Cincinnati Basketball: Nasty Nati set to start TBT journey in July

The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team will be fully represented in The Basketball Tournament as 12 former players are scheduled to compete in the annual single-elimination tournament next month. Nasty Nati will take on the Fort Wayne Champs on Monday, July 18 at 6 PM in the first round of the Xavier Regional at the Cintas Center.

Cincinnati Basketball: Nasty Nati set to start TBT journey in July

Kevin Johnson and Cane Broome, a couple of former Cincinnati guards, founded the team and Corie Blount was named head coach. Nasty Nati consists of seven players that previously attended Cincinnati including Troy Caupain, Jarron Cumberland, Coreontae DeBerry, Octavius Ellis, Jacob Evans, Trevon Scott and Shaq Thomas.

During his junior season with the Bearcats, Cumberland scored a team-high 18.8 points per game and was named 2019 AAC Player of the Year. Caupain and Evans earned All-AAC First Team honors in 2016, while Ellis was selected to the Second Team in 2015. Scott received the AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.

The Xavier Regional will be played from July 18-21, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals in Dayton on July 28-30, culminating in the $1 million championship game on Tuesday, August 2. If Nasty Nati advances to the second round, they would play the winner of AboutBillions and Florida TNT on Wednesday, July 20 at 6 PM.

AboutBillions also has connections to the Bearcats with 2001 and 2002 Conference USA Player of the Year Steve Logan set to coach, while former Cincinnati guard Justin Jenifer will play. Nasty Nati is expected to have three other players as well including Isaiah Miller, Marquez Letcher-Ellis and Ty Jordan.