2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
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.
| 2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball | |
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| Conference | American Athletic Conference |
| 2020–21 record | 5–7 (3–4 American) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Fifth Third Arena |
| 2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Houston | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wichita State | 7 | – | 2 | .778 | 11 | – | 4 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | 11 | – | 4 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 9 | – | 8 | .529 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 3 | – | 3 | .500 | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 3 | – | 4 | .429 | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | 3 | – | 7 | .300 | 4 | – | 7 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 3 | – | 8 | .273 | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | – | 7 | .222 | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 2 | – | 8 | .200 | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2021 AAC Tournament winner As of February 8, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[lower-alpha 1] |
| 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[lower-alpha 1] |
| 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] |
- 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
| 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: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: 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: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: 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: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: 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: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: 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: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 39 | ||||||
Sources:
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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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- 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
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.
- 3 previously scheduled games were cancelled (vs. Louisville, vs. Richmond, @ NKU), as well as the Bearcats appearance in the NIT Season Tip-Off (alongside Arizona, Texas Tech and St. John's).[26] As a response to all these outcomes, UC attempted to organize an Indianapolis-based MTE alongside Duquesne and Loyola-Chicago. Ironically, that too would be cancelled due to COVID.[27]
- 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 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]
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 | W 63–60 | 4–7 (2–4) |
26 – DeJulius | 7 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA | ||||
| February 7, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Tulane | W 64–61 | 5–7 (3–4) |
20 – Williams | 9 – Eason | 4 – DeJulius | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||
| February 11, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
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
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| AP | Not released | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
References
- http://digital.learfieldimgcollege.com/cincinnati-mbb-review/full-view.html
- Page, Fletcher (12 Mar 2020). "American Athletic Conference cancels men's basketball tournament amid coronavirus concerns". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
- "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.
- Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (21 Apr 2020). "Just a kid from Mayfield" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.
- Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (23 July 2020). "Last go around. #ContractYear" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toyambi, Prince [@BIGPRINCE19] (8 May 2020). "Next Chapter, Georgia Southern University let's Go!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Twitter.
- Page, Fletcher. "Jay Sorolla leaves Cincinnati basketball, will turn pro". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- 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.
- "Ivanauskas Joins Cincinnati Men's Basketball". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 15 Apr 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.
- Clark, Dave (16 Apr 2020). "Michigan transfer David DeJulius commits to Cincinnati Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 16 Apr 2020.
- "DeJulius Transferring to Cincinnati". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 17 Apr 2020. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
- @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.
- Clark, Dave (11 June 2019). "Mike Saunders Jr. gives Cincinnati Bearcats Class of 2020 commitment". Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Evans, Corey (22 December 2019). "Cincinnati wins out with four-star forward Tari Eason". Rivals.
- "UC basketball team lands forward from Russia". WKRC-TV. 15 Jun 2020.
- "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- "CBB Injuries & Updates - Wed. December 2". collegefantasyupdate.com. 3 Dec 2020. Retrieved 30 Dec 2020.
- Jenkins, Keith (12 Dec 2020). "Mamoudou Diarra opts out of 2020-21 season". enquirer.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 13 Dec 2020.
- @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.
- @GabeMadsen53 (31 December 2020). "I have decided to exercise the option to opt out the remainder of the season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- 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.
- "NIT Season Tip-Off 2020 Field Announced". ESPN Events. ESPN. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- 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.
- "East Carolina-Cincinnati Game Scheduled for Jan. 13 Postponed". theamerican.org. 12 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". theamerican.org. 14 Jan 2020.
- "Cincinnati-Temple Game Scheduled for Jan. 20 Postponed". 19 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 26 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 22 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 27 Jan 2021.
- Jenkins, Keith. "Update: University of Cincinnati basketball hopes for 'limited' fans at Fifth Third Arena". Enquirer.cin. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- "East Carolina-Cincinnati Game Scheduled for Jan. 13 Postponed". theamerican.org. 12 Jan 2021.
- "Cincinnati-Temple Game Scheduled for Jan. 20 Postponed". 19 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Schedule Changes to Pair of Men's Basketball Games". 20 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 26 Jan 2021.
- "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". 22 Jan 2021.
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