2023–24_Cincinnati_Bearcats_men's_basketball_team
2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by third-year head coach Wes Miller. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as first-year members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 22–15, 7–11 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for 11th place. As the No 12 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated West Virginia and Kansas before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament. As a No. 2 seed, they defeated San Francisco and Bradley before losing to Indiana State in the quarterfinals.
Quick Facts Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball, NIT, Quarterfinals ...
| 2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball | |
|---|---|
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NIT, Quarterfinals | |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Record | 22–15 (7–11 Big 12) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Chad Dollar (3rd season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Fifth Third Arena |
Seasons | |
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More information Conf, Overall ...
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3т Houston | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 32 | – | 5 | .865 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Iowa State † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 29 | – | 8 | .784 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Baylor | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Kansas | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 22 | – | 15 | .595 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2024 Big 12 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The season was the first for the Bearcats in the Big 12 as they had left the American Athletic Conference to join the Big 12 in July 2023.[1]
The Bearcats finished the 2022–23 season 23–13, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Temple before losing to Houston in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament.[2] The Bearcats received an at-large bid to the NIT, where they defeated Virginia Tech and Hofstra before falling to Utah Valley in the quarterfinals.[3]
Player departures
More information Name, Pos. ...
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalu Ezikpe | F | 6' 8" | 240 | Graduate Student | Lawrenceville, GA | Completed college eligibility[lower-alpha 1] |
| Landers Nolley II | G | 6' 7" | 208 | Graduate Student | Atlanta, GA | Play professionally[4] |
| Mika Adams-Woods | G | 6' 3" | 180 | Graduate Student | Syracuse, NY | Transferred to St. Bonaventure[5] |
| David DeJulius | G | 6' 0" | 200 | Graduate Student | Detroit, MI | Completed college eligibility |
| Rob Phinisee | G | 6' 1" | 187 | Graduate Student | Lafayette, IN | Completed college eligibility[lower-alpha 1] |
| Jeremiah Davenport | G | 6' 7" | 215 | Graduate Student | Cincinnati, OH | Transferred to Arkansas[6] |
| Jarrett Hensley | F | 6' 8" | 220 | Junior | Merriam, KS | Transferred to Southern Illinois[7] |
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- Ezikpe and Phinese both were graduate transfers in the 2022–23 season, with Ezikpe having graduated from Old Dominion and Phinese from Indiana.
Incoming transfers
More information Name, Pos. ...
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Old school | Remaining Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DaVeon Thomas | G | 6' 0" | 190 | Junior | Columbia, SC | Kilgore College | Two years[8] |
| Jamille Reynolds | F | 6' 10" | 285 | Senior | Saint Petersburg, FL | Temple | Two years[9] |
| CJ Fredrick | G | 6' 3" | 185 | Graduate Student | Cincinnati, OH | Kentucky | Two years[10] |
| Simas Lukošius | G | 6' 8" | 225 | Junior | Kaunas, Lithuania | Butler | Two years[11] |
| Aziz Bandaogo | F | 7' 0" | 230 | Senior | Dakar, Senegal | Utah Valley | Two years[12] |
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Class of 2023
More information Name, Hometown ...
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayvon Griffith SG |
Cincinnati, OH | AZ Compass Prep | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 1, 2022[13] | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 | ||||||
| Jizzle James PG |
Orlando, FL | Olympia High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | October 4, 2022[14] | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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More information Players, Coaches ...
| 2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UIC | W 69–58 | 1–0 |
15 – Thomas | 8 – Tied | 3 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (9,936) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Detroit Mercy | W 93–61 | 2–0 |
14 – Fredrick | 12 – Reed | 5 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (4,267) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 12, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Eastern Washington | W 85–73 | 3–0 |
26 – Lahkin | 11 – Lahkin | 5 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (3,063) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 19, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Northern Kentucky | W 90–66 | 4–0 |
25 – Skillings | 14 – Lahkin | 7 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (10,018) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Georgia Tech | W 89–54 | 5–0 |
15 – Lahkin | 9 – Bandaogo | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (11,756) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Howard | W 86–81 OT | 6–0 |
19 – Lahkin | 6 – Tied | 4 – Thomas | Burr Gymnasium (1,324) Washington, D.C. | ||||
| December 3, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Florida Gulf Coast | W 99–62 | 7–0 |
19 – Tied | 12 – Skillings | 6 – Lahkin | Fifth Third Arena (9,812) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 9, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 |
at Xavier Crosstown Shootout |
L 79–84 | 7–1 |
19 – James | 10 – Bandaogo | 3 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,724) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 12, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Bryant | W 85–53 | 8–1 |
14 – Fredrick | 17 – Bandaogo | 3 – James | Fifth Third Arena (9,303) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
vs. Dayton Hoops Classic |
L 68–82 | 8–2 |
14 – Lukošius | 14 – Bandaogo | 2 – Tied | Heritage Bank Center (12,547) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Merrimack | W 65–49 | 9–2 |
18 – Lahkin | 11 – Reynolds | 4 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (9,477) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Stetson | W 83–75 | 10–2 |
29 – Skillings | 10 – Skillings | 7 – Fredrick | Fifth Third Arena (9,762) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Evansville | W 76–58 | 11–2 |
16 – Newman III | 9 – Lakhin | 7 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (10,977) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| Big 12 Regular Season | |||||||||||
| January 6, 2024 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 12 BYU | W 71–60 | 12–2 (1–0) |
17 – Lakhin | 10 – Bandaogo | 3 – Lukošius | Marriott Center (16,879) Provo, UT | ||||
| January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 25 Texas | L 73–74 | 12–3 (1–1) |
19 – Lukošius | 6 – Newman III | 4 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (11,014) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 13, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 14 Baylor | L 59–62 | 12–4 (1–2) |
24 – Skillings | 7 – Newman III | 5 – Lukošius | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 19 TCU | W 81–77 OT | 13–4 (2–2) |
21 – Thomas | 7 – Newman III | 6 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (10,314) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 20, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 15 Oklahoma | L 65–69 | 13–5 (2–3) |
17 – Lukošius | 7 – Tied | 6 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (12,406) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 22, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 7 Kansas | L 69–74 | 13–6 (2–4) |
16 – Skillings | 11 – Bandaogo | 3 – Thomas | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS | ||||
| January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UCF | W 68–57 | 14–6 (3–4) |
21 – Skillings | 7 – Tied | 6 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (12,112) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at West Virginia rivalry |
L 65–69 | 14–7 (3–5) |
15 – Skillings | 9 – Bandaogo | 4 – Thomas | WVU Coliseum (10,349) Morgantown, WV | ||||
| February 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at No. 15 Texas Tech | W 75–72 | 15–7 (4–5) |
16 – Lukošius | 10 – Bandaogo | 4 – Thomas | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX | ||||
| February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 5 Houston | L 62–67 | 15–8 (4–6) |
13 – Skillings | 10 – Newman III | 3 – Newman III | Fifth Third Arena (12,715) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 10 Iowa State | L 59–68 | 15–9 (4–7) |
16 – James | 11 – Skillings | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (11,819) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 17, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at UCF | W 76–74 | 16–9 (5–7) |
15 – Skillings Jr. | 9 – Reynolds | 3 – Thomas | Addition Financial Arena (8,624) Orlando, FL | ||||
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Oklahoma State | L 76–80 | 16–10 (5–8) |
17 – Lukošius | 10 – Skillings Jr. | 4 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (11,029) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 24, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at TCU | L 57–75 | 16–11 (5–9) |
13 – Thomas | 9 – Bandaogo | 4 – Lukošius | Schollmaier Arena (6,090) Fort Worth, TX | ||||
| February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 1 Houston | L 59–67 | 16–12 (5–10) |
11 – Tied | 9 – Lakhin | 6 – Thomas | Fertitta Center (7,352) Houston, TX | ||||
| March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Kansas State | W 74–72 | 17–12 (6–10) |
18 – Newman III | 8 – Bandaogo | 5 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (11,974) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| March 5, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Oklahoma | L 71–74 OT | 17–13 (6–11) |
16 – James | 9 – Skillings Jr. | 3 – Thomas | Lloyd Noble Center (6,124) Norman, OK | ||||
| March 9, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
West Virginia rivalry |
W 92–56 | 18–13 (7–11) |
17 – Skillings Jr. | 7 – Bandaogo | 7 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (11,914) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| Big 12 Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 12, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(11) | vs. (14) West Virginia First Round/rivalry |
W 90–85 | 19–13 |
31 – Lukošius | 13 – Bandaogo | 4 – Tied | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | |||
| March 13, 2024 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
(11) | vs. (6) No. 16 Kansas Second Round |
W 72–52 | 20–13 |
25 – Skillings Jr. | 10 – Newman III | 3 – Lukosius | T-Mobile Center (18,261) Kansas City, MO | |||
| March 14, 2024 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
(11) | vs. (3) No. 14 Baylor Quarterfinals |
L 56–68 | 20–14 |
15 – Skillings Jr. | 6 – Newman III | 4 – Lukosius | T-Mobile Center (19,135) Kansas City, MO | |||
| NIT | |||||||||||
| March 20, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(2) | San Francisco First Round - Indiana State Bracket |
W 73–72 OT | 21–14 |
28 – Lukosius | 9 – Newman III | 7 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (3,899) Cincinnati, OH | |||
| March 23, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(2) | (3) Bradley Second Round - Indiana State Bracket |
W 74–57 | 22–14 |
25 – James | 9 – Newman III | 4 – Newman III | Fifth Third Arena (4,732) Cincinnati, OH | |||
| March 26, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN |
(2) | at (1) Indiana State Quarterfinals - Indiana State Bracket |
L 81–85 | 22–15 |
26 – Lukosius | 12 – Skillings Jr. | 5 – James | Hulman Center (8,057) Terre Haute, IN | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
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Source[15]
- "BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF officially join the Big 12 Conference". Yahoo Sports. July 1, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- "Cincinnati Falls to No.1 Houston in AAC Semifinals". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- "Bearcats' Postseason Run Ends in Utah". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- Cohen, David (June 23, 2023). "Nolley Signs with New Orleans Pelicans". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- "Bonnies Bolster Backcourt With Addition of Grad Transfer Mika Adams-Woods". gobonnies.com. St. Bonaventure. May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- Wilkerson, Curtis. "Arkansas lands Cincinnati transfer Jeremiah Davenport". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- @@_jarretthensley (May 12, 2023). "#COMMITTED" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Thomas, DaVeon [@DayDayThomas24] (February 2, 2023). "110% Committed #Bearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Reynolds, Jamille [@jamillerey4] (April 8, 2023). "Next move my best move‼️ Cincy What's good🖤❤️ @TiptonEdits" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Fredrick, CJ [@cj_fredrick] (April 24, 2023). "Excited for this next step in my journey! I'm all in! Go Bearcats❤️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Givony, Jonathan; Borzello, Jeff (April 29, 2023). "Butler transfer Simas Lukosius commits to Cincinnati". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- Givony, Jonathan (May 20, 2023). "Utah Valley transfer Aziz Bandaogo commits to Cincinnati". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- Cobb, David (May 1, 2022). "College basketball recruiting: Four-star SG Rayvon Griffith commits to Cincinnati in 2023 class". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- Boone, Kyle (October 4, 2022). "College basketball recruiting: Jizzle James, son of former NFL star Edgerrin James, commits to Cincinnati". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". gobearcats.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.