| 2019–20Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball | |
|---|---|
AAC regular season co-champions | |
| Conference | American Athletic Conference |
| Record | 20–10 (13–5 American) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Fifth Third Arena |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 20 | – | 10 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22Houston | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 23 | – | 8 | .742 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wichita State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 8 | .742 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UConn | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 19 | – | 11 | .633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 16 | – | 14 | .533 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 12 | – | 18 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: The2020 AAC tournament was canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Rankings fromAP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2019–20 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented theUniversity of Cincinnati in the2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head-coachJohn Brannen. The team played their home games atFifth Third Arena as members of theAmerican Athletic Conference.
TheBearcats finished the2018–19 season 28–7, 14–4 inAAC play, finishing in second place. They defeatedSMU,Wichita State, and No. 1 seedHouston to win theAAC tournament for the second consecutive year, and received the conference's automatic bid to theNCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the South region, they were upset by No. 10 seedIowa in the first round. After the conclusion of the NCAA tournament, head coachMick Cronin accepted the head-coaching position atUCLA.[1]John Brannen, the head coach atnearbyNorthern Kentucky, would be hired to replace Cronin.[2] In the transition, UC lost G/F Rashawn Fredericks and C Nysier Brooks - both of whom would've both been seniors. They also lost sophomore guardLogan Johnson and backup PF Eliel Nsoseme. Incoming freshman andOhio's Mr. Basketball in 2019, Samari Curtis, also de-committed.Jarron Cumberland announced he would test the waters to enter the2019 NBA draft on April 20, 2019.[3] On May 27, Cumberland announced he would return for his senior season.[4]
Despite the deluge of transfers, Brannen was able to inspire a late-season recruiting renaissance, as he moved quickly to land Jeremiah Davenport, Chris Vogt, Mika Adams-Woods, Chris McNeal, Jaume Sorolla, and Jaevin Cumberland (in that order) - with the latter four commitments transpiring in under one week's time. It is worth noting that, at the time of the final scholarship being fulfilled, both Logan Johnson and Eliel Nsoseme were still in the transfer protocol and technically "could" return to UC; this series of signings effectively locked in their transfer from the program.
After all the dust settled, UC would have a final transfer enter the portal in redshirt Freshman LaQuill Hardnett. His spot would be filled shortly thereafter by the highest rated recruit of the 2019 class, Zach Harvey. Entering this season, new scholarship players would now outnumber returning players 7-6.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Johnson | 0 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Mountain View, California | Transferred toSaint Mary's[5] |
| Justin Jenifer | 3 | G | 5'10" | 175 | Senior | Baltimore, Maryland | Graduated |
| Rashawn Fredericks | 10 | G/F | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | Transferred toUAB[6] |
| LaQuill Hardnett | 11 | F | 6'8" | 210 | RS Freshman | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred toBuffalo[7] |
| Cane Broome | 15 | G | 6'0" | 165 | RS Senior | East Hartford, Connecticut | Graduated |
| Eliel Nsoseme | 22 | F/C | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Kinshasa, DR Congo | Transferred toGeorgia State[8] |
| Nysier Brooks | 33 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Junior | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred toMiami (FL)[9] |
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Vogt | C | 7'1" | 240 | Junior | Mayfield, KY | Transferred fromNorthern Kentucky. Vogt was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[10] |
| Chris McNeal | PG | 6'0" | 195 | Graduate Student | Jackson, TN | Transferred fromTennessee Tech after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[11] |
| Jaume Sorolla | C | 6'11" | 240 | Graduate Student | Tortosa, Spain | Transferred fromValparaiso after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[12] |
| Jaevin Cumberland | SG | 6'3" | 185 | Graduate Student | Wilmington, OH | Transferred fromOakland after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[13] Cousin of guardJarron Cumberland. |
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Davenport SG | Cincinnati, OH | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 11, 2019[14] | |
| Recruit ratings:247Sports: | ||||||
| Mika Adams-Woods PG | Syracuse, NY | New Hampton School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 30, 2019[15] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Zach Harvey SG | Topeka, KS | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | June 27, 2019[16] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 44 | ||||||
Sources:
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| College recruiting information (2020) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Mike Saunders PG | Indianapolis, IN | Wasatch Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | June 11, 2019[17] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Gabe Madsen SF | Rochester, MN | Mayo High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | August 31, 2019[18] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Mason Madsen CG | Rochester, MN | Mayo High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | August 31, 2019[19] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Tari Eason PF | Seattle, WA | Garfield High School (Seattle) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | December 21, 2019[20] | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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The AAC media poll was released on October 14, 2019, with the Bearcats predicted to finish third in the AAC.[21]
| Media poll | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 113 (7) |
| 2 | Memphis | 113 (4) |
| 3 | Cincinnati | 94 (1) |
| 4 | Wichita State | 88 |
| 5 | USF | 79 |
| 6 | UConn | 75 |
| 7 | Temple | 72 |
| 8 | SMU | 47 |
| 9 | UCF | 40 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 36 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 20 |
| 12 | Tulane | 15 |
American Athletic Conference[22]
Sporting News[23]
| 2019–20 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Chris Vogt | Jaume Sorolla | Rob Banks | ||
| PF | Trevon Scott | Mamoudou Diarra | Adam Cook | ||
| SF | Keith Williams | Zach Harvey | Jeremiah Davenport | ||
| SG | Jarron Cumberland | Jaevin Cumberland | Trevor Moore | ||
| PG | Mika Adams-Woods | Chris McNeal | Sam Martin |
Source[28]
The Bearcats traveled to in-state rival Ohio State to open the season for the second part of a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes. The Bearcats also began a home-and-home series with Tennessee beginning in the 2019–2020 season in Cincinnati. Tennessee visited Fifth Third Arena on December 18, 2019.[29] The Bearcats traveled to Chicago to take on Iowa in the Chicago Legends event.[30] Cincinnati traveled to the Virgin Islands to compete in theParadise Jam tournament where they finished in third-place.[31]
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 31, 2019* 6:00pm, Bearcats TV | Thomas More | W 79–36 | 15 – McNeal | 5 – Diarra | 4 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (5,389) Cincinnati, OH | |||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 6, 2019* 8:30pm, FS1 | at No. 18 Ohio State | L 56–64 | 0–1 | 13 – Tied | 12 – Scott | 3 – Jar. Cumberland | Value City Arena (13,845) Columbus, OH | ||||
| November 11, 2019 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | Drake | W 81–59 | 1–1 | 17 – Jae. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – McNeal | Fifth Third Arena (10,133) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 14, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | Alabama A&M | W 85–53 | 2–1 | 18 – Vogt | 10 – Vogt | 6 – Jae. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (9,830) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 22, 2019* 5:45pm, FloSports | vs. Illinois State Paradise Jam Quarterfinals | W 66–65 | 3–1 | 23 – Jar. Cumberland | 13 – Vogt | 3 – Scott | Sports and Fitness Center Saint Thomas, USVI | ||||
| November 24, 2019* 7:45pm, FloSports | vs. Bowling Green Paradise Jam Semifinals | L 84–91 OT | 3–2 | 21 – Jae. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – McNeal | Sports and Fitness Center (1,525) Saint Thomas, USVI | ||||
| November 25, 2019* 5:45pm, FloSports | vs. Valparaiso Paradise Jam Third-place game | W 81–77 OT | 4–2 | 21 – Vogt | 11 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Sports and Fitness Center Saint Thomas, USVI | ||||
| November 30, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | UNLV | W 72–65 OT | 5–2 | 20 – Jar. Cumberland | 9 – Scott | 5 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,783) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 3, 2019* 7:00pm, CBSSN | Vermont | W 82–73 | 6–2 | 23 – Williams | 12 – Scott | 5 – Williams | Fifth Third Arena (10,220) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 7, 2019* 5:00pm, FS1 | at Xavier Crosstown Shootout | L 66–73 | 6–3 | 15 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Cintas Center (10,811) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 14, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | Colgate | L 66–67 | 6–4 | 16 – Vogt | 7 – Tied | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,416) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 18, 2019* 7:00pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 Tennessee | W 78–66 | 7–4 | 15 – Scott | 7 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (12,012) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| December 21, 2019* 9:00pm, BTN | vs. Iowa Chicago Legends | L 70–77 | 7–5 | 18 – Jar. Cumberland | 8 – Vogt | 4 – McNeal | United Center (6,814) Chicago, IL | ||||
| AAC Regular Season | |||||||||||
| January 1, 2020 7:00pm, CBSSN | UConn | W 67–51 | 8–5 (1–0) | 19 – Vogt | 13 – Scott | 5 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (10,833) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 4, 2020 4:00pm, CBSSN | at Tulane | L 71–76 | 8–6 (1–1) | 21 – Vogt | 6 – Tied | 8 – Scott | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,513) New Orleans, LA | ||||
| January 8, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | Tulsa | W 75–44 | 9–6 (2–1) | 22 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Vogt | 8 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,138) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 11, 2020 12:00pm, ESPN2 | at UCF | W 68–54 | 10–6 (3–1) | 16 – Williams | 11 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Addition Financial Arena (5,482) Orlando, FL | ||||
| January 16, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | at No. 22 Memphis Rivalry | L 49–60 | 10–7 (3–2) | 19 – Jar. Cumberland | 8 – Williams | 2 – Tied | FedEx Forum (16,079) Memphis, TN | ||||
| January 19, 2020 6:00pm, ESPNU | East Carolina | W 82–57 | 11–7 (4–2) | 16 – Scott | 11 – Tied | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (11,103) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 22, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNews | at Temple | W 89–82 | 12–7 (5–2) | 22 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 6 – Jar. Cumberland | Liacouras Center (6,463) Philadelphia, PA | ||||
| January 28, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNews | SMU | W 65–43 | 13–7 (6–2) | 28 – Jar. Cumberland | 9 – Tied | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (11,221) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 1, 2020 6:00pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 Houston | W 64–62 | 14–7 (7–2) | 17 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,189) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 6, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | at Wichita State | W 80–79 | 15–7 (8–2) | 24 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 5 – Jar. Cumberland | Charles Koch Arena (10,211) Wichita, KS | ||||
| February 9, 2020 12:00pm, CBSSN | at UConn | L 71–72 OT | 15–8 (8–3) | 25 – Scott | 13 – Scott | 10 – Jar. Cumberland | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,409) Storrs, CT | ||||
| February 13, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | Memphis Rivalry | W 92–86 OT | 16–8 (9–3) | 25 – Scott | 19 – Scott | 9 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,239) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 16, 2020 12:00pm, CBSSN | at East Carolina | W 70–67 OT | 17–8 (10–3) | 17 – Williams | 12 – Scott | 5 – Williams | Williams Arena (4,082) Greenville, NC | ||||
| February 19, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | UCF | L 87–89 2OT | 17–9 (10–4) | 22 – Scott | 21 – Scott | 9 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,874) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| February 23, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN | Wichita State | W 67–64 | 18–9 (11–4) | 24 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (12,137) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| March 1, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN | at No. 25 Houston | L 55–68 | 18–10 (11–5) | 17 – Scott | 11 – Scott | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fertitta Center (7,096) Houston, TX | ||||
| March 3, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | at South Florida | W 79–67 | 19–10 (12–5) | 30 – Williams | 11 – Scott | 3 – Scott | Yuengling Center (3,008) Tampa, FL | ||||
| March 7, 2020 8:00pm, CBSSN | Temple | W 64–63 | 20–10 (13–5) | 20 – Jar. Cumberland | 12 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,365) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| AAC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 13, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (8) UCF / (9) South Florida Quarterfinals | Cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||||||
*Non-conference game.#Rankings fromAP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are inEastern Time. | |||||||||||
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | ||
| Coaches | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | ||
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings