2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by third-year head coach Wes Miller. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as first-year members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 22–15, 7–11 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for 11th place. As the No 12 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated West Virginia and Kansas before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament. As a No. 2 seed, they defeated San Francisco and Bradley before losing to Indiana State in the quarterfinals.

2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record22–15 (7–11 Big 12)
Head coach
Associate head coachChad Dollar (3rd season)
Assistant coaches
  • Andre Morgan (3rd season)
  • Drew Adams (1st season)
  • Josh Loeffler (1st season)
  • Jake Thelen (1st season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
2023–24 Big 12 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 3т Houston15–3 .83332–5  .865
No. 8 Iowa State †13–5 .72229–8  .784
No. 16 Baylor11–7 .61124–11  .686
Texas Tech11–7 .61123–11  .676
BYU10–8 .55623–11  .676
No. 19 Kansas10–8 .55623–11  .676
Texas9–9 .50021–13  .618
TCU9–9 .50021–13  .618
Oklahoma8–10 .44420–12  .625
Kansas State8–10 .44419–15  .559
Cincinnati7–11 .38922–15  .595
UCF7–11 .38917–16  .515
Oklahoma State4–14 .22212–20  .375
West Virginia4–14 .2229–23  .281
† 2024 Big 12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The season was the first for the Bearcats in the Big 12 as they had left the American Athletic Conference to join the Big 12 in July 2023.[1]

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2022–23 season 23–13, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Temple before losing to Houston in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament.[2] The Bearcats received an at-large bid to the NIT, where they defeated Virginia Tech and Hofstra before falling to Utah Valley in the quarterfinals.[3]

Offseason

Player departures
Cincinnati departing players
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Kalu EzikpeF6' 8"240Graduate StudentLawrenceville, GACompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Landers Nolley IIG6' 7"208Graduate StudentAtlanta, GAPlay professionally[4]
Mika Adams-WoodsG6' 3"180Graduate StudentSyracuse, NYTransferred to St. Bonaventure[5]
David DeJuliusG6' 0"200Graduate StudentDetroit, MICompleted college eligibility
Rob PhiniseeG6' 1"187Graduate StudentLafayette, INCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Jeremiah DavenportG6' 7"215Graduate StudentCincinnati, OHTransferred to Arkansas[6]
Jarrett HensleyF6' 8"220JuniorMerriam, KSTransferred to Southern Illinois[7]
  1. Ezikpe and Phinese both were graduate transfers in the 2022–23 season, with Ezikpe having graduated from Old Dominion and Phinese from Indiana.

Incoming transfers
Cincinnati incoming transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Old school Remaining Eligibility
DaVeon ThomasG6' 0"190JuniorColumbia, SCKilgore CollegeTwo years[8]
Jamille ReynoldsF6' 10"285SeniorSaint Petersburg, FLTempleTwo years[9]
CJ FredrickG6' 3"185Graduate StudentCincinnati, OHKentuckyTwo years[10]
Simas LukošiusG6' 8"225JuniorKaunas, LithuaniaButlerTwo years[11]
Aziz BandaogoF7' 0"230SeniorDakar, SenegalUtah ValleyTwo years[12]

Class of 2023
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rayvon Griffith
SG		 Cincinnati, OH AZ Compass Prep 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 1, 2022[13] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Jizzle James
PG		 Orlando, FL Olympia High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) October 4, 2022[14] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Cincinnati 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  • "2023 Cincinnati Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  • "Cincinnati 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.

Roster
2023–24 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Daniel Skillings 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoRoman Catholic High School Philadelphia, PA
G 1 Day Day Thomas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrKilgore College Columbia, SC
G 2 Jizzle James 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrOlympia High School Orlando, FL
G/F 3 Rayvon Griffith  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrAZ Compass Prep Cincinnati, OH
G 5 CJ Fredrick 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) GSKentucky Cincinnati, OH
G 10 Josh Reed 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoPace Academy Atlanta, GA
G 11 CJ Anthony (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrPutnam Science Academy Columbus, OH
F 13 Jamille Reynolds 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)275 lb (125 kg) SrTemple Saint Petersburg, FL
G 14 Landon Lang (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)185 lb (84 kg) GSOhio Northern Mason, OH
G/F 15 John Newman III 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) GSClemson Greensboro, NC
G 21 Chase Kirkwood (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrArkansas Phoenix, MD
F 30 Viktor Lakhin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS JrCSKA–2 Anapa, Russia
F 33 Ody Oguama 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrWake Forest Raleigh, NC
G/F 41 Simas Lukošius 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrButler Kaunas, Lithuania
C 44 Sage Tolentino 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS FrHamilton High School Kane'ohe, HI
C 55 Aziz Bandaogo 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrUtah Valley Dakar, Senegal
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 1, 2023

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
November 6, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UIC W 69–58  1–0
  15 – Thomas  8 – Tied  3 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (9,936)
Cincinnati, OH
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Detroit Mercy W 93–61  2–0
  14 – Fredrick  12 – Reed  5 – Lukošius  Fifth Third Arena (4,267)
Cincinnati, OH
November 12, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Eastern Washington W 85–73  3–0
  26 – Lahkin  11 – Lahkin  5 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (3,063)
Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Northern Kentucky W 90–66  4–0
  25 – Skillings  14 – Lahkin  7 – Lukošius  Fifth Third Arena (10,018)
Cincinnati, OH
November 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Georgia Tech W 89–54  5–0
  15 – Lahkin  9 – Bandaogo  4 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (11,756)
Cincinnati, OH
November 28, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Howard W 86–81 OT 6–0
  19 – Lahkin  6 – Tied  4 – Thomas  Burr Gymnasium (1,324)
Washington, D.C.
December 3, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Florida Gulf Coast W 99–62  7–0
  19 – Tied  12 – Skillings  6 – Lahkin  Fifth Third Arena (9,812)
Cincinnati, OH
December 9, 2023*
6:30 p.m., FS1		 at Xavier
Crosstown Shootout		 L 79–84  7–1
  19 – James  10 – Bandaogo  3 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,724)
Cincinnati, OH
December 12, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Bryant W 85–53  8–1
  14 – Fredrick  17 – Bandaogo  3 – James  Fifth Third Arena (9,303)
Cincinnati, OH
December 16, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 vs. Dayton
Hoops Classic		 L 68–82  8–2
  14 – Lukošius  14 – Bandaogo  2 – Tied  Heritage Bank Center (12,547)
Cincinnati, OH
December 19, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Merrimack W 65–49  9–2
  18 – Lahkin  11 – Reynolds  4 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (9,477)
Cincinnati, OH
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Stetson W 83–75  10–2
  29 – Skillings  10 – Skillings  7 – Fredrick  Fifth Third Arena (9,762)
Cincinnati, OH
December 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Evansville W 76–58  11–2
  16 – Newman III  9 – Lakhin  7 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (10,977)
Cincinnati, OH
Big 12 Regular Season
January 6, 2024
10:00 p.m., ESPN2		 at No. 12 BYU W 71–60  12–2
(1–0)		  17 – Lakhin  10 – Bandaogo  3 – Lukošius  Marriott Center (16,879)
Provo, UT
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 No. 25 Texas L 73–74  12–3
(1–1)		  19 – Lukošius  6 – Newman III  4 – Lukošius  Fifth Third Arena (11,014)
Cincinnati, OH
January 13, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2		 at No. 14 Baylor L 59–62  12–4
(1–2)		  24 – Skillings  7 – Newman III  5 – Lukošius  Foster Pavilion (7,500)
Waco, TX
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 No. 19 TCU W 81–77 OT 13–4
(2–2)		  21 – Thomas  7 – Newman III  6 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (10,314)
Cincinnati, OH
January 20, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+		 No. 15 Oklahoma L 65–69  13–5
(2–3)		  17 – Lukošius  7 – Tied  6 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (12,406)
Cincinnati, OH
January 22, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 at No. 7 Kansas L 69–74  13–6
(2–4)		  16 – Skillings  11 – Bandaogo  3 – Thomas  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UCF W 68–57  14–6
(3–4)		  21 – Skillings  7 – Tied  6 – Lukošius  Fifth Third Arena (12,112)
Cincinnati, OH
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at West Virginia
rivalry		 L 65–69  14–7
(3–5)		  15 – Skillings  9 – Bandaogo  4 – Thomas  WVU Coliseum (10,349)
Morgantown, WV
February 3, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at No. 15 Texas Tech W 75–72  15–7
(4–5)		  16 – Lukošius  10 – Bandaogo  4 – Thomas  United Supermarkets Arena (15,098)
Lubbock, TX
February 10, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 5 Houston L 62–67  15–8
(4–6)		  13 – Skillings  10 – Newman III  3 – Newman III  Fifth Third Arena (12,715)
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 10 Iowa State L 59–68  15–9
(4–7)		  16 – James  11 – Skillings  3 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (11,819)
Cincinnati, OH
February 17, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UCF W 76–74  16–9
(5–7)		  15 – Skillings Jr.  9 – Reynolds  3 – Thomas  Addition Financial Arena (8,624)
Orlando, FL
February 21, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Oklahoma State L 76–80  16–10
(5–8)		  17 – Lukošius  10 – Skillings Jr.  4 – Lukošius  Fifth Third Arena (11,029)
Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at TCU L 57–75  16–11
(5–9)		  13 – Thomas  9 – Bandaogo  4 – Lukošius  Schollmaier Arena (6,090)
Fort Worth, TX
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2		 at No. 1 Houston L 59–67  16–12
(5–10)		  11 – Tied  9 – Lakhin  6 – Thomas  Fertitta Center (7,352)
Houston, TX
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Kansas State W 74–72  17–12
(6–10)		  18 – Newman III  8 – Bandaogo  5 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (11,974)
Cincinnati, OH
March 5, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Oklahoma L 71–74 OT 17–13
(6–11)		  16 – James  9 – Skillings Jr.  3 – Thomas  Lloyd Noble Center (6,124)
Norman, OK
March 9, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 West Virginia
rivalry		 W 92–56  18–13
(7–11)		  17 – Skillings Jr.  7 – Bandaogo  7 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (11,914)
Cincinnati, OH
Big 12 Tournament
March 12, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+		 (11) vs. (14) West Virginia
First Round/rivalry		 W 90–85  19–13
  31 – Lukošius  13 – Bandaogo  4 – Tied  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
March 13, 2024
9:30 p.m., ESPN2		 (11) vs. (6) No. 16 Kansas
Second Round		 W 72–52  20–13
  25 – Skillings Jr.  10 – Newman III  3 – Lukosius  T-Mobile Center (18,261)
Kansas City, MO
March 14, 2024
9:30 p.m., ESPN2		 (11) vs. (3) No. 14 Baylor
Quarterfinals		 L 56–68  20–14
  15 – Skillings Jr.  6 – Newman III  4 – Lukosius  T-Mobile Center (19,135)
Kansas City, MO
NIT
March 20, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN+		 (2) San Francisco
First Round - Indiana State Bracket		 W 73–72 OT 21–14
  28 – Lukosius  9 – Newman III  7 – Thomas  Fifth Third Arena (3,899)
Cincinnati, OH
March 23, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 (2) (3) Bradley
Second Round - Indiana State Bracket		 W 74–57  22–14
  25 – James  9 – Newman III  4 – Newman III  Fifth Third Arena (4,732)
Cincinnati, OH
March 26, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 (2) at (1) Indiana State
Quarterfinals - Indiana State Bracket		 L 81–85  22–15
  26 – Lukosius  12 – Skillings Jr.  5 – James  Hulman Center (8,057)
Terre Haute, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[15]


References
  1. "BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF officially join the Big 12 Conference". Yahoo Sports. July 1, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  2. "Cincinnati Falls to No.1 Houston in AAC Semifinals". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. "Bearcats' Postseason Run Ends in Utah". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  4. Cohen, David (June 23, 2023). "Nolley Signs with New Orleans Pelicans". gobearcats.com. UC Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  5. "Bonnies Bolster Backcourt With Addition of Grad Transfer Mika Adams-Woods". gobonnies.com. St. Bonaventure. May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  6. Wilkerson, Curtis. "Arkansas lands Cincinnati transfer Jeremiah Davenport". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  7. @@_jarretthensley (May 12, 2023). "#COMMITTED" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Thomas, DaVeon [@DayDayThomas24] (February 2, 2023). "110% Committed #Bearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. Reynolds, Jamille [@jamillerey4] (April 8, 2023). "Next move my best move‼️ Cincy What's good🖤❤️ @TiptonEdits" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. Fredrick, CJ [@cj_fredrick] (April 24, 2023). "Excited for this next step in my journey! I'm all in! Go Bearcats❤️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. Givony, Jonathan; Borzello, Jeff (April 29, 2023). "Butler transfer Simas Lukosius commits to Cincinnati". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  12. Givony, Jonathan (May 20, 2023). "Utah Valley transfer Aziz Bandaogo commits to Cincinnati". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  13. Cobb, David (May 1, 2022). "College basketball recruiting: Four-star SG Rayvon Griffith commits to Cincinnati in 2023 class". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  14. Boone, Kyle (October 4, 2022). "College basketball recruiting: Jizzle James, son of former NFL star Edgerrin James, commits to Cincinnati". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  15. "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". gobearcats.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.