2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball | |
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Conference | American Athletic Conference |
Record | 18–15 (7–11 American) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Fifth Third Arena |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 15 Houston † | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 32 | – | 6 | .842 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 13 | – | 4 | .765 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memphis | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple | 10 | – | 7 | .588 | 17 | – | 12 | .586 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 14 | – | 15 | .483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCF | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 18 | – | 12 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wichita State | 6 | – | 9 | .400 | 15 | – | 13 | .536 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 6 | – | 11 | .353 | 15 | – | 15 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Florida | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 8 | – | 23 | .258 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2022 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
The 2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head coach Wes Miller. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in AAC play to finish in seventh place.
Previous season
[edit]In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bearcats finished the 2019–20 season 12–11, 8–6 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated SMU and Wichita State in the AAC tournament before losing to Houston in the championship game.[1] The season was the first time since 2010 that the Bearcats did not make the NCAA tournament.
On April 3, 2021, the school placed head coach John Brannen on paid leave pending an investigation after six Bearcats players decided to transfer following the season.[2] A week later, the school fired Brannen following an investigation into his conduct.[3][4] On April 14, the school named UNC Greensboro head coach Wes Miller the team's new head coach.[5][6]
Offseason
[edit]Two days after the conference tournament championship, the Bearcats saw six players enter the transfer portal.[7] On March 26, Athletic Director John Cunningham announced the university would begin investigating allegations against the program.[8] On April 3, it was announced that head coach John Brannen was placed on indefinite leave.[9] On April 9, the school announced Brannen had been relieved of his duties effective immediately along with assistants Jayson Gee and Sean Dwyer. Tim Morris was announced as the interim head coach.[10] In the next few days, both Mike Saunders Jr.[11] and Mason Madsen[12] withdrew from the transfer portal after Miller's hiring.
Departures
[edit]Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes[a] |
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Zach Harvey | 1 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | Topeka, KS | Transferred to UCSB[13] |
Keith Williams | 2 | G | 6'5" | 215 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated; transferred[14] to Western Kentucky[15] |
Tari Eason | 13 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Freshman | Seattle, WA | Transferred to LSU[16] |
Mamoudou Diarra | 20 | F | 6'9" | 225 | ![]() |
Bamako, Mali | Graduated; transferred to Tennessee Tech[17] |
Rapolas Ivanauskas | 25 | F | 6'10" | 235 | Graduate Student | Barrington, IL | Left team (mid-season)[18] |
Chris Vogt | 33 | C | 7'1" | 260 | Senior | Mayfield, KY | Graduated; transferred to Wisconsin[19] |
Adam Cook | 44 | F | 6'6" | 180 | Senior | Marysville, OH | Walk–on; graduated |
Gabe Madsen | 55 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Freshman | Rochester, MN | Transferred to Utah[20] |
- ^ Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any player in any sport held during the organization's winter season, including basketball. This meant that all players had the option to return for 2021–22.
Incoming transfers
[edit]Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
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Abdul Ado | 00 | F | 6'11" | 255 | Graduate Student | Lagos, Nigeria | Transferred from Mississippi State after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[21] |
A. J. McGinnis | 2 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Huntsville, AL | Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[22] |
John Newman III | 15 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Senior | Greensboro, NC | Transferred from Clemson. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[23] |
Hayden Koval | 25 | C | 7'1" | 220 | Graduate Student | Prosper, TX | Transferred from UNC Greensboro after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[24] |
Jarrett Hensley | 32 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Sophomore | Merriam, KS | Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[25] |
Ody Oguama | 33 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Junior | Raleigh, NC | Transferred from Wake Forest. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[26] |
Recruiting classes
[edit]2021 recruiting class
[edit]There was no 2021 recruiting class.
2022 recruiting class
[edit]US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits | ||||||
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Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
Sage Tolentino C |
Honolulu, HI | Hamilton High School (OH) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 15, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Daniel Skillings SG |
Philadelphia, PA | Roman Catholic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 23, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Josh Reed SF |
Atlanta, GA | Pace Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 1, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Preseason
[edit]AAC preseason media poll
[edit]On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[27]
Coaches Poll | ||
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
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1 | Houston | 98 (8) |
2 | Memphis | 92 (3) |
3 | SMU | 77 |
4 | Wichita State | 76 |
5 | UCF | 66 |
6 | Cincinnati | 52 |
7 | Tulsa | 43 |
8 | Temple | 37 |
T-9 | South Florida | 25 |
T-9 | Tulane | 25 |
11 | East Carolina | 14 |
Preseason Awards
[edit]- AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Jeremiah Davenport
Roster
[edit]2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Schedule and results
[edit]The Bearcats game vs Texas Southern scheduled for December 18, 2021 was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers program.[28] The Bearcats replaced the Texas Southern game with a game against Division II Ashland.[29]
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Evansville | W 65–43 | 1–0 |
11 – Davenport | 8 – Davenport | 7 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (10,024) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
November 13, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Georgia | W 73–68 | 2–0 |
11 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (10,672) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Alabama A&M | W 89–66 | 3–0 |
21 – DeJulius | 8 – Oguama | 5 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (9,816) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
November 18, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Presbyterian | W 79–45 | 4–0 |
16 – Davenport | 6 – Adams-Woods | 5 – Madsen | Fifth Third Arena (9,749) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
November 22, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPNews |
vs. No. 14 Illinois Hall of Fame Classic semifinals |
W 71–51 | 5–0 |
20 – Saunders | 8 – Lakhin | 2 – Tied | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | ||||
November 23, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. No. 13 Arkansas Hall of Fame Classic Championship |
L 67–73 | 5–1 |
24 – DeJulius | 10 – Oguama | 5 – Saunders | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | ||||
November 27, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Monmouth | L 59–61 | 5–2 |
13 – DeJulius | 6 – Oguama | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (8,262) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Miami (OH) | W 59–58 | 6–2 |
14 – Tied | 11 – Ado | 5 – Adams-Woods | Millett Hall (7,285) Oxford, OH | ||||
December 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Bryant | W 73–58 | 7–2 |
16 – DeJulius | 11 – Lakhin | 4 – 2 tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,924) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
December 11, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1 |
at Xavier Crosstown Shootout |
L 63–83 | 7–3 |
14 – Newman III | 6 – Lakhin | 5 – Saunders | Cintas Center (10,707) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Florida A&M | W 77–50 | 8–3 |
16 – Davenport | 8 – Tied | 6 – Saunders | Fifth Third Arena (7,701) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
December 18, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Ashland | W 71–57 | 9–3 |
24 – Dejulius | 6 – Newman III | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,622) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Tennessee Tech | W 76–67 | 10–3 |
15 – Saunders | 7 – Davenport | 4 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (10,028) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
AAC Regular Season | |||||||||||
January 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Tulane | L 60–68 | 10–4 (0–1) |
19 – Davenport | 10 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,922) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
January 6, 2022 9:30 p.m., ESPN |
SMU | W 77–60 | 11–4 (1–1) |
22 – DeJulius | 10 – Oguama | 7 – Saunders Jr. | Fifth Third Arena (7,978) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
January 9, 2022 3:30 p.m., ABC |
at Memphis Rivalry |
L 80–87 | 11–5 (1–2) |
21 – Davenport | 6 – Davenport | 6 – Adams-Woods | FedExForum (14,502) Memphis, TN | ||||
January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
East Carolina | W 79–71 | 12–5 (2–2) |
22 – Davenport | 6 – Tied | 8 – Saunders Jr. | Fifth Third Arena (7,911) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
January 16, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN |
at Wichita State | W 61–57 | 13–5 (3–2) |
18 – DeJulius | 6 – Adams-Woods | 3 – Davenport | Charles Koch Arena (8,439) Wichita, KS | ||||
January 20, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Tulsa | W 90–69 | 14–5 (4–2) |
24 – Davenport | 7 – Oguama | 7 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (9,033) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Temple | L 58–61 | 14–6 (4–3) |
15 – DeJulius | 9 – Newman III | 3 – Saunders Jr. | Liacouras Center (4,752) Philadelphia, PA | ||||
January 30, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at East Carolina | W 60–59 | 15–6 (5–3) |
21 – Adams-Woods | 6 – Ado | 2 – Tied | Williams Arena (3,834) Greenville, NC | ||||
February 6, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 6 Houston | L 58–80 | 15–7 (5–4) |
25 – DeJulius | 5 – Oguama | 4 – Saunders | Fifth Third Arena (11,742) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at South Florida | W 70–59 | 16–7 (6–4) |
24 – DeJulius | 8 – Ado | 3 – Adams-Woods | Yuengling Center (2,011) Tampa, FL | ||||
February 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Tulsa | L 77–83 | 16–8 (6–5) |
23 – DeJulius | 9 – Davenport | 3 – DeJulius | Reynolds Center (3,405) Tulsa, OK | ||||
February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Memphis Previously scheduled for Feb. 3rd |
L 74–81 | 16–9 (6–6) |
20 – Davenport | 11 – Davenport | 4 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (12,012) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
February 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Wichita State | W 85–76 | 17–9 (7–6) |
17 – DeJulius | 6 – Adams-Woods | 6 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (9,655) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Temple | L 71–75 | 17–10 (7–7) |
24 – Davenport | 6 – Newman III | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (9,122) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
February 23, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at UCF | L 61–75 | 17–11 (7–8) |
16 – DeJulius | 12 – Davenport | 4 – Newman III | Addition Financial Arena (5,102) Orlando, FL | ||||
February 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
South Florida | L 54–56 | 17–12 (7–9) |
11 – Newman III | 8 – Newman III | 4 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH | ||||
March 1, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at No. 14 Houston Previously scheduled for Dec. 28th |
L 53–71 | 17–13 (7–10) |
14 – Saunders | 7 – Newman III | 4 – DeJulius | Fertitta Center (7,598) Houston, TX | ||||
March 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at SMU | L 71–76 | 17–14 (7–11) |
21 – DeJulius | 7 – Davenport | 4 – DeJulius | Moody Coliseum (4,261) University Park, TX | ||||
AAC Tournament | |||||||||||
March 10, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU |
(8) | vs. (9) East Carolina First round |
W 74–63 | 18–14 |
22 – DeJulius | 8 – Newman III | 5 – Newman III | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||
March 11, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
(8) | vs. (1) No. 18 Houston Quarterfinals |
L 56–69 | 18–15 |
13 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time. |
Awards and honors
[edit]American Athletic Conference honors
[edit]All-AAC Third Team
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "UC Loses to Houston, 91-54, will not play in NCAA Tournament for first time since 2010". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ "Cincinnati coach Brannen on leave amid inquiry". ESPN.com. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "Cincy fires Brannen after investigation of program". ESPN.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Wilton. "Cincinnati Fires Men's Basketball Coach John Brannen". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "Cincinnati hires Wes Miller as new hoops coach". ESPN.com. April 15, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "Wes Miller Named Men's Basketball Head Coach". GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Justin (March 18, 2021). "The rift with Cincinnati Bearcats coach John Brannen that led to a mass exodus of basketball players". The Athletic.
- ^ "UC reviewing allegations against men's basketball program after 6 players enter transfer portal". wlwt.com. WLWT. March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen on leave amid investigation". espn.com. ESPN. April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Coaching Change Announced". GoBearcats.com. sidearmsports. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Saunders Jr., Mike [@icemikeg3] (April 16, 2021). "#RunItBack" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Madson, Mason [@masmadsen] (April 17, 2021). "Ready to finish what I started, let's get it! #Bearcat4L" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Harvey, Zach [@zachxharvey] (April 9, 2021). "Back to the west side #Committed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (June 29, 2021). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams has entered the transfer portal, the portal told @Stadium" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Hilltoppers Add Cincinnati Transfer Keith Williams". wkusports.com. WKU Athletics. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ Eason, Tari [@TAR13ASON] (April 20, 2021). "For Grandpa #Bootup" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @TTU_Basketball (April 28, 2021). "Welcome to Cookeville @the_dou20. Originally from Bamako, Mali...Mamoudou comes to Tech via transfer from the University of Cincinnati. #WingsUp" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Williams, Justin [@Williams_Justin] (December 30, 2020). "NEWS: #Bearcats head coach John Brannen confirms the roster rumors on his radio show. Junior forward Mamoudou Diarra is back with the program after a brief opt out. Senior graduate transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas is no longer with the team and has elected to opt out this season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Wisconsin basketball recruiting: UW lands grad transfer from Cincinnati". SB Nation. May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Madsen, Gabe [@GabeMadsen53] (April 2, 2021). "#GoUtes" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Williams, Justin [@Williams_Justin] (May 18, 2021). "#Bearcats MBB lands a transfer commit from Miss St. big man Abdul Ado. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center is a grad transfer with one year of eligibility" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ McGinnis, A.J. [@TheAJM2] (April 27, 2021). "Let's run it back #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Newman III, John [@_JayRock15] (April 20, 2021). "LETS GET IT CINCY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Koval, Hayden [@Hayden_Koval] (April 22, 2021). "Slight change of plans! #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Hensley, Jarrett [@_jarretthensley] (April 23, 2021). "Thank you UNCG #Gobearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Oguama, Ody [@odyoguama] (May 12, 2021). "The Next Chapter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Jenkins, Keith. "UC home game against Texas Southern canceled due to COVID-19 issues within TSU program". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Schedule Update: MBB to Host Ashland Saturday at 1 p.m." GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gobearcats.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Cincinnati Bearcats Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.