The Cincinnati Bearcats are a brand new team from last year to this year, and they look better than they did last year, because of a exceptional group of transfers.
Moustapha Thiam, Baba Miller, Kerr Kriisa, Sencire Harris, and Jalen Celestine all excelled in the Bearcats' 31-point victory over Western Carolina. The five named transfers combined for 51 of the Bearcats' 94 points, and 18 of the 36 total rebounds.
Miller and Thiam had 18 points each, while Miller had 10 rebounds and Thiam had 5. Kriisa was a facilitator for most of the game, but showed what kind of impact he can make on the court. He scored 6 points off two three-pointers and added 4 assists and 3 rebounds while playing stellar defense.
Harris did a lot of the same, scoring 6 points off 4 free throws and a layup, adding 3 steals and an assist, before leaving the game after 9 minutes due to a wrist injury.
Celestine transferred in from Baylor, and in 14 minutes, he had 3 points, 1 steal, and 1 assist. Celestine will make most of his impact as a shooter and defender, not needing to do much of that today.
If the Bearcats can get regular production from this group of guys, along with Shon Abaev and Day Day Thomas doing their thing, the sky is the limit for this team.