2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by 13th-year head coach Mick Cronin, and played its home games at the newly renovated Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 28–7, 14–4 in AAC play, finishing in second place. They defeated SMU, Wichita State, and No. 1 seed Houston to win the AAC Tournament for the second consecutive year, and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the South region, they were upset by No. 10 seed Iowa in the first round.

2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
AAC Tournament champions Emerald Coast Classic champions
NCAA Tournament, First Round
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 22
2018–19 record	28–7 (14–4 AAC)
Head coach	Mick Cronin (13th season)
Assistant coaches	Darren Savino (9th season) Antwon Jackson (6th season) Greg Youncofski (1st season)
Home arena	Fifth Third Arena

2018–19 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 11 Houston	16	–	2		.889			33	–	4		.892
No. 22 Cincinnati †	14	–	4		.778			28	–	7		.800
Temple	13	–	5		.722			23	–	10		.697
UCF	13	–	5		.722			24	–	9		.727
Memphis	11	–	7		.611			22	–	14		.611
Wichita State	10	–	8		.556			22	–	15		.595
Tulsa	8	–	10		.444			18	–	14		.563
South Florida	8	–	10		.444			24	–	14		.632
UConn	6	–	12		.333			16	–	17		.485
SMU	6	–	12		.333			15	–	17		.469
East Carolina	3	–	15		.167			10	–	21		.323
Tulane	0	–	18		.000			4	–	27		.129
† 2019 AAC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2016–17 season 31–5, 16–2 in AAC play to win the regular season championship. They defeated SMU, Memphis, and Houston to win the AAC Tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 2 seed in the West region, they defeated Georgia State in the First Round before being upset by Nevada in the Second Round.

Offseason

Departing players

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Jacob Evans	1	G/F	6'6"	210	Junior	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Declared for NBA Draft; selected 28th overall by the Golden State Warriors[1]
Gary Clark	11	F	6'8"	225	Senior	Clayton, North Carolina	Graduated
Jackson Bart	14	F	6'5"	210	RS Sophomore	Bartlesville, Oklahoma	Walk-on; graduated
Kyle Washington	24	F	6'9"	230	RS Senior	Champlin, Minnesota	Graduated

On September 13, 2018 Associate Head Coach Larry Davis resigned before the start of the season. In October, Greg Youncofski was named as the third assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.

Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Logan Johnson PG	Mountain View, California	Saint Francis High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 68
Laquill Hardnett SF	Nottingham, Maryland	Perry Hall High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Feb 26, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Rashawn Fredricks SF	St. Croix, Virgin Islands	Motlow State Community College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Apr 21, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Prince Gillam Toyambi PF	Kinshasa, DR Congo	Fresno High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 31, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
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 2018 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-20. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-09-20.

Preseason

AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on October 15, 2018, with the Bearcats predicted to finish second in the AAC.[2]

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	UCF	114 (6)
2	Cincinnati	107 (3)
3	Houston	103 (2)
4	Memphis	85 (1)
5	UConn	75
6	Temple	74
7	SMU	63
8	Wichita State	60
9	Tulsa	48
10	Tulane	23
11	East Carolina	22
12	USF	18

Preseason Awards

American Athletic Conference[3]

• All-AAC First Team - Jarron Cumberland

Lindy's Sports[4]

• All-Conference First Team - Jarron Cumberland

Athlon Sports[5]

• All-AAC First Team - Jarron Cumberland

Street & Smith's[6]

• All-Conference - Jarron Cumberland
• All-Newcomer - Rashawn Fredricks

Roster

2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Logan Johnson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Saint Francis High School Mountain View, California G 2 Keith Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School Brooklyn, New York G 3 Justin Jenifer (C) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Milford Mill Academy Baltimore, Maryland G 5 Trevor Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So South Kent Prep Houston, Texas G/F 10 Rashawn Fredricks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Motlow State CC St. Croix, Virgin Islands F 11 LaQuill Hardnett  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Perry Hall High School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania F 13 Tre Scott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr McIntosh County Academy Darien, Georgia G 15 Cane Broome (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Sacred Heart East Hartford, Connecticut F 20 Mamoudou Diarra 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr 22ft Academy Bamako, Mali F/C 22 Eliel Nsoseme 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So The RISE Centre Academy Kinshasa, DR Congo F 24 Prince Gillam Toyambi  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Fresno High School Kinshasa, DR Congo G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Summit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio G 32 John Koz (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Bay High School Cleveland, Ohio C 33 Nysier Brooks 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Advanced Prep International Philadelphia, Pennsylvania G 34 Jarron Cumberland 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Wilmington High School Wilmington, Ohio	Head coach Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) Assistant coach(es) Darren Savino (New Jersey City) Antwon Jackson (Pikeville) Greg Youncofski (Kansas) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 29, 2018

Schedule and results

The Bearcats had a pre-season tour in Canada, playing three teams on the trip.[7] The Bearcats will reopen Fifth Third Arena against Ohio State on November 7, 2018.[8][9]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
August 5, 2018* 2:00pm		at Ottawa	W 85–57		18 – Williams	7 – Tied	4 – Jenifer	Jean de Brébeuf College  Montréal, Québec
August 6, 2018* 7:00pm		at Carleton	L 67–86		12 – Cumberland	8 – Nsoseme	2 – Tied	Ravens Nest Arena  Ottawa, Ontario
August 7, 2018* 5:30pm		at McGill	W 79–53		17 – Cumberland	5 – Tied	5 – Cumberland	Love Competition Hall (161) Montréal, Québec
November 1, 2018* 7:00pm		Tusculum	W 68–41		15 – Broome	10 – Scott	3 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (10,101) Cincinnati, OH
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 7, 2018* 6:00pm, ESPN2		Ohio State	L 56–64	0–1	22 – Cumberland	6 – Tied	5 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (12,012) Cincinnati, OH
November 13, 2018* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3		North Carolina Central Emerald Coast Classic First Round	W 73–51	1–1	15 – Williams	7 – Brooks	6 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (10,037) Cincinnati, OH
November 16, 2018* 7:00pm, ESPN3		Milwaukee	W 74–63	2–1	17 – Broome	10 – Tied	6 – Johnson	Fifth Third Arena (10,163) Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2018* 7:00pm, ESPN3		Western Michigan Emerald Coast Classic Second Round	W 78–52	3–1	27 – Cumberland	10 – Brooks	6 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (8,998) Cincinnati, OH
November 23, 2018* 7:00pm, CBSSN		vs. George Mason Emerald Coast Classic Semifinal	W 71–55	4–1	21 – Broome	8 – Scott	3 – Jenifer	The Arena at NWFSC (1,250) Niceville, FL
November 24, 2018* 7:00pm, CBSSN		vs. Ole Miss Emerald Coast Classic Championship	W 71–57	5–1	25 – Cumberland	9 – Scott	4 – Broome	The Arena at NWFSC (1,250) Niceville, FL
November 27, 2018* 7:00pm, FSOH		Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 105–49	6–1	13 – Jenifer	7 – Scott	6 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (8,513) Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2018* 6:00pm, CBSSN		at UNLV	W 65–61	7–1	15 – Williams	8 – Williams	6 – Jenifer	Thomas & Mack Center (9,572) Las Vegas, NV
December 4, 2018* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3		Northern Kentucky	W 78–65	8–1	22 – Scott	10 – Scott	5 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (11,218) Cincinnati, OH
December 8, 2018* 2:00pm, ESPN2		Xavier Crosstown Shootout	W 62–47	9–1	19 – Cumberland	10 – Scott	9 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (12,513) Cincinnati, OH
December 15, 2018* 8:30pm, SECN		at No. 18 Mississippi State	L 59–70	9–2	21 – Cumberland	8 – Brooks	4 – Jenifer	Humphrey Coliseum (9,120) Starkville, MS
December 19, 2018* 9:00pm, ESPN2		UCLA	W 93–64	10–2	25 – Cumberland	6 – Brooks	5 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (12,689) Cincinnati, OH
December 22, 2018* 2:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3		South Carolina State	W 77–56	11–2	17 – Brooks	8 – Brooks	5 – Jenifer	Fifth Third Arena (11,623) Cincinnati, OH
AAC Regular Season
January 2, 2019 6:30pm, CBSSN		Tulane	W 93–61	12–2 (1–0)	22 – Cumberland	7 – Cumberland	5 – Tied	Fifth Third Arena (10,689) Cincinnati, OH
January 5, 2019 1:00pm, CBSSN		at East Carolina	L 71–73	12–3 (1–1)	18 – Cumberland	9 – Scott	4 – Cumberland	Williams Arena (4,238) Greenville, NC
January 10, 2019 7:00pm, ESPN2		at Tulsa Thursday Night Showcase	W 70–65 ^OT	13–3 (2–1)	16 – Broome	9 – Scott	6 – Broome	Reynolds Center (4,342) Tulsa, OK
January 12, 2019 8:00pm, ESPN2		UConn Saturday Showcase	W 74–72 ^OT	14–3 (3–1)	22 – Cumberland	6 – Tied	7 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (11,375) Cincinnati, OH
January 15, 2019 7:00pm, ESPNews		South Florida	W 82–74	15–3 (4–1)	34 – Cumberland	6 – Brooks	5 – Broome	Fifth Third Arena (10,347) Cincinnati, OH
January 19, 2019 2:00pm, CBS		at Wichita State	W 66–55	16–3 (5–1)	18 – Cumberland	11 – Scott	2 – Cumberland	Charles Koch Arena (10,254) Wichita, KS
January 24, 2019 7:00pm, ESPN2		Tulsa Thursday Night Showcase	W 88–64	17–3 (6–1)	23 – Cumberland	11 – Scott	5 – Tied	Fifth Third Arena (10,484) Cincinnati, OH
January 27, 2019 12:00pm, CBSSN		at Temple	W 72–68	18–3 (7–1)	25 – Cumberland	8 – Cumberland	3 – Tied	Liacouras Center (6,652) Philadelphia, PA
February 2, 2019 8:00pm, CBSSN		SMU	W 73–68	19–3 (8–1)	24 – Cumberland	9 – Cumberland	5 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (12,256) Cincinnati, OH
February 7, 2019 7:00pm, ESPN2	No. 25	at Memphis Rivalry/Thursday Night Showcase	W 69–64	20–3 (9–1)	17 – Cumberland	9 – Scott	6 – Cumberland	FedEx Forum (16,363) Memphis, TN
February 10, 2019 4:00pm, ESPN	No. 25	at No. 12 Houston	L 58–65	20–4 (9–2)	27 – Cumberland	10 – Brooks	2 – Broome	Fertitta Center (7,039) Houston, TX
February 17, 2019 1:00pm, ESPN		Wichita State	W 72–62	21–4 (10–2)	27 – Cumberland	8 – Tied	5 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (12,223) Cincinnati, OH
February 21, 2019 7:00pm, ESPN2		UCF Thursday Night Showcase	W 60–55	22–4 (11–2)	12 – Tied	7 – Tied	6 – Cumberland	Fifth Third Arena (12,377) Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2019 2:00pm, ESPN		at UConn	W 64–60	23–4 (12–2)	12 – Williams	8 – Scott	4 – Cumberland	XL Center (11,904) Hartford, CT
February 27, 2019 9:00pm, CBSSN	No. 23	at SMU	W 52–49	24–4 (13–2)	12 – Cumberland	12 – Brooks	4 – Cumberland	Moody Coliseum (5,747) Dallas, TX
March 2, 2019 8:00pm, ESPNU	No. 23	Memphis Rivalry	W 71–69	25–4 (14–2)	26 – Cumberland	12 – Brooks	3 – Tied	Fifth Third Arena (12,392) Cincinnati, OH
March 7, 2019 7:00pm, ESPN2	No. 20	at No. 25 UCF Thursday Night Showcase	L 55–58	25–5 (14–3)	20 – Scott	9 – Scott	5 – Cumberland	CFE Arena (9,141) Orlando, FL
March 10, 2019 12:00pm, CBS	No. 20	No. 12 Houston	L 69–85	25–6 (14–4)	20 – Cumberland	8 – Scott	5 – Broome	Fifth Third Arena (12,701) Cincinnati, OH
AAC Tournament
March 15, 2019 7:00pm, ESPNU	(2) No. 24	vs. (10) SMU Quarterfinals	W 82–74	26–6	26 – Cumberland	12 – Scott	8 – Cumberland	FedExForum (7,356) Memphis, TN
March 16, 2019 5:00pm, ESPN2	(2) No. 24	vs. (6) Wichita State Semifinals	W 66–63	27–6	13 – Brooks	9 – Brooks	4 – Cumberland	FedExForum (7,819) Memphis, TN
March 17, 2019 3:15pm, ESPN	(2) No. 24	vs. (1) No. 11 Houston Championship	W 69–57	28–6	33 – Cumberland	8 – Tied	2 – Tied	FedExForum (7,223) Memphis, TN
NCAA Tournament
March 22, 2019* 12:15pm, CBS	(7 S) No. 22	vs. (10 S) Iowa First Round	L 72–79	28–7	19 – Jenifer	7 – Scott	4 – Cumberland	Nationwide Arena (19,641) Columbus, OH
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time.

Awards and milestones

All-American

• Honorable Mention: Jarron Cumberland

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

• Player of the Year: Jarron Cumberland

All-AAC First Team

• Jarron Cumberland

Player of the Week

• Week 3: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 7: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 10: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 11: Jarron Cumberland

Weekly Honor Roll

• Week 5: Trevon Scott
• Week 9: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 12: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 13: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 14: Jarron Cumberland
• Week 15: Cane Broome
• Week 16: Jarron Cumberland

AAC Tournament honors

AAC Tournament MVP

• Jarron Cumberland

All Tournament Team

• Jarron Cumberland
• Trevon Scott

Source[10]

Rankings

Main article: 2018–19 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	NR	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	23	20	24	22
Coaches	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	RV	RV	23	RV	25-T	22	19	23	24

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

1. "Reactions: Bearcats' Jacob Evans drafted in first round by Golden State Warriors". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
2. Groeschen, Tom. "Cincinnati Bearcats edged out for 1st place in AAC men's basketball Media Day poll". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
3. "Coaches Select UCF as Preseason Favorite". American Athletic Conference. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
4. "College Basketball". Lindy' Sports. 2018-19: 41.
5. "College Basketball". Athlon Sports. 2018-19: 76.
6. "College Basketball". Street & Smith's. 2018-19: 19.
7. "Men's Basketball to Visit Canada in August". GoBearcats.com. Sidearm Sports. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
8. "Three Home Dates Announced for 2018-19 Schedule". GoBearcats.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
9. "OHIO STATE, CINCINNATI TO START HOME-AND-HOME SERIES IN 2018-19". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
10. "American Athletic Conference Basketball Report" (PDF). American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 20, 2018.