2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
	As of August 14, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll; 2021 AAC Tournament

Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Head coach	John Brannen (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Jayson Gee (2nd season); Sean Dwyer (2nd season); Tim Morris (2nd season);
Home arena	Fifth Third Arena

The 2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represents the University of Cincinnati in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats are led by second-year head-coach John Brannen. The team plays their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference.

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2019–20 season 20–10, 13–5 in AAC play, finishing tied for first place and winning a share of the regular season title. The Cats kept fans on the edge of their seats with a nation-leading 7 overtime games.[1] They entered as the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Bearcats were awarded the automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament by the conference, before it too was cancelled.[2]

In the spring Keith Williams and Chris Vogt both announced that each would enter the 2020 NBA draft, while retaining the option to return for their senior seasons.[3][4] In late July, both would option to return for their final seasons of eligibility.[5][6]

Offseason

Departing players

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Chris McNeal	0	G	6'1"	190	Graduate Student	Jackson, Tennessee	Completed athletic eligibility
Trevor Moore	5	G	6'5"	195	Junior	Houston, Texas	Transferred to Morgan State (mid-season)[7]
Tre Scott	13	F	6'8"	225	RS Senior	Darien, Georgia	Graduated
Jaevin Cumberland	21	G	6'3"	185	Graduate Student	Wilmington, Ohio	Completed athletic eligibility
Prince Toyambi	24	F	6'7"	225	RS Freshman	Kinshasa, DR Congo	Transferred to Georgia Southern[8]
John Koz	32	G	6'1"	200	Senior	Cleveland, Ohio	Walk-on; graduated
Jarron Cumberland	34	G	6'5"	210	Senior	Wilmington, Ohio	Graduated
Jaume Sorolla	35	C	6'11"	240	Graduate Student	Tortosa, Spain	Left team (mid-season)[9]

Incoming Transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Rapolas Ivanauskas	F	6'10"	230	Graduate Student	Barrington, IL	Transferred from Colgate after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[10][11]
David DeJulius	G	6'0"	190	Junior	Detroit, MI	Transferred from Michigan. Under NCAA transfer rules, DeJulius will have to sit out for the 2020–21 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[12][13]

Recruiting class of 2020

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	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[14]
Mike Saunders PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80
Gabe Madsen SF	Rochester, MN	Mayo High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	August 31, 2019[15]
Gabe Madsen SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80
Mason Madsen CG	Rochester, MN	Mayo High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	August 31, 2019[16]
Mason Madsen CG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR
Tari Eason PF	Seattle, WA	Garfield High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	December 21, 2019[17]
Tari Eason PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79
Viktor Lakhin C	Anapa, Russia	CSKA Moscow	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	June 15, 2020[18]
Viktor Lakhin C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 39
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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

Preseason

AAC media poll

Preseason Awards

Roster

2020–21 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	David DeJulius	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Michigan	Detroit, Michigan
G	1	Zach Harvey	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Prolific Prep	Topeka, Kansas
G	2	Keith Williams	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sr	Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School	Brooklyn, New York
G	3	Mike Saunders Jr.	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Wasatch Academy	Indianapolis, Indiana
F	13	Tari Eason	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Garfield High School	Seattle, Washington
F	20	Mamoudou Diarra	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Jr	22ft Academy	Bamako, Mali
G	23	Mika Adams-Woods	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	New Hampton School	Syracuse, New York
G/F	24	Jeremiah Davenport	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Hargrave Military Academy	Cincinnati, Ohio
F	25	Rapolas Ivanauskas	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	GS	Colgate	Barrington, Illinois
C	30	Viktor Lakhin	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	Fr	CSKA Moscow	Anapa, Russia
G	31	Sam Martin (W)	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	RS Jr	Summit Country Day School	Cincinnati, Ohio
C	33	Chris Vogt	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	260 lb (118 kg)	Sr	Northern Kentucky	Mayfield, Kentucky
F	44	Adam Cook (W)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	Marysville High School	Marysville, Ohio
G	45	Mason Madson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Mayo High School	Rochester, Minnesota
G	55	Gabe Madson	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Mayo High School	Rochester, Minnesota
F	--	Rob Banks (W)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Gould Academy	Bracknell, England

Head coach

John Brannen (Marshall)

Assistant coach(es)

Jayson Gee (Charleston)
Sean Dwyer (Michigan State)
Tim Morris (Stanford)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: March 4, 2020

Schedule and results

In a unique announcement on Twitter, John Brannen and Chris Mack exchanged tweets announcing a renewal of the Cincinnati–Louisville rivalry with the first game at Fifth Third Arena on November 13.[19] The Bearcats will travel to Knoxville for the second part of a home-and-home series with the Tennessee Volunteers. Cincinnati will also travel to Brooklyn to compete in the NIT Season Tip-Off.[20] The Bearcats will host the Xavier Musketeers in the annual Crosstown Shootout.

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
*	TBD	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 10, 2020*	Western Illinois	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
November 13, 2020*	Louisville Rivalry	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2020*	at Northern Kentucky	BB&T Arena Highland Heights, KY
November 25, 2020*	vs. Arizona, Texas Tech, or St. John's NIT Season Tip-Off	Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY
November 27, 2020*	vs. Arizona, Texas Tech, or St. John's NIT Season Tip-Off	Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY
November 30, 2020*	Lipscomb	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
December 12, 2020*	at Tennessee	Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN
December 15, 2020*	Furman	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
December 19, 2020*	at Georgia	Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA
December 22, 2020*	Richmond	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
TBD*	Xavier Crosstown Shootout	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
AAC Regular Season
	East Carolina	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at East Carolina	Williams Arena Greenville, NC
	Houston	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at Houston	Fertitta Center Houston, TX
	at Memphis Rivalry	FedEx Forum Memphis, TN
	Memphis Rivalry	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	SMU	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at SMU	Moody Coliseum University Park, TX
	at South Florida	Yuengling Center Tampa, FL
	South Florida	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at Temple	Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA
	Temple	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at Tulane	Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA
	Tulane	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	Tulsa	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at Tulsa	Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK
	at UCF	Addition Financial Arena Orlando, FL
	UCF	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
	at Wichita State	Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS
	Wichita State	Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
AAC Tournament
	vs. TBD	Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP																				Not released
Coaches

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

http://digital.learfieldimgcollege.com/cincinnati-mbb-review/full-view.html
Page, Fletcher (12 Mar 2020). "American Athletic Conference cancels men's basketball tournament amid coronavirus concerns". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
"UC's Williams says he will enter 2020 NBA Draft, but keeping options open". WKRC.com. WKRC-TV. 27 Mar 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.
Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (21 Apr 2020). "Just a kid from Mayfield" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.
Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (23 July 2020). "Last go around. #ContractYear" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (31 July 2020). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams is withdrawing from the NBA draft, per source" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 Jul 2020 – via Twitter.
Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (9 December 2019). "Cincinnati guard Trevor Moore has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2020 – via Twitter.
Toyambi, Prince [@BIGPRINCE19] (8 May 2020). "Next Chapter, Georgia Southern University let's Go!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Twitter.
Page, Fletcher. "Jay Sorolla leaves Cincinnati basketball, will turn pro". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (14 Apr 2020). "Colgate grad transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas announced his commitment to Cincinnati. 6-foot-10, has perimeter range, averaged 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Top-20 grad transfer" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
"Ivanauskas Joins Cincinnati Men's Basketball". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 15 Apr 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.
Clark, Dave (16 Apr 2020). "Michigan transfer David DeJulius commits to Cincinnati Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 16 Apr 2020.
"DeJulius Transferring to Cincinnati". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 17 Apr 2020. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.
Clark, Dave (11 June 2019). "Mike Saunders Jr. gives Cincinnati Bearcats Class of 2020 commitment". Cincinnati Enquirer.
Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.
Evans, Corey (22 December 2019). "Cincinnati wins out with four-star forward Tari Eason". Rivals.
"UC basketball team lands forward from Russia". WKRC-TV. 15 Jun 2020.
Rauch, Jeremy [@FOX19Jeremy] (30 Apr 2020). "Big college basketball news: UC will host Louisville on Friday, Nov. 13. A source really, really close to the situation told me to follow the tweets" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.
"Cincinnati to Play in 2020 NIT Season Tip-Off". GoBearcats.com. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] ttp://digital.learfieldimgcollege.com/cincinnati-mbb-review/full-view.html

[2] Page, Fletcher (12 Mar 2020). "American Athletic Conference cancels men's basketball tournament amid coronavirus concerns". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.

[3] "UC's Williams says he will enter 2020 NBA Draft, but keeping options open". WKRC.com. WKRC-TV. 27 Mar 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.

[4] Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (21 Apr 2020). "Just a kid from Mayfield" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.

[5] Vogt, Chris [@ChrisVogt33] (23 July 2020). "Last go around. #ContractYear" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.

[6] Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (31 July 2020). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams is withdrawing from the NBA draft, per source" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 Jul 2020 – via Twitter.

[7] Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (9 December 2019). "Cincinnati guard Trevor Moore has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2020 – via Twitter.

[8] Toyambi, Prince [@BIGPRINCE19] (8 May 2020). "Next Chapter, Georgia Southern University let's Go!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Twitter.

[9] Page, Fletcher. "Jay Sorolla leaves Cincinnati basketball, will turn pro". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.

[10] Borzello, Jeff [@jeffborzello] (14 Apr 2020). "Colgate grad transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas announced his commitment to Cincinnati. 6-foot-10, has perimeter range, averaged 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Top-20 grad transfer" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.

[11] "Ivanauskas Joins Cincinnati Men's Basketball". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 15 Apr 2020. Retrieved 15 Apr 2020.

[12] Clark, Dave (16 Apr 2020). "Michigan transfer David DeJulius commits to Cincinnati Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 16 Apr 2020.

[13] "DeJulius Transferring to Cincinnati". GoBearcats.com. GoBearcats. 17 Apr 2020. Retrieved 17 Apr 2020.

[14] Clark, Dave (11 June 2019). "Mike Saunders Jr. gives Cincinnati Bearcats Class of 2020 commitment". Cincinnati Enquirer.

[15] Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.

[16] Page, Fletcher (1 September 2019). "UC basketball: Gabe and Mason Madsen commit to play for John Brannen". Cincinnati Enquirer.

[17] Evans, Corey (22 December 2019). "Cincinnati wins out with four-star forward Tari Eason". Rivals.

[18] "UC basketball team lands forward from Russia". WKRC-TV. 15 Jun 2020.

[19] Rauch, Jeremy [@FOX19Jeremy] (30 Apr 2020). "Big college basketball news: UC will host Louisville on Friday, Nov. 13. A source really, really close to the situation told me to follow the tweets" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Twitter.

[20] "Cincinnati to Play in 2020 NIT Season Tip-Off". GoBearcats.com. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
Venues	Schmidlapp Gymnasium (1901–1954) Cincinnati Gardens (1949–1954; 1987–1989) Armory Fieldhouse (1954–1976) Riverfront Coliseum (1976–1987) Fifth Third Arena (1989–2017; 2018–present) BB&T Arena (2017–2018)
Rivalries	Louisville Memphis Xavier
Culture & lore	Bearcat "Cheer Cincinnati" 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl Longest game in Division I history UC Pep Band
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Cincinnati	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
East Carolina	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Houston	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Memphis	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
SMU	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
South Florida	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Temple	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Tulane	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Tulsa	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
UCF	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Wichita State	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–

As of August 14, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll 2021 AAC Tournament