The 2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
in the
2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2017. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season ended with the Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 2, 2018. Practices offici ...
. The team played its home games at the
BB&T Arena
Truist Arena, formerly The Bank of Kentucky Center and BB&T Arena, is a 9,400-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, United States. Established in 1968, it is the youngest of Kentucky's eight public universities. The university has seven constituent colleges in arts and science ...
in
Highland Heights, Kentucky
Highland Heights is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,662 at the 2020 census.
Highland Heights is home to Northern Kentucky University and General Cable, a Fortune 500 company whose pre ...
due to renovations at their home arena,
Fifth Third Arena
Fifth Third Arena is an indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the con ...
. The Bearcats were led by 12th-year head coach
Mick Cronin and are members of the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
. They finished the season 31–5, 16–2 in
AAC play to win the regular season championship. They defeated
SMU,
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
* Mem ...
, and
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
to win the
AAC tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the
NCAA tournament. As the No. 2 seed in the South region, they defeated
Georgia State
Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the second large ...
in the First Round before being upset by
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
in the Second Round. In their loss to Nevada, they were up 22 before losing 75–73, tying the second largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.
Previous season
The
Bearcats finished the
2016–17 season 30–6, 16–2 to finish in second place in
AAC play. They beat
Tulsa
Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
and
UConn
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
in the
AAC tournament before losing to
SMU in the championship game. The Bearcats received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. In the NCAA Tournament, they defeated No. 11
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 inst ...
in the First Round 75–61 before losing to No. 3
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
79–67 in the Second Round.
Offseason
Departing players
Recruiting class of 2017
Cincinnati will also add
Preferred Walk-on Sam Martin a 5'10" PG from
Summit Country Day School
The Summit Country Day School is a private, Roman Catholic, PreK–12 co-educational school located in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2021, enrollment is 1,055 students from ages 18 months through 12th grade. Although located within the Archdiocese of Ci ...
in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
.
Preseason
At the conference's annual media day, the Bearcats were narrowly picked to win the AAC receiving seven of the 12 first-place votes.
Gary Clark, Jacob Evans, and Kyle Washington were named to the preseason All-AAC second team.
Roster
Depth chart
Source
Schedule and results
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Exhibition
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Non-conference regular season
, -
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
AAC Regular Season
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
AAC Tournament
, -
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
NCAA tournament
, -
Source
Awards and milestones
All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
*Honorable Mention: Gary Clark
American Athletic Conference honors
All-AAC Awards
*
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is held on b ...
: Gary Clark
*Defensive Player of the Year: Gary Clark
*Sportsmanship Award: Gary Clark
All-AAC First Team
*Gary Clark
*Jacob Evans
All-AAC Honorable Mention
*Kyle Washington
Player of the Week
*Week 3: Gary Clark
*Week 6: Jacob Evans
*Week 9: Jacob Evans
*Week 11: Gary Clark
*Week 12: Gary Clark
Weekly Honor Roll
*Week 2: Jarron Cumberland
*Week 6: Gary Clark
*Week 8: Jarron Cumberland
*Week 10: Jarron Cumberland
*Week 13: Jacob Evans
*Week 14: Kyle Washington
*Week 16: Gary Clark
*Week 17: Jacob Evans
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball seasons
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program represents the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team competes in NCAA Division I as part of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats are currently coached by Wes Miller.
Wit ...
Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program represents the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team competes in NCAA Division I as part of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats are currently coached by Wes Miller.
Wit ...