Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats season opener preview, predictions, pregame quotes

With the season set to start in a few hours as the Bearcats host Chaminade, make sure to check out our game preview including predictions and pregame quotes. Tip off if scheduled for 7:00 PM on Monday night at Fifth Third Arena on ESPN+ and fuboTV.

Wes Miller’s team is hoping to improve from last year after finishing with an 18-15 record in his first season with the program. In order to compete on a consistent basis, the Bearcats will have to be more balanced offensively and defend at a high level.

Cincinnati should be able to handle Chaminade in the season opener but it’s still important to play with patience and create positive habits. Miller has to make sure his team doesn’t take Chaminade lightly because there’s always a chance to get upset.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats season opener preview, odds, predictions

Chaminade is coming off a pair of exhibition losses against Ohio State and Louisville but showed some signs of improvement. Following a loss in Columbus, the Silverswords kept pace with Louisville into the second half before falling just short in an 80-73 loss.

Despite being underdogs, Chaminade could cause problems for Cincinnati with backcourt duo Braden Olsen and Isaac Amaral-Artharee. In the exhibition games, Olsen averaged a team-high 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds including 27 points against Louisville.

Miller looked ahead to the season opener in a recent press conference per Cincinnati Athletics.

"“We want to have an emphasis on how we really defend and rebound. We want to play with pace and try to generate easy baskets in the open floor. If we can’t do that then we want to work together and share the ball to get a quality shot. We also want to get extra possessions by crashing the offensive boards. None of those areas are where we want to be. We’re addressing them and trying to get better. The foundation of what we value as a program stays the same and I don’t see that changing. I think we have the ability, with the way we’re structured on both sides of the ball, to get the best guys on the floor and it will allow for us to move guys in and out.”"