2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

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2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
Cincinnati University Bearcats textlogo.svg
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2021–22 record10–3 (0–0 American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Andre Morgan (1st season)
  • Chad Dollar (1st season)
  • Mike Roberts (1st season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
Seasons
← 2020–21
 →
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UCF 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 2   .800
No. 12 Houston 0 – 0   – 11 – 2   .846
Cincinnati 0 – 0   – 10 – 3   .769
East Carolina 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
SMU 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Wichita State 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Memphis 0 – 0   – 6 – 4   .600
Tulsa 0 – 0   – 6 – 5   .545
South Florida 0 – 0   – 5 – 7   .417
Tulane 0 – 0   – 3 – 6   .333
Temple 0 – 1   .000 7 – 5   .583
† winner
As of December 25, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represents the University of Cincinnati in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats are led by first year head coach Wes Miller. 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 12–11, 8–6 in AAC play, finishing in fifth place. They entered as the No. 5 seed in the AAC Tournament, advancing to the final before losing to No. 2 seed Houston.[1] The Bearcats faced 5 separate player opt-outs due to COVID-19 during the season (with 2 ultimately returning), but mounted an admirable second half resurgence after a 25 day COVID-19 pause. This was the first time since the 2009–10 season that the Bearcats did not advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Offseason[]

Two days after the conference tournament championship, the Bearcats saw six players enter the transfer portal.[2] On March 26, Athletic Director John Cunningham announced the university would begin investigating allegations against the program.[3] On April 3, it was announced that head coach John Brannen was placed on indefinite leave.[4] 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.[5]

On April 14 Cincinnati hired Wes Miller to become their next head coach, replacing John Brannen.[6]

Departures[]

Offseason Departures
Name Number Position Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Zach Harvey 1 G 6'5" 195 Sophomore Topeka, Kansas Transferred to UCSB[7]
Keith Williams 2 G 6'5" 215 Senior Brooklyn, New York Graduated,[8] transferred to Western Kentucky[9]
Tari Eason 13 F 6'8" 215 Freshman Seattle, Washington Transferred to LSU[10]
Mamoudou Diarra 20 F 6'9" 225 Redshirt Junior Bamako, Mali Graduated; transferred to Tennessee Tech[11]
Rapolas Ivanauskas 25 F 6'10" 235 Graduate Student Barrington, Illinois Left team (mid-season)[12]
Chris Vogt 33 C 7'1" 260 Senior Mayfield, Kentucky Graduated; transferred to Wisconsin[13]
Adam Cook 44 F 6'6" 180 Senior Marysville, Ohio Walk–on; graduated
Gabe Madsen 55 G 6'5" 195 Freshman Rochester, Minnesota Transferred to Utah[14]

On April 16, Mike Saunders Jr. withdrew his name from the portal after Wes Miller was hired as the new head coach.[15]

On April 17, Mason Madsen withdrew his name from the transfer portal.[16]

Incoming transfers[]

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Position Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Abdul Ado 00 F 6'11" 255 Graduate Student Lagos, Nigeria Transferred from Mississippi State after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[17]
A. J. McGinnis 2 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore Huntsville, AL Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[18]
John Newman III 15 G 6'5" 205 Senior Greensboro, NC Transferred from Clemson. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[19]
Hayden Koval 25 C 7'1" 220 Graduate Student Prosper, TX Transferred from UNC Greensboro after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[20]
Jarrett Hensley 32 F 6'8" 205 Sophomore Merriam, KS Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[21]
Ody Oguama 33 F 6'9" 225 Junior Raleigh, NC Transferred from Wake Forest. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[22]

2021 Recruiting class[]

There is no recruiting class.

2022 Recruiting class[]

Preseason[]

AAC preseason media poll[]

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[23]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
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[]

  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Jeremiah Davenport

Roster[]

2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 00 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) GS Mississippi State Lagos, Nigeria
G 2 A. J. McGinnis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So UNC Greensboro Huntsville, Alabama
G 3 Mike Saunders Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Wasatch Academy Indianapolis, Indiana
G 5 David DeJulius 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Michigan Detroit, Michigan
G 11 CJ Anthony (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Putnam Science Academy Columbus, Ohio
G/F 15 John Newman III 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Clemson Greensboro, North Carolina
G 23 Mika Adams-Woods 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr New Hampton School Syracuse, New York
G 24 Jeremiah Davenport 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Hargrave Military Academy Cincinnati, Ohio
C 25 Hayden Koval 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS UNC Greensboro Prosper, Texas
F 30 Viktor Lakhin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Fr CSKA–2 Anapa, Russia
G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Summit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
F 32 Jarrett Hensley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So UNC Greensboro Merriam, Kansas
F 33 Ody Oguama 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Wake Forest Raleigh, North Carolina
F 43 Rob Banks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Gould Academy Bracknell, England
G 45 Mason Madsen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Mayo High School Rochester, Minnesota
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Andre Morgan (North Georgia)
  • Mike Roberts (Indiana)
  • Chad Dollar (South Florida)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 15, 2021

Schedule and results[]

The Bearcats are currently scheduled to travel to Xavier for the Crosstown Shootout, participate in the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City,[24] and also host Georgia as the return as a part of a home and home series. Cincinnati also announced they would travel to Oxford to play Miami (OH) for the first time since 2011.[25]

  • The Bearcats game vs Texas Southern scheduled for December 18, 2021 was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers program.[26]. The Bearcats replaced Texas Southern with Ashland.[27]
  • The Bearcats game vs Houston scheduled for December 28 was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Houston program.[28]
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
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+ 		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   6 – Lakhin   5 – Saunders  Cintas Center (10,707)
Cincinnati, OH
December 14, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		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+ 		W 76–67  10–3
  15 – Saunders   7 – Davenport   4 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (10,028)
Cincinnati, OH
December 28, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 12 Houston Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[29] Fertitta Center (–)
Houston, TX
January 1, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		SMU       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
January 9, 2022
3:30 p.m., ABC 		at Memphis
Rivalry 		      FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
January 12, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
January 16, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPNU 		at Wichita State       Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
January 20, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
January 25, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Temple       Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 30, 2022
12:00 p.m./2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at East Carolina       Williams Arena 
Greenville, NC
February 3, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Memphis
Rivalry 		      Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 6, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Houston       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Florida       Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
February 12, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulsa       Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
February 17, 2022
7:00 p.m./8:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		Wichita State       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 20, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		Temple       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 23, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at UCF       Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
February 26, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Florida       Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
March 3, 2022
7:00 p.m./9:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at SMU       Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
March 10–13, 2022
TBA 		vs.        Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[30]

Awards and honors[]

References[]

  1. ^ "UC Loses to Houston, 91-54, will not play in NCAA Tournament for first time since 2010". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 14 Mar 2021. Retrieved 15 Mar 2021.
  2. ^ Williams, Justin (18 Mar 2021). "The rift with Cincinnati Bearcats coach John Brannen that led to a mass exodus of basketball players". The Athletic.
  3. ^ "UC reviewing allegations against men's basketball program after 6 players enter transfer portal". wlwt.com. WLWT. 26 Mar 2021.
  4. ^ "Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen on leave amid investigation". espn.com. ESPN. 3 Apr 2021.
  5. ^ "Men's Basketball Coaching Change Announced". GoBearcats.com. sidearmsports. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Wes Miller Named Men's Basketball Head Coach". GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. 14 Apr 2021. Retrieved 14 Apr 2021.
  7. ^ Harvey, Zach [@zachxharvey] (9 April 2021). "Back to the west side #Committed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (29 June 2021). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams has entered the transfer portal, the portal told @Stadium" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Hilltoppers Add Cincinnati Transfer Keith Williams". wkusports.com. WKU Athletics. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  10. ^ Eason, Tari [@TAR13ASON] (20 April 2021). "For Grandpa #Bootup" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @TTU_Basketball (28 April 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.
  12. ^ Williams, Justin [@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.
  13. ^ "Wisconsin basketball recruiting: UW lands grad transfer from Cincinnati". SB Nation. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  14. ^ Madsen, Gabe [@GabeMadsen53] (2 April 2021). "#GoUtes" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Saunders Jr., Mike [@icemikeg3] (16 April 2021). "#RunItBack" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Madson, Mason [@masmadsen] (17 April 2021). "Ready to finish what I started, let's get it! #Bearcat4L" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Williams, Justin [@Williams_Justin] (18 May 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.
  18. ^ McGinnis, A.J. [@TheAJM2] (27 April 2021). "Let's run it back #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Newman III, John [@_JayRock15] (20 April 2021). "LETS GET IT CINCY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Koval, Hayden [@Hayden_Koval] (22 April 2021). "Slight change of plans! #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Hensley, Jarrett [@_jarretthensley] (23 April 2021). "Thank you UNCG #Gobearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Oguama, Ody [@odyoguama] (12 May 2021). "The Next Chapter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  24. ^ Clark, Dave. "Cincinnati Bearcats among 2021 Hall of Fame Classic headliners, per reports". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  25. ^ Jablonski, David. "Miami basketball: Cincinnati Bearcats will make rare trip to Millett Hall in December". journal-news.com. Journal-News. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  26. ^ Jenkins, Keith. "UC home game against Texas Southern canceled due to COVID-19 issues within TSU program". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Schedule Update: MBB to Host Ashland Saturday at 1 p.m." GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. December 17, 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Men's Basketball's Tuesday Game at Houston Canceled". GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. December 26, 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Cincinnati-Houston Men's Basketball Game Scheduled for Dec. 28 Cancelled". TheAmerican.org. American Athletic Conference. December 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gobearcats.com. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
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