in defense. * 1991–92 The Bearcats opened play in the
Great Midwest Conference The Great Midwest Conference was an NCAA Division I athletics conference that existed from 1991 to 1995. History It was formed in 1990 with six members: Cincinnati and Memphis State (now Memphis) from the Metro Conference, UAB from the Sun Bel ...
and marked their debut in this new league by sharing the regular season title and winning the tournament crown. Cincinnati made its first appearance in two decades in the Top 20 rankings. The Bearcats were seeded fourth in the Midwest Regional. UC defeated its four regional foes by an average margin of 20.8 points to make its sixth appearance in the Final Four. Michigan's "Fab Five" edged UC, 76–72, in the semifinal. * 1999–00 Cincinnati was the nation's top team and Kenyon Martin was college basketball's top player. UC was ranked No. 1 in the national polls for 12 of 18 weeks and Martin made a clean sweep of the national player of the year awards (Naismith, Wooden, Rupp, Robertson, NABC). The Bearcats tied a school record for victories with a 29–4 record and won their fifth straight Conference USA regular season title. UC seemed poised for a run for the national title until Martin suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA tournament. Martin was a unanimous first team All-American with Pete Mickeal earning honorable mention honors. Cincinnati went from the #1 team in the country to a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament, and fell to
Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
in the 2nd round. * 2001–02 Unranked in the major polls at the start of the season, the Bearcats posted a 31–4 record—setting a new standard for victories—won a seventh consecutive Conference USA regular season championship, captured the C-USA tournament crown and earned their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Steve Logan earned his second straight Conference USA Player of the Year award, was a consensus All-American and a finalist for every national player of the year honor. The Bearcats were upset in the 2nd round to 8-seed UCLA in a double-overtime thriller. * 2011–12 After starting the season 5–3 with bad losses and dealing with the aftermath and suspensions from the Crosstown Shootout brawl, UC's season was already on the brinks halfway through December. The Bearcats then went on a run against fantastic competition and wound up beating 8 ranked teams, the most ranked wins in any Cincinnati season in history. The biggest win came against the 31–1 and #2
Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is ...
in the Big East tournament semifinals. The Bearcats went on to the Sweet 16 where they lost to Ohio State. The latter half of this season is considered by many to be a big turning point in Mick Cronin's coaching career. * 2017–18 Cincinnati began the season with high hopes, featuring a team hallmarked by four "1000 point career scorers" ( Gary Clark,
Jacob Evans Jacob Evans III (born June 18, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a junior in 2018, he earned first-te ...
, Kyle Washington, and
Cane Broome Cane Broome (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the Sacred Heart Pioneers and the Cincinnati Bearcats. Colle ...
). They spent the entire season in the national polls, peaking at #5 - this was fueled by their defensive prowess which ranked second overall nationally. They earned their first outright American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and tied the school record for wins, going 31–5. Their season ended with a second round NCAA tournament upset to Nevada who tied the record for the 2nd largest NCAA Tournament comeback- surmounting a 22-point deficit to win by 2.


Notable games

01/09/1958 – Cincinnati 118, Seton Hall 54: 19-year-old sophomore
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...
("The Big O") dropped 56 points, scoring more than all of Seton Hall, and caught the attention of New York City in a road win. His 56 points, at the time, was a
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
record. 03/25/1961 – Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 65: The Buckeyes were the defending champs, 27–0 and No. 1 in the nation. They took on state rival No. 2 Cincinnati in the National Championship. A layup by Ohio State's
Bobby Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-t ...
sent the game into overtime, tied at 61. Cincy, led by
Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...
and
Bob Wiesenhahn Robert B. Wiesenhahn, Jr. (born December 22, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Wiesenhahn attended McNicholas High School in Cincinnati. He played basketball for the Rockets and graduated in 1957. College ca ...
, took it from there, winning, 70–65, giving the Bearcats their first basketball title in school history. 03/24/1962 – Cincinnati 71, Ohio State 59: Cincinnati and Ohio State, again ranked Nos. 1 and 2 at the end of the regular season, became the first teams to play each other in two consecutive NCAA championship games. Unlike the year before, this game was not close. Cincy led by eight at the half and won by 12 as Paul Hogue and Tom Thacker led the way with 22 and 21 points, respectively. When it was over, the Bearcats' second-year coach
Ed Jucker Edwin Louis Jucker (July 8, 1916 – February 2, 2002) was an American basketball and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy from 1945 to 1948, Renss ...
had a pair of NCAA titles in two tries. 03/23/1963 – Loyola (Ill.) 60, Cincinnati 58: Despite its No. 3 ranking and a scoring average of 91.8, nobody expected Loyola of Chicago to beat Cincinnati, especially when the Ramblers fell behind by 15 in the second half. But Loyola rallied to send the game into OT and won the title on a last-second rebound and basket by Vic Rouse. 3/13/1976 – Notre Dame 79, Cincinnati 78: Facing No. 7 Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament, the No. 15 Bearcats had led the entire game and were inbounding under the Irish basket with eight seconds left. The Bearcats were called for a five-second violation, in part for their signal for a timeout being missed by the official. Notre Dame would get the ball and score with two seconds remaining to escape with the victory. 12/21/1981 – Cincinnati 75, Bradley 73: This contest is still listed as the longest game of NCAA Division I history, reaching seven overtimes. Reserve forward Doug Schloemer hit the decisive shot, a left-wing 15-footer with one second remaining in the seventh overtime. If he had missed that jump shot, it would have gone to an eighth overtime. 12/12/1983 – Kentucky 24, Cincinnati 11: It what became known as the "stall game", first year coach Tony Yates had his players go into a four-corner spread and waste the clock. Trying to limit the pain from the No. 2 Wildcats, boos rang out for most of the game and Kentucky refused to reschedule a series with Cincinnati after the end of the contract. This game was a big factor that lead to the introduction of the
shot clock A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, proving a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, wat ...
for the 1985–86 season. 12/12/1984 – Cincinnati 69, UAB 67: No. 17 UAB had a one-point lead, but in the waning seconds, Tony Wilson, who was on a track scholarship, hit a 54-foot shot beyond half-court at the buzzer to give Cincinnati a 2-point win at
Riverfront Coliseum Heritage Bank Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Cincinnati, next to the Great American Ball Park. It was completed in September 1975 and named Riverfront Coliseum because of its placement next to Riverfront Stadium. In 1997, the fa ...
. 11/25/1989 – Cincinnati 66, Minnesota 64: It was the school's first game under
Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear,” he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coach ...
, in their new arena, the Shoemaker Center. Walk-on Steve Sanders, who was also the school's football team's wide receiver for four years, hit the buzzer-beating three-pointer to give UC a 66–64 win over No. 20 Minnesota. 01/23/1993 – Cincinnati 40, UAB 38: The No. 9 Bearcats were heavily favored playing at home vs an 11–7 UAB team. It was an ugly, very low-scoring affair, where UAB led at halftime 15–11. In a tie game with seconds left,
Corie Blount Corie Kasoun Blount (born January 4, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player born in Monrovia, California. Career A 6'9" power forward/center, Blount starred at the University of Cincinnati during the early 1990s, where he hel ...
for UC had his shot blocked. It was kicked around and
Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA teams from 1 ...
recovered it to put up a long two-pointer at the buzzer. Nothing but net. Cats won 40–38. 12/17/1994 – Cincinnati 81, Wyoming 80: UC trailed to Wyoming all game, but when down 2 in the final seconds, LaZelle Durden put up a 3-point attempt as the final horn sounded. He was fouled, but hit all three free throws with no time on the clock. UC won, 81–80, and Durden's 45 points were the most by a Bearcat in 34 years. 03/12/1995 – Cincinnati 67, St. Louis 65: LaZelle Durden fired in the game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds to play in the conference championship game over Saint Louis, giving the Bearcats a 67–65 victory and clinching an NCAA Tournament berth. 02/11/1996 – Arizona, 79, Cincinnati 76: The Bearcats had the ball under their own hoop in a tie game vs Arizona with just a few seconds left.
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
stripped the ball from
Danny Fortson Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007. Early life Although born in Philad ...
, and hit a three-quarter-court buzzer-beater to beat UC, 79–76. 02/06/1997 – Cincinnati 65, Tulane 64: The game was tied at 63 with 2 seconds left, and UC had the ball. Bobby Brannan threw the ball the length of the court. Danny Fortson made the catch near the hoop and laid it in with 0.2 seconds remaining. The majority of the Bearcats bench stormed the court in excitement, thinking the game was over. Cincinnati was given a technical foul for the incident, awarding Tulane two free throws and the ball. Honeycutt only made one of two free throws, and Tulane was unable to score with 0.2 seconds left. Cincinnati won by one. 02/19/1998 – Cincinnati 93, UAB 76: All-American
Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned t ...
was awoken at 6:00 in the morning by Bob Huggins. The coach broke the news to him that his mother had a heart attack overnight and died. Patterson played the game that night anyway, after spending all day crying. He scored a career-high 32 points in a 93–76 win over UAB. 03/15/1998 – West Virginia 75, Cincinnati 74: Cincinnati took a 2-point lead with 7.1 seconds remaining against West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Jarrod West of WV then banked in a 30-foot three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left, a shot that was tipped by Ruben Patterson. West Virginia advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 75–74 win. 11/29/1998 – Cincinnati 77, Duke 75: No. 14 Cincinnati took on No. 1 Duke in the
Great Alaska Shootout The ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout is an annual women's college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features host University of Alaska Anchorage and three visiting NCAA Div. I teams. The four-team tournament is resuming i ...
championship. In a tie game with 3 seconds left, Cincinnati ran a "hook-and-ladder" type play, that had Kenyon Martin hit an open
Melvin Levett Melvin Levett (born April 25, 1976) is a former American basketball player and American high school basketball coach for the Winton Woods High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), Winton Woods High School Warriors. As a shooting guard he was drafted by the ...
sprinting towards the hoop. Levett dunked the ball with one second left, and the Bearcats won, 77–75. As of the 2019 season, it is their lone win vs a No. 1 team. 03/02/2000 – Cincinnati 66, DePaul 64: DePaul led the No. 2 Bearcats by 17, and by 10 with under 4 minutes remaining. The National POY Kenyon Martin took over, scoring 5 straight field goals for UC and had 2 key blocks down the stretch. With the game tied at 62, freshman
DerMarr Johnson DerMarr Miles Johnson (born May 5, 1980) is an American basketball assistant coach at West Virginia and retired professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the NBA. College career Johnson was a consensus McDonald's, Parade Magazi ...
hit the game-winning jumper with 2.7 seconds left. 02/22/2002 – Cincinnati 63, Marquette 62: 9th-ranked Marquette led No. 4 Cincinnati by 4 with 30 seconds remaining. Steve Logan hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds left, then after a missed one-and-one free throw by Dwyane Wade, Donald Little hit a jumper with 3 seconds remaining. Cincinnati won 63–62 in their biggest win of the season. 03/08/2006 – Syracuse 74, Cincinnati 73: In the first round of the Big East tournament, the Bearcats led by one with 8.3 seconds remaining.
Devan Downey Devan Deangelo Downey (born September 28, 1987) is an American professional basketball player. Amateur career He was born in Chester, South Carolina where he attended Chester High School. Named S.C. Class AAA Player of the Year and Mr. Basketb ...
of UC was at the line shooting two free throws. After making the first, he missed the second. Trailing by 2,
Gerry McNamara Gerry McNamara (born August 28, 1983) is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team. A former guard for the Orange, he never missed a start in his career which lasted from ...
of Syracuse came down and hit a running one-handed three pointer with 0.5 seconds left, giving Syracuse a one-point win. Cincinnati, who was a bubble team, just barely missed the NCAA tournament (even with a
Joe Lunardi Joseph Lunardi is an American college basketball analyst for ESPN. He was born in Philadelphia, attended Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, as well as Damien High School in CA, and is a Saint Joseph's University alumnus. Lunardi ...
prediction of a 9 seed on the morning of Selection Sunday), snapping their streak of 14 straight appearances. 3/11/2010 – West Virginia 54, Cincinnati 51: The Bearcats needed a marquee win to shore up a borderline NCAA tournament at-large profile and they would get the opportunity against #6 West Virginia and their former Coach
Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear,” he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coach ...
in the Big East Quarterfinals. With the score tied, the Bearcats were able to force WVU into a shot clock violation with 6.4 seconds left, giving them the final possession from under the opposing team's baseline. Captain Deonta Vaughn would inbounds to sophomore Dion Dixon, who the Mountaineers were able to overwhelm near halfcourt - causing him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds. On the ensuing possession, tournament MVP
Da'Sean Butler Da'Sean Butler (born January 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for West Virginia University. ...
would receive the ball with 3.1 seconds left and unleash a highly contested 3 pointer which banked in and sent West Virginia to their eventual Big East tournament championship and the Bearcats to the NIT. 12/10/2011 – Xavier 76, Cincinnati 53: The 2011 rivalry game with Xavier ended in a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams, with the officials calling an end to the game with less than 10 seconds left. For more details, see
2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl The 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl, nicknamed the Crosstown Punch-Out, was a bench-clearing brawl that took place at the end of the 2011 edition of the Crosstown Shootout college basketball game between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and th ...
. 03/09/2012 – Cincinnati 71, Syracuse 68: Unranked Cincinnati took on No. 2 Syracuse (31–1) in the Big East tournament semifinals. The Bearcats were hot out of the gate, hitting 8 of their first 10 three-point attempts and jumping out to a 25–8 lead. Syracuse came roaring back in the game, getting it to a one-point game with a few seconds left. A Justin Jackson dunk with a second remaining capped the Bearcats 71–68 win, the school's highest-ranked victory since 1998. 03/19/2015 – Cincinnati 66, Purdue 65: 8-seeded Cincinnati and 9-seeded Purdue met for the first time in the NCAA tournament in this round of 64 matchup. In a game that was close the majority of the way, Purdue began to pull away down the stretch. Down 7 with 48 seconds to go, the Bearcats hit a three pointer, forced a turnover, and made an and-one layup, all within 6 seconds to cut it to one. Down two with 7 seconds left, sophomore
Troy Caupain Troy Caupain Jr. (born November 29, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Brescia of Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for Cincinnati. High school career Caupain attended Cosby High School and star ...
drove to the hoop and hit a floater that dramatically spun around the rim, hung on the rim for a second, and fell in, as time expired. In overtime, UC prevailed 66–65, to advance to the round of 32 against an undefeated Kentucky team. 03/11/2016 – UConn 104, Cincinnati 97: In a 4-overtime thriller for the ages, Cincinnati and UConn faced off in the AAC Tournament. In the closing seconds of the 3rd overtime, in a tie game, UC guard Kevin Johnson drained a long 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left to take a three-point lead. In a desperation heave,
Jalen Adams Jalen R. Adams (born December 11, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. College career Adams arrived at Con ...
of UConn banked in a 75-footer to extend the game. UConn outscored Cincinnati in the 4th overtime, 16–9, advancing in the conference tournament in which they would end up winning. 03/18/2016 – St. Joe's 78, Cincinnati 76: In the first round of the NCAA tournament, 9-seeded Cincinnati took on 8-seeded St. Joe's. After the Cats clawed back from a second half deficit of 12 points, St. Joe's drained a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left to take a two-point lead. Cincy guard Troy Caupain drove the length of the floor to the hoop, and got the ball to
Octavius Ellis Octavius Ellis (born March 10, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Treviso Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in), he plays the power forward and center positions. High school career Ellis p ...
after being swarmed by a double-team. Ellis attempted to quickly slam it home, only to discover his dunk was 0.1 seconds too late. Time expired. St. Joe's advanced. 03/04/2018 – Cincinnati 62, Wichita State 61 : The 10th ranked Bearcats met the 11th ranked Shockers at their home arena on senior night - facing a team that regularly played six seniors - for a chance to win the American Athletic Conference regular season championship outright. In a modern classic under the gaze of a hostile sellout crowd, both squads went back and forth throughout the matchup. Down 1 with 9.3 seconds left under their own basket, Wichita State whipped it around to senior three point ace:
Conner Frankamp Conner Frankamp (born July 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Gaziantep Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi and the FIBA Europe Cup. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, Kansas Jayhawks ...
. UC anticipated the mismatch with sophomore Center Nysier Brooks on the perimeter. Frankamp's potential game-winner missed wide with State corralling the offensive rebound; however, fellow UC sophomore Jarron Cumberland laid down some suffocating defense under the basket, causing their putback to miss off the backside of the backboard as time expired. This gave UC its second regular season AAC title and first outright. 03/11/2018 – Cincinnati 56, Houston 55 : Cincinnati met the nationally ranked Houston Cougars for the third time this season, having split the regular season 1-1. The rubber match came in the finals of the American Athletic Conference tournament, with both schools seeking their first ever AAC tournament title. Gary Clark and company were able to cut down the nets for the first time in their collegiate careers, as Houston's star Rob Gray turned the ball over on the game's final possession. 03/18/2018 – Nevada 75, Cincinnati 73: With the "South bracket" in the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament shaping up in Cincinnati's favor, the Bearcats seemed prime for continued March success as they led Nevada by 22 points with 11 minutes remaining. Nevada mounted a furious comeback, scoring 16 straight points over the next 3 minutes. The game continued to be touch and go for the remainder of the half, with an overwhelming amount of foul calls against the Bearcats. With 9 seconds left, Nevada took their first and only lead of the game at 75–73. The Bearcats dribbled the full length of the court but bobbled the ball and never got a clean look as time expired and Nevada tied the second largest comeback to-date in NCAA Tournament history. 03/17/2019 - Cincinnati 69, Houston 57: After being beaten twice by the Cougars in 2019 - the second an embarrassing 85–69 home loss on Senior Day a week earlier that cost them a share of the AAC regular season crown - the Bearcats got a third shot at the outright AAC regular season champs, but were thought to be heavy underdogs against the 31-2 Cougars. After defeating SMU (82-74) and Wichita State (66-63) in the AAC quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, the Bearcats scored a redemptive victory. AAC Player of the year Jarron Cumberland scored 33 points and was named tournament most outstanding player as the Bearcats successfully defended their AAC Tournament Crown and delivered Houston's only double digit loss of the 2018-2019 season. 03/07/2020 - Cincinnati 64, Temple 63: The Bearcats under new coach John Brannen endured an up and down season - epitomized by a Senior Day where they fell behind underdog Temple by as many as 14 points. Fueled by All-AAC players Jarron Cumberland and Trevon Scott, the Bearcats slowly mounted a comeback - tying the game at 54 with 2:03 left. After a hectic 2 minutes, Temple took the lead on a late 3 with 10 seconds remaining. Out of timeouts, Jarron Cumberland drove down the court but his layup ricocheted off the back iron; however, Trevon Scott heroically made a putback layup in the waning seconds to give the Bearcats a dramatic win. The win ultimately shored up the Bearcats' bubbly tournament resume and gave the Bearcats a share of the AAC regular season title.


Rivalries


Xavier

Cincinnati's main basketball rivalry is
Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...
. The two schools play annually in the
Skyline Chili Skyline Chili is a chain of Cincinnati-style chili restaurants based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides, Skyline Chili is named for the view of Cincinnati's skyline that Lambrinides could see from his fi ...
Crosstown Shootout The Crosstown Shootout is an annual men's college basketball game played between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier University Musketeers. The two schools are separated by in Cincinnati, making the archrivalry one of the closest ...
. Cincinnati's record in the Shootout is 51–37.


Louisville

UC and
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
were rivals, first playing in 1921, until the 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment put the contest on hiatus, as Louisville moved to the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
on July 1, 2014. The rivalry has stretched over the span of four conferences from the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
, to the Metro Conference to Conference USA, and more recently in the
Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
, which in 2013 was renamed to the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
. The teams have faced off 99 times in series history, with Louisville leading the all-time series 53–43. Most notably, Louisville and Cincinnati faced each other twice over the course of the 2011-12 season. UC would upset then No. 17 ranked
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
at home before facing off again in the 2012 Big East men's basketball tournament championship game, where Louisville would prevail 50–44.


Memphis

First playing in 1968, Cincinnati and
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
have been longtime conference rivals from the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
, to the Metro Conference,
Great Midwest Conference The Great Midwest Conference was an NCAA Division I athletics conference that existed from 1991 to 1995. History It was formed in 1990 with six members: Cincinnati and Memphis State (now Memphis) from the Metro Conference, UAB from the Sun Bel ...
, Conference USA, and currently in the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
though Cincinnati is scheduled to leave for the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
in 2023. The teams have faced off 82 times in basketball series history, with Cincinnati leading the all-time series 47–34. Famously, Cincinnati beat
Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway pla ...
's Tigers four times in the 1991–92 season, including in the Elite Eight on the way to the program's sixth Final Four appearance.


Other rivals

UC and
Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
have faced off 91 times, with UC leading the all-time series 60–31. The teams first played in 1907 and would face off regularly, last playing each other in 2010. Cincinnati also has a longtime rivalry with Miami (OH) having played a total of 148 times since 1904, with UC leading the series 95–53. Similarly to Dayton, the series was played frequently until it came to a halt in 2011. However, for the 2021–22 season the Bearcats announced they would travel to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to play Miami (OH), resuming the series for the first time in a decade, winning 59–58.


Postseason history


NCAA Tournament seeding history


NCAA tournament results

The Bearcats have appeared in the NCAA tournament 33 times. Their combined record is 46–32. They have been to six Final Fours, including five in a row from 1959 to 1963, and are two time National Champions (1961, 1962). UC has been to the Sweet Sixteen six times since 1967, with its last Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.


NIT results

The Bearcats have appeared in the NIT 10 times. Their combined record is 8–10, most notably placing 3rd in 1955.


CBI results

The Bearcats have appeared in the
College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
once.


Record vs. American Athletic Conference Opponents

This table reflects the results of match-ups between Cincinnati and American Athletic Conference opponents. ''Updated through the end of the 2021-22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.'' Source


Awards


Player of the Year Awards

* 1959, 1960 –
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...
, USBWA College Player of the Year * 2000 – Kenyon Martin, Consensus National Player of the Year (
USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...
, AP, Naismith,
Wooden Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...
, Rupp)


All-Americans

Cincinnati has had 31 different players receive All-American honors while at UC. The award has been given to a Consensus 1st-Team All-American 8 times.


Consensus 1st Team All-Americans

* 1958,
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, 1960
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...
* 1963
Ron Bonham Ronald D. Bonham (May 31, 1942 – April 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati. Early life Born May 31, 1942, in ...
* 1963Tom Thacker * 1997
Danny Fortson Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007. Early life Although born in Philad ...
*
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
Kenyon Martin * 2002Steve Logan


Consensus 2nd Team, 3rd Team, Freshmen and Honorable Mention All-Americans

* 1948, 1949, 1950 – Dick Dallmer * 1955
Jack Twyman John Kennedy Twyman (May 21, 1934 – May 30, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. Twyman is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Basketb ...
* 1958
Connie Dierking Conrad William Dierking (October 2, 1936 – December 29, 2013) was an American professional basketball player from 1958 to 1971. Early life Connie Dierking was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up on Long Island, where he starred in basketbal ...
* 1960Ralph Davis *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
Bob Wiesenhahn Robert B. Wiesenhahn, Jr. (born December 22, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Wiesenhahn attended McNicholas High School in Cincinnati. He played basketball for the Rockets and graduated in 1957. College ca ...
*
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
, 1962
Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...
* 1962, 1963
Tony Yates Tony Yates (September 15, 1937May 16, 2020) was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a player, he won consecutive national championships with Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Yates was named a third- ...
* 1963George Wilson * 1964
Ron Bonham Ronald D. Bonham (May 31, 1942 – April 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati. Early life Born May 31, 1942, in ...
* 1967 – Mike Rolf *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
Jim Ard * 1973, 1974
Lloyd Batts Lloyd Batts (born May 9, 1951) is a retired American basketball player. Early life Born in Chicago, Batts was one of seven children. His father died when Lloyd was 12. His mother was deaf mute, and the state of Illinois decided the brothers and s ...
*
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
Steve Collier Steve Collier is a former offensive tackle in the National Football League. Biography Collier was born on April 19, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. Collegiate career He played at the collegiate level at Bethune–Cookman University and the Univers ...
* 1977Gary Yoder * 1978Bob Miller * 1979
Pat Cummings Pat Cummings (July 11, 1956 – June 26, 2012Fo ...
* 1992 – Herb Jones * 1993
Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA teams from 1 ...
*
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
Dontonio Wingfield Dontonio B. Wingfield (born June 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player, mainly in the power forward position. Early life Born in Albany, Georgia, Wingfield was raised by a single mother. His mother Gloria worked evenings t ...
*
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, 1996
Danny Fortson Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007. Early life Although born in Philad ...
* 1998 – Bobby Brannen * 1998
Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned t ...
* 1999
Melvin Levett Melvin Levett (born April 25, 1976) is a former American basketball player and American high school basketball coach for the Winton Woods High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), Winton Woods High School Warriors. As a shooting guard he was drafted by the ...
* 1999Kenyon Martin *
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
DerMarr Johnson DerMarr Miles Johnson (born May 5, 1980) is an American basketball assistant coach at West Virginia and retired professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the NBA. College career Johnson was a consensus McDonald's, Parade Magazi ...
*
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
Pete Mickeal Fenton Pete Mickeal (born February 22, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player, that served as an NBA scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, wit ...
* 2001Steve Logan * 2014
Sean Kilpatrick Sean Redell Kilpatrick (born January 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). A 6'4" shooting guard born in Yonkers, New York, during his senior season of 2013–1 ...
* 2018Gary Clark * 2019
Jarron Cumberland Jarron Cumberland (born September 22, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. High school career Cumberland a ...


Conference Player of the Year


Conference Tournament MVP


Naismith Hall of Fame Members

The following Cincinnati coaches and players have been enshrined in the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
.


Olympians

The following Cincinnati players have represented their country in basketball in the Summer Olympic Games:


McDonald's All-Americans

The following were McDonald's All-Americans in high school that committed to, and played for, the University of Cincinnati. (**) Originally played collegiate basketball elsewhere, but transferred to Cincinnati.


Mr. Basketball Winners

The following were Mr. Basketball winners in high school that committed to, and played for, the University of Cincinnati.


Retired numbers


1,000-point scorers

The Bearcats currently have 54 players in their 1,000-point club.


Bearcats in the NBA

The Bearcats have had 39 players play in the NBA, spanning seven decades, as of 2021.


Bearcats in international leagues

*
Sean Kilpatrick Sean Redell Kilpatrick (born January 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). A 6'4" shooting guard born in Yonkers, New York, during his senior season of 2013–1 ...
(born 1990), basketball player for
Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...
of the
Israeli Basketball Super League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...


Fifth Third Arena

The Bearcats have played their home games in
Fifth Third Arena Fifth Third Arena is an indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1989 and is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. It primarily serves as the home venue for the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball, wo ...
since 1989. The arena is on-campus and has a capacity of 12,012 (with room for overflow). It is located in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, which was also the name of the arena until 2005, when it was named for Cincinnati-based
Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bank (5/3 Bank), the principal subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp is an American bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third is one of the largest consumer banks in the Midwestern United States, Fifth Third ...
. It is still popularly known as "The Shoe". The Bearcats held a 42-game home win streak from 1997 to 2000. In the 1999–2000 season, every Bearcat home game was sold out. During the
Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear,” he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coach ...
era, it was known as one of the most hostile arenas in the nation due to the high decibel levels typical of his tenure. On December 15, 2015, The UC Board of Trustees approved an $87-million, privately funded renovation of Fifth Third Arena. Proposed improvements to the facility, include the creation of a 360-degree seating bowl, new HD scoreboard, ribbon boards, sound system, an LED lighting system which will allow for enhanced gameday presentation, new restroom and concession facilities, a new upper-level concourse with its own fan amenities, expanded food and beverage options and a new main entrance and plaza with centralized ticketing and guest services. Construction began in April 2017 and was completed in fall 2018. During the 2017–18 school year, men's basketball home games were moved to
BB&T Arena Truist Arena, formerly The Bank of Kentucky Center and BB&T Arena, is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. The arena was topped off on June 21, 2007, and the first event ...
at
Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University is a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It is primarily an undergraduate institution with over 14,000 students; over 12,000 are undergraduate students and nearly 2,000 are graduate students. Northern ...
in
Highland Heights, Kentucky Highland Heights is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,923 at the 2010 U.S. census. Highland Heights is home to Northern Kentucky University and General Cable, a Fortune 500 company wh ...
, while women's basketball and volleyball home games were moved to the campus of St. Ursula Academy. The Bearcats christened the newly renovated arena in a rare home game vs. Ohio State on November 7, 2018. The Bearcats have a 439–92 () overall record in Fifth Third Arena as of the 2021–22 season.


See also

*
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
*
Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...
*
Fifth Third Arena Fifth Third Arena is an indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1989 and is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. It primarily serves as the home venue for the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball, wo ...
*
Wes Miller Wes or WES may refer to: * Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musici ...
*
NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...


References


External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Cincinnati Bearcats, color=white , list = {{University of Cincinnati {{American Athletic Conference men's basketball navbox {{1961 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball navbox {{1962 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball navbox