2015–16 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats, were led by tenth year head coach Mick Cronin, who returned full-time after taking a hiatus in December 2014. The Bearcats played their home games on Ed Jucker Court at Fifth Third Arena and were members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season with a record of 22–11, 12–6 in AAC play to finish in a tie for third place in conference. The Bearcats lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to UConn for the second consecutive year. They received an at-large bid as a #9 seed to the NCAA Tournament. They lost in the First Round of the Tournament to Saint Joseph's.

2015–16 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2015–16 record22–11 (12–6 The American)
Head coachMick Cronin (10th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Larry Davis (10th season)
  • Antwon Jackson (4th season)
  • Darren Savino (6th season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
2015–16 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Temple14–4 .778  21–12  .636
No. 24 SMU*13–5 .722  25–5  .833
Houston12–6 .667  22–10  .688
Cincinnati12–6 .667  22–11  .667
Tulsa12–6 .667  20–12  .625
UConn †11–7 .611  25–11  .694
Memphis8–10 .444  19–15  .559
UCF6–12 .333  12–18  .400
East Carolina4–14 .222  12–20  .375
South Florida4–14 .222  8–25  .242
Tulane3–15 .167  12–22  .353
*Ineligible for postseason due to postseason ban
† American Athletic Conference Tournament Champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 23–11, 13–5 in AAC play to finish in a tie for third place in conference. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to UConn. They received an at-large bid as a #8 seed to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated #9 seeded Purdue in the Second Round before losing to #1 ranked Kentucky in the Third Round.

Offseason

Departing players
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Deshaun Morman1G6'3'"190RS FreshmanRichmond, VirginiaTransferred to Towson[1]
Jermaine Sanders15G6'5'"210SeniorFar Rockaway, New YorkGraduated
Rob Blissitt Jr.42G6'3'"175SophomoreMarkham, IllinoisWalk-on; did not return

Incoming Transfers
NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Kyle WashingtonC6'9"170JuniorChamplin, MNTransferred from NC State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Washington will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[2]

Recruiting class of 2015
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jacob Evans
G		 Baton Rouge, LA St. Michael High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 14, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Justin Jenifer
G		 Gwynn Oak, MD Milford Mill Academy 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jun 9, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Tre Scott
F		 Darien, GA McIntosh County Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 15, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  247Sports: 53  ESPN: NR
  • 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 2015 Player Commits". ESPN.com.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Recruiting class of 2016

    Roster
    2015–16 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Quadri Moore 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) SoLinden High School Linden, New Jersey
    G 1 Jacob Evans 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrSt. Michael the Archangel High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    F 2 Octavius Ellis (C) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrTrinity Valley CC Memphis, Tennessee
    F 3 Justin Jenifer 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrMilford Mill Academy Gwynn Oak, Maryland
    G 10 Troy Caupain 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrCosby High School Midlothian, Virginia
    F 11 Gary Clark 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoClayton High School Clayton, North Carolina
    F 13 Tre Scott  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrMcIntosh County Academy Darien, Georgia
    G 21 Farad Cobb (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)165 lb (75 kg) SrNorthwest Florida SC West Palm Beach, Florida
    C 22 Coreontae DeBerry 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)270 lb (122 kg) SrHutchinson CC Holland, Michigan
    F 24 Shaq Thomas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS SrNIA Prep Paterson, New Jersey
    G 25 Kevin Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrSummit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
    F 32 Kyle Washington  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrNC State Champlin, Minnesota
    F 45 Zack Tobler (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)230 lb (104 kg) JrCovington Catholic High School Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: 15 May 2020

    Schedule
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 3, 2015*
    7:00pm    		 Grand Valley State W 93–63 
    		Fifth Third Arena (4,404)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 7, 2015*
    12:00pm    		 Bellarmine W 81–60 
    		Fifth Third Arena (4,507)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Non-Conference Regular Season
    November 13, 2015*
    7:00pm, ESPN3    		 Western Carolina W 97–72  1–0
    		 Fifth Third Arena (7,213)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 15, 2015*
    2:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3    		 Robert Morris W 106–44  2–0
    		 Fifth Third Arena (6,292)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 18, 2015*
    7:00pm, ESPN3    		 at Bowling Green W 83–50  3–0
    		 Stroh Center (3,411)
    Bowling Green, OH
    November 22, 2015*
    1:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3    		 Arkansas–Pine Bluff
    Barclays Center Classic    		 W 99–50  4–0
    		 Fifth Third Arena (6,083)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 24, 2015*
    7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3    		 No. 24 Southeastern Louisiana
    Barclays Center Classic    		 W 64–49  5–0
    		 Fifth Third Arena (6,824)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 27, 2015*
    6:30pm, ASN/ESPN3    		 No. 24 vs. Nebraska
    Barclays Center Classic semifinals    		 W 65–61  6–0
    		 Barclays Center 
    Brooklyn, NY
    November 28, 2015*
    2:30pm, ASN/ESPN3    		 No. 24 vs. George Washington
    Barclays Center Classic Championship    		 W 61–56  7–0
    		 Barclays Center 
    Brooklyn, NY
    December 2, 2015*
    7:00pm, CBSSN    		 No. 17 Butler L 76–78  7–1
    		 Fifth Third Arena (11,125)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 6, 2015*
    5:30pm, ASN/ESPN3    		 No. 17 Morgan State W 87–66  8–1
    		 Fifth Third Arena (6,126)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 12, 2015*
    5:30pm, FOX    		 No. 23 at No. 12 Xavier
    Crosstown Shootout    		 L 55–65  8–2
    		 Cintas Center (10,617)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 15, 2015*
    7:00pm, ESPNU    		 No. 23 Norfolk State W 75–59  9–2
    		 Fifth Third Arena (6,215)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 19, 2015*
    4:00pm, CBSSN    		 No. 23 at VCU W 69–63  10–2
    		 Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    December 22, 2015*
    7:00pm, ESPN2    		 No. 22 No. 11 Iowa State L 79–81  10–3
    		 Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
    Cincinnati, OH
    AAC Regular Season
    December 29, 2015
    3:00pm, ESPN2    		 No. 22 Temple L 70–77  10–4
    (0–1)    		 Fifth Third Arena (10,029)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 2, 2016
    4:00pm, ESPNU    		 No. 22 Tulsa W 76–57  11–4
    (1–1)    		 Fifth Third Arena (10,102)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 7, 2016
    7:00pm, ESPN    		 at No. 15 SMU L 57–59  11–5
    (1–2)    		 Moody Coliseum (6,971)
    University Park, TX
    January 10, 2016
    12:00pm, ESPNU    		 at South Florida W 54–51  12–5
    (2–2)    		 USF Sun Dome (3,062)
    Tampa, FL
    January 13, 2016
    7:00pm, ESPNU    		 Houston W 70–59  13–5
    (3–2)    		 Fifth Third Arena (9,345)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 16, 2016
    12:00pm, ESPNU    		 at Temple L 65–67 2OT 13–6
    (3–3)    		 Liacouras Center (7,481)
    Philadelphia, PA
    January 21, 2016
    7:00pm, ESPN2    		 Memphis
    Rivalry    		 W 76–72  14–6
    (4–3)    		 Fifth Third Arena (10,320)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 24, 2016
    12:00pm, ESPNU    		 Tulane W 97–75  15–6
    (5–3)    		 Fifth Third Arena (9,224)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 28, 2016
    7:00pm, ESPNU    		 at UConn W 58–57  16–6
    (6–3)    		 XL Center (13,242)
    Hartford, CT
    February 4, 2016
    8:00pm, CBSSN    		 South Florida W 88–57  17–6
    (7–3)    		 Fifth Third Arena (9,116)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 6, 2016
    12:00pm, ESPN2    		 at Memphis
    Rivalry    		 L 59–63  17–7
    (7–4)    		 FedEx Forum (12,920)
    Memphis, TN
    February 9, 2016
    7:00pm, ESPNews    		 at UCF W 69–51  18–7
    (8–4)    		 CFE Arena (4,143)
    Orlando, FL
    February 13, 2016
    4:00pm, ESPNU    		 East Carolina W 75–60  19–7
    (9–4)    		 Fifth Third Arena (12,513)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 18, 2016
    9:00pm, CBSSN    		 at Tulsa L 68–70 OT 19–8
    (9–5)    		 Reynolds Center (4,402)
    Tulsa, OK
    February 20, 2016
    4:00pm, ESPN2    		 UConn W 65–60  20–8
    (10–5)    		 Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 27, 2016
    12:00pm, ESPNU    		 at East Carolina W 65–56  21–8
    (11–5)    		 Williams Arena (4,841)
    Greenville, NC
    March 3, 2016
    9:00pm, CBSSN    		 at Houston L 56–69  21–9
    (11–6)    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (4,171)
    Houston, TX
    March 6, 2016
    12:00pm, CBS    		 No. 24 SMU W 61–54  22–9
    (12–6)    		 Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
    Cincinnati, OH
    AAC Tournament
    March 11, 2016
    2:00pm, ESPN2    		 (4) vs. (5) UConn
    Quarterfinals    		 L 97–104 4OT 22–10
    		 Amway Center (7,475)
    Orlando, FL
    NCAA Tournament
    March 18, 2016*
    9:57pm, truTV    		 (9 W) vs. (8 W) Saint Joseph's
    First Round    		 L 76–78  22–11
    		 Spokane Arena (11,274)
    Spokane, WA
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    [3]

    Awards and milestones

    American Athletic Conference honors

    All-AAC Awards

    All-AAC First Team

    All-AAC Second Team

    Player of the Week

    Rookie of the Week

    Source[4]

    Rankings
    Main article: 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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 19 Final 
    AP RV RV 24 17 23 23 22 22 RV RV RV RV RV Not released 
    Coaches' RV RV 24 17 22 20 21 23 RV RV RV

    References
    1. Bains, Chris. "Deshaun Morman Officially Transferring From Cincinnati". Cincy on the Prowl. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
    2. "ACC Basketball: Former Wolfpack forward Kyle Washington headed to Cincinnati". Fayetteville Observer. BLOX Content Management System. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
    3. "The Official Website of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats – Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
    4. "American Athletic Conference Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
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