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2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

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2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record3–7 (1–4 American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jayson Gee (2nd season)
  • Sean Dwyer (2nd season)
  • Tim Morris (2nd season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represents the University of Cincinnati in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats are led by second-year head-coach John Brannen. The team plays their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference.

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2019–20 season 20–10, 13–5 in AAC play, finishing tied for first place and winning a share of the regular season title. The Cats kept fans on the edge of their seats with a nation-leading 7 overtime games.[1] They entered as the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Bearcats were awarded the automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament by the conference, before it too was cancelled.[2]

In the spring Keith Williams and Chris Vogt both announced that each would enter the 2020 NBA draft, while retaining the option to return for their senior seasons.[3][4] In late July, both would option to return for their final seasons of eligibility.[5][6]

Offseason

Departing players

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Chris McNeal 0 G 6'1" 190 Graduate Student Jackson, Tennessee Completed college eligibility[a]
Trevor Moore 5 G 6'5" 195 Junior Houston, Texas Transferred to Morgan State (mid-season)[7]
Trevon Scott 13 F 6'8" 225 RS Senior Darien, Georgia Graduated
Jaevin Cumberland 21 G 6'3" 185 Graduate Student Wilmington, Ohio Completed college eligibility[a]
Prince Toyambi 24 F 6'7" 225 RS Freshman Kinshasa, DR Congo Transferred to Georgia Southern[8]
John Koz 32 G 6'1" 200 Senior Cleveland, Ohio Walk-on; graduated
Jarron Cumberland 34 G 6'5" 210 Senior Wilmington, Ohio Graduated
Jaume Sorolla 35 C 6'11" 240 Graduate Student Tortosa, Spain Left team (mid-season)[9]
  1. ^ a b McNeal and Jaevin Cumberland were both graduate transfers in the 2019–20 season, with McNeal having graduated from Tennessee Tech and Cumberland from Oakland.

Incoming Transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Rapolas Ivanauskas F 6'10" 230 Graduate Student Barrington, IL Transferred from Colgate after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[10][11]
David DeJulius G 6'0" 190 Junior Detroit, MI Transferred from Michigan. DeJulius was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[12][13][14]

Recruiting class of 2020

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mike Saunders
PG 		Indianapolis, IN Wasatch Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) June 11, 2019[15] 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Gabe Madsen
SF 		Rochester, MN Mayo High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) August 31, 2019[16] 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Mason Madsen
CG 		Rochester, MN Mayo High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) August 31, 2019[17] 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Tari Eason
PF 		Seattle, WA Garfield High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) December 21, 2019[18] 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 79
Viktor Lakhin
C 		Anapa, Russia CSKA Moscow 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) June 15, 2020[19] 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 39
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Cincinnati 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  • "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  • "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[20]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Preseason Awards

  • All-AAC First Team - Keith Williams
  • All-AAC Second Team - Chris Vogt

Roster

2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 David DeJulius 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Michigan Detroit, Michigan
G 1 Zach Harvey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Prolific Prep Topeka, Kansas
G 2 Keith Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School Brooklyn, New York
G 3 Mike Saunders Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Wasatch Academy Indianapolis, Indiana
F 13 Tari Eason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Garfield High School Seattle, Washington
F 20 Mamoudou Diarra 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr 22ft Academy Bamako, Mali
G 23 Mika Adams-Woods 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So New Hampton School Syracuse, New York
G 24 Jeremiah Davenport 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Cincinnati, Ohio
F 25 Rapolas Ivanauskas (I) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) GS Colgate Barrington, Illinois
F 30 Viktor Lakhin Injured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr CSKA–2 Anapa, Russia
G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Summit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
C 33 Chris Vogt 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Northern Kentucky Mayfield, Kentucky
F 43 Rob Banks (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Gould Academy Bracknell, England
F 44 Adam Cook (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Marysville High School Marysville, Ohio
G 45 Mason Madsen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Mayo High School Rochester, Minnesota
G 55 Gabe Madsen (I) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Mayo High School Rochester, Minnesota
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: August 27, 2020

  • Preseason: Viktor Lahkin underwent knee surgery, leading him to sit out indefinitely.[21]
  • December 12, 2020: Mamoudou Diarra decided to opt-out of the rest of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.[22]
  • December 30, 2020: Mamoudou Diarra decided to rejoin the team, while Rapolas Ivanauskas had elected to opt-out of the remaining season.[23]
  • December 31, 2020: Gabe Madsen announced he has elected to opt-out for the remainder of the season.[24]

Schedule and results

The Bearcats are currently scheduled to travel to Knoxville for the second part of a home-and-home series with Tennessee and begin a home-and-home series on the road at Georgia. Cincinnati and Xavier announced they would maintain the Crosstown Shootout during the season.[25]

COVID-19 impact

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bearcats schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

  • The game vs. East Carolina originally scheduled for Jan 13th was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[28]
  • The game vs. Tulane originally scheduled for Jan 16th was moved to Feb 26th due to COVID-19 issues.[29]
  • The game @ Temple originally scheduled for Jan 20th was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[30]
  • The game @ Houston originally scheduled for Jan 23rd was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[31]
  • The game vs. Wichita State originally scheduled for Jan 27th was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[32]
  • The game @ South Florida originally scheduled for Jan 30rd was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.[33]
  • The games vs. Temple originally scheduled for Feb 4th was moved to Philadelphia.[34]

Prior to the start of the season, UC announced there would be no fans in Fifth Third Arena; only permitting fans in the arena later in the season if it's safe and appropriate to do so.[35]

Schedule

  • Unless otherwise noted, all games had limited or no attendance.
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
December 2, 2020*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lipscomb W 67–55  1–0
  16 – Adams–Woods   7 – Vogt   4 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 6, 2020*
3:00 p.m., ESPN 		Xavier
Crosstown Shootout 		L 69–77  1–1
  18 – Williams   8 – Eason   6 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 9, 2020*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Furman W 78–73  2–1
  27 – Williams   9 – DeJulius   5 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 12, 2020*
12:30 p.m., SECN Alt. 		at No. 12 Tennessee L 56–65  2–2
  14 – Davenport   7 – Eason   7 – DeJulius  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 16, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		South Florida L 71–74  2–3
(0–1) 		 15 – Williams   9 – Eason   4 – Saunders Jr.  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 19, 2020*
8:00 p.m., SECN 		at Georgia L 68–83  2–4
  18 – Davenport   6 – Tied   2 – Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (1,638)
Athens, GA
December 22, 2020
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UCF L 70–75  2–5
(0–2) 		 19 – Williams   10 – Williams   5 – DeJulius  Addition Financial Arena (1,181)
Orlando, FL
January 2, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulsa L 66–70  2–6
(0–3) 		 18 – Williams   7 – Tied   4 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at SMU W 76–69  3–6
(1–3) 		 18 – Davenport   10 – Davenport   12 – DeJulius  Moody Coliseum (1,568)
University Park, TX
January 10, 2021
4:30 p.m., ESPN2 		at Wichita State L 76–82  3–7
(1–4) 		 19 – Harvey   6 – Tied   7 – DeJulius  Charles Koch Arena (2,025)
Wichita, KS
January 13, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[36] Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
January 20, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Temple Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[37] Liacouras Center (–)
Philadelphia, PA
January 23, 2021
Noon, CBS 		at No. 8 Houston Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[38] Fertitta Center (–)
Houston, TX
January 27, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Wichita State Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[39] Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
January 30, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at South Florida Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[40] Yuengling Center (–)
Tampa, FL
February 4, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Temple       Liacouras Center (–)
Philadelphia, PA
February 7, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulane       Devlin Fieldhouse (–)
New Orleans, LA
February 11, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at Memphis
Rivalry 		      FedEx Forum (–)
Memphis, TN
February 14, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		UCF       Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
February 21, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		Houston       Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Tulsa       Reynolds Center (–)
Tulsa, OK
February 26, 2021
TBD, TBD 		Tulane       Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
February 28, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		Memphis
Rivalry 		      Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
March 4, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		SMU       Fifth Third Arena (–)
Cincinnati, OH
March 7, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Carolina       Williams Arena (–)
Greenville, NC
AAC Tournament
March 11–14, 2021
TBD 		vs.        Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APNot released
Coaches

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ http://digital.learfieldimgcollege.com/cincinnati-mbb-review/full-view.html
  2. ^ Page, Fletcher (12 Mar 2020). "American Athletic Conference cancels men's basketball tournament amid coronavirus concerns". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
  3. ^ "UC's Williams says he will enter 2020 NBA Draft, but keeping options open". WKRC.com. WKRC-TV. 27 Mar 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.
  4. ^ Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (21 Apr 2020). "Just a kid from Mayfield" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (23 July 2020). "Last go around. #ContractYear" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (31 July 2020). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams is withdrawing from the NBA draft, per source" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 Jul 2020 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (9 December 2019). "Cincinnati guard Trevor Moore has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2020 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Toyambi, Prince [@BIGPRINCE19] (8 May 2020). "Next Chapter, Georgia Southern University let's Go!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Page, Fletcher. "Jay Sorolla leaves Cincinnati basketball, will turn pro". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (14 Apr 2020). "Colgate grad transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas announced his commitment to Cincinnati. 6-foot-10, has perimeter range, averaged 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Top-20 grad transfer" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Ivanauskas Joins Cincinnati Men's Basketball". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 15 Apr 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.
  12. ^ Clark, Dave (16 Apr 2020). "Michigan transfer David DeJulius commits to Cincinnati Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 16 Apr 2020.
  13. ^ "DeJulius Transferring to Cincinnati". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 17 Apr 2020. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
  14. ^ @ChadBrendel (27 Aug 2020). "BREAKING: Sources indicate to @BearcatJournal that Michigan transfer David DeJulius has been granted his waiver and is eligible immediately for Cincinnati #Bearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Clark, Dave (11 June 2019). "Mike Saunders Jr. gives Cincinnati Bearcats Class of 2020 commitment". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  16. ^ Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  17. ^ Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  18. ^ Evans, Corey (22 December 2019). "Cincinnati wins out with four-star forward Tari Eason". Rivals.
  19. ^ "UC basketball team lands forward from Russia". WKRC-TV. 15 Jun 2020.
  20. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ^ "CBB Injuries & Updates - Wed. December 2". collegefantasyupdate.com. 3 Dec 2020. Retrieved 30 Dec 2020.
  22. ^ Jenkins, Keith (12 Dec 2020). "Mamoudou Diarra opts out of 2020-21 season". enquirer.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 13 Dec 2020.
  23. ^ @Williams_Justin (30 Dec 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.
  24. ^ @GabeMadsen53 (31 December 2020). "I have decided to exercise the option to opt out the remainder of the season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Boone, Kyle. "WATCH: Cincinnati coach John Brannen reveals Crosstown Shootout vs. Xavier set for 2020-21 season". cbssports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  26. ^ "NIT Season Tip-Off 2020 Field Announced". ESPN Events. ESPN. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  27. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (19 November 2020). "Sources: This entire MTE is now off in Indianapolis. Original field was Cincinnati, Loyola-Chicago, and Duquesne" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 November 2020 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "East Carolina-Cincinnati Game Scheduled for Jan. 13 Postponed". theamerican.org. 12 Jan 2021.
  29. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". theamerican.org. 14 Jan 2020.
  30. ^ "Cincinnati-Temple Game Scheduled for Jan. 20 Postponed". 19 Jan 2021.
  31. ^ "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
  32. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 26 Jan 2021.
  33. ^ "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 22 Jan 2021.
  34. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 27 Jan 2021.
  35. ^ Jenkins, Keith. "Update: University of Cincinnati basketball hopes for 'limited' fans at Fifth Third Arena". Enquirer.cin. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  36. ^ "East Carolina-Cincinnati Game Scheduled for Jan. 13 Postponed". theamerican.org. 12 Jan 2021.
  37. ^ "Cincinnati-Temple Game Scheduled for Jan. 20 Postponed". 19 Jan 2021.
  38. ^ "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
  39. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 26 Jan 2021.
  40. ^ "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 22 Jan 2021.
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