Bearcats Basketball: Cincy On The Prowl Staff Full Season Preview
Tonight is the night we’ve all been looking forward since right about the time Gunner Kiel was getting sacked in the end zone at Houston. One of the most promising basketball seasons of Mick Cronin’s tenure at UC kicks off tonight as Cincinnati basketball hosts Western Carolina at The Shoe. Each staff writer from COTP took some time to make predictions on how the season will play out.
Travis Holmes
There is plenty to be optimistic about as the 2015-16 basketball season begins Friday night. Many believe that this could be the best of Mick Cronin’s ten Cincinnati teams (can you believe this is his 10th year by the way?). While I am not as quick as others to jump to this conclusion, there are nothing but good things to look forward to, so here goes…
The Bearcats roll through the first seven games of the schedule before outlasting Butler in a battle at the Shoe. The Bearcats will enter the Crosstown Shootout 9-0 before their first setback of the season as that damn Cintas Center has a way of playing tricks on the Bearcats. After I recover from what would undoubtedly be an infuriating loss I tune in to a couple more tough, but understandable losses to VCU and at home against Iowa State. Cincinnati ends non conference play 10-3.
Here’s the thing, SMU is going to tailspin this year. They have nothing to play for and frankly I believe they are overrated. This conference is going to come down to two teams that have developed quite the competitive rivalry: Cincinnati and Connecticut. Think about it, every time these teams get together its an absolute war on the court. I do not see Cincinnati leaving the XL Center in Hartford with a victory and I have a sneaking suspicion the Huskies will steal a victory at the Shoe as well.
Other than Connecticut, I see the Bearcats rolling through the American this season. Most teams do suffer one upset each year and I see that upset coming at Houston in the final week of the regular season (Side note, watch out for the Cougars this year. I’m calling for them to be the surprise team in the league). Cincinnati will come out with purpose as the 2 seed in Orlando for the conference tournament and win all three games en route to their first AAC Tournament title.
Every offseason we hear about the Bearcats’ renewed commitment to the offensive end of the floor. We have yet to see anything change. This team will be a 5 seed and in the end, their inability to consistently score the ball will leave them just short in a close Round of 32 game. It will be painful, and you will replay different scenarios of what went wrong multiple times for the next two weeks until the tournament is over. Cincinnati will finish 29-7 in 2015-16 and that is certainly nothing to turn your head to.
Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Jorgensen
There is a see-saw relationship between football season disappointment and basketball season anticipation. This means that my basketball excitement is about as high as it could be for this season. This is the best lineup Mick has ever had, the schedule looks strong but favorable, our upperclassmen leadership mixed with a deep bench of young athletes should give us the ability to play deep into the NCAA tournament.
If I’m forced to work within the confines of reality then here are my picks:
Non-Conference: 9-3
Conference: 15-3
Win AAC and Conference Tourney
Sweet 16 loss
Here is my rationale:
I think in the non-conference we will have a few brain cramps of “Mick Mulligans” as I usually call them. Bowling Green is a trap in-state road game that we will win but probably not in an impressive way. Nebraska is a big payback game for us after last year’s double-overtime-with-an-injured-coach-debacle, we must win this one. Butler is a ranked opponent who we should match up well with. I think we will lose at Xavier because who cares about that game? At VCU should be another big payback game since they caught us coachless last year. I imagine we will lose at VCU but come home angry and upset #7 Iowa State.
For conference play, I see us splitting (1-1) with SMU, UConn, and Memphis. That gives us three losses and a conference win (especially since SMU is ineligible for the conference championship, tournament, or NCAA tournament). Winning the conference outright and the conference tournament should give us a favorable seed in the big dance.
The question is, if my predictions are true will the Sweet 16 be a disappointment? If this team has any chemistry at all then they are a Sweet 16 team, if they can make shots and keep their focus they could really make a much deeper run.
Ben Levin
In the non-conference schedule, UC wins the Barclays Center Classic with by defeating Nebraska and Tennessee, gets a huge home win over ranked Butler on a Troy Caupain buzzer-beater, beats Xavier by double-digits in Norwood to take The Shootout, drops a flukey road game to VCU, and gets beat by 7 points at home against top-ten ranked Iowa State. The Bearcats head into league play at 11-2.
UC finishes league play tied with UConn for second place at 13-3 in the AAC, losing to UConn, SMU, and Temple – all on the road. The Bearcats have the edge over the Huskies in the league’s tiebreaker formula due to sweeping 4th place Memphis and 5th place Tulsa, while UConn goes 3-1 against those teams. Due to SMU’s postseason ban, the Bearcats are the #1 seed in the AAC tournament. On the neutral court in Orlando, UC runs the table with wins over USF, Tulsa, and UConn to win the AAC’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
UC enters the tourney at 27-5 and gets a #4 seed in the South regional. They advance to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to the overall #1 seed for the second year in a row – this time the Tar Heels of North Carolina. UC finshes the year at 29-6 and hangs an AAC tournament title banner, as Octavius Ellis, Troy Caupain, and Gary Clark all earn either First- or Second-Team all-AAC honors. Jacob Evans takes home hardware as AAC Rookie of the Year while Justin Jenifer lands on the All-Rookie team.
After officially signing his LOI to play in Clifton next year, ESPN100 high-schooler Jarron Cumberland scores a boatload of points and leads the Wilmington Golden Hurricane to the Ohio Division I state title. Renovations begin on Fifth-Third Arena as it’s announced that UC will play it’s 2016-17 home games at US Bank Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Bains
Mick Cronin has his most loaded team ever during his tenure as UC’s head coach at his disposal this season with arguably the best front court in the conference in his arsenal. This team is primed for a historic run but there could be some bumps along the way. I don’t see Cincinnati going into VCU and Xavier to snag a win. The latter is certainly possible but you know how hostile little sister’s environment is whenever the Bearcats hit the court. They also have difficult home games against Iowa State and Butler. I see Cincinnati winning both of those and going 2-2 overall against VCU, Xavier, Iowa State, and Butler. Then they sweep the Barclays Center Classic to finish their non-conference slate at a very respectable 11-2.
The AAC schedule will follow a similar trend. UC will likely split with SMU and UConn, beat everyone else, including the home-and-home with Memphis, and lose 1 or 2 random games because they always do. I’m thinking the road games at Temple and Tulsa. So UC enters the AAC Tournament with a 14-4 conference record and 25-6 overall. At this point I don’t see the Bearcats losing again until the NCAA Tournament, especially with SMU ineligible to play. UC wins their first AAC Tournament title, finishes the regular season 28-6 and earns a 3 or 4 seed in the big dance.
At this point I’m not sure how the Bearcats aren’t a Sweet Sixteen team right off the bat, so long as they don’t get an unfortunate slotting against the best #1 seed in the tournament like this past season. If UC gets a 3 seed, they’ll be in the Sweet Sixteen. If not, it’ll be a bit of a steeper road to climb. But if everything falls Cincinnati’s way I see them going to the Final Four for the first time in a generation.
Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Thomas
Mick Cronin’s team is built for a deep run in the tournament this year and it’s pretty great to both say and type those words. I’ll make this quick.
I see the Bearcats having only one loss before they begin conference play and I think that one loss will come to either VCU or Xavier but not both. That puts them at 12-1.
I have them going 14-4 in conference play. They’ll probably split with UCONN and SMU but they will also probably drop games to the likes of Temple or Tulsa. I don’t see them losing to a team like East Carolina this year.
I do think this is the year where the Bearcats win the AAC tournament and we’ll see them heading to the NCAA tournament at 29-5 and probably getting a 3 seed.
It’s possible for them to go to the Final Four but I think they come up just short and lose in the Elite Eight and finish at an impressive 32-6.
JUNCTA JUVANT