2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record18–15 (7–11 American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Andre Morgan (1st season)
  • Chad Dollar (1st season)
  • Mike Roberts (1st season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
Seasons
2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Houston † 15 – 3   .833 32 – 6   .842
SMU 13 – 4   .765 24 – 9   .727
Memphis 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
Temple 10 – 7   .588 17 – 12   .586
Tulane 10 – 8   .556 14 – 15   .483
UCF 9 – 9   .500 18 – 12   .600
Wichita State 6 – 9   .400 15 – 13   .536
Cincinnati 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
East Carolina 6 – 11   .353 15 – 15   .500
Tulsa 4 – 14   .222 11 – 20   .355
South Florida 3 – 15   .167 8 – 23   .258
† 2022 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head coach Wes Miller. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in AAC play to finish in seventh place.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bearcats finished the 2019–20 season 12–11, 8–6 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated SMU and Wichita State in the AAC tournament before losing to Houston in the championship game.[1] The season was the first time since 2010 that the Bearcats did not make the NCAA tournament.

On April 3, 2021, the school placed head coach John Brannen on paid leave pending an investigation after six Bearcats players decided to transfer following the season.[2] A week later, the school fired Brannen following an investigation into his conduct.[3][4] On April 14, the school named UNC Greensboro head coach Wes Miller the team's new head coach.[5][6]

Offseason

Two days after the conference tournament championship, the Bearcats saw six players enter the transfer portal.[7] On March 26, Athletic Director John Cunningham announced the university would begin investigating allegations against the program.[8] On April 3, it was announced that head coach John Brannen was placed on indefinite leave.[9] On April 9, the school announced Brannen had been relieved of his duties effective immediately along with assistants Jayson Gee and Sean Dwyer. Tim Morris was announced as the interim head coach.[10] In the next few days, both Mike Saunders Jr.[11] and Mason Madsen[12] withdrew from the transfer portal after Miller's hiring.

Departures

Cincinnati Departing Players
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes[a]
Zach Harvey 1 G 6'5" 195 Sophomore Topeka, KS Transferred to UCSB[13]
Keith Williams 2 G 6'5" 215 Senior Brooklyn, NY Graduated; transferred[14] to Western Kentucky[15]
Tari Eason 13 F 6'8" 215 Freshman Seattle, WA Transferred to LSU[16]
Mamoudou Diarra 20 F 6'9" 225 Redshirt Junior Bamako, Mali Graduated; transferred to Tennessee Tech[17]
Rapolas Ivanauskas 25 F 6'10" 235 Graduate Student Barrington, IL Left team (mid-season)[18]
Chris Vogt 33 C 7'1" 260 Senior Mayfield, KY Graduated; transferred to Wisconsin[19]
Adam Cook 44 F 6'6" 180 Senior Marysville, OH Walk–on; graduated
Gabe Madsen 55 G 6'5" 195 Freshman Rochester, MN Transferred to Utah[20]
  1. ^ Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any player in any sport held during the organization's winter season, including basketball. This meant that all players had the option to return for 2021–22.

Incoming transfers

Cincinnati Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Abdul Ado 00 F 6'11" 255 Graduate Student Lagos, Nigeria Transferred from Mississippi State after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[21]
A. J. McGinnis 2 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore Huntsville, AL Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[22]
John Newman III 15 G 6'5" 205 Senior Greensboro, NC Transferred from Clemson. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[23]
Hayden Koval 25 C 7'1" 220 Graduate Student Prosper, TX Transferred from UNC Greensboro after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[24]
Jarrett Hensley 32 F 6'8" 205 Sophomore Merriam, KS Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[25]
Ody Oguama 33 F 6'9" 225 Junior Raleigh, NC Transferred from Wake Forest. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[26]

Recruiting classes

2021 recruiting class

There was no 2021 recruiting class.

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Sage Tolentino
C 		Honolulu, HI Hamilton High School (OH) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jul 15, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Daniel Skillings
SG 		Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 23, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Josh Reed
SF 		Atlanta, GA Pace Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 1, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  • "2022 Cincinnati Bearcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[27]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 98 (8)
2 Memphis 92 (3)
3 SMU 77
4 Wichita State 76
5 UCF 66
6 Cincinnati 52
7 Tulsa 43
8 Temple 37
T-9 South Florida 25
T-9 Tulane 25
11 East Carolina 14

Preseason Awards

  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Jeremiah Davenport

Roster

2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 00 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) GS Mississippi State Lagos, Nigeria
G 2 A. J. McGinnis Injured 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So UNC Greensboro Huntsville, Alabama
G 3 Mike Saunders Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Wasatch Academy Indianapolis, Indiana
G 5 David DeJulius 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Michigan Detroit, Michigan
G 11 CJ Anthony (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Putnam Science Academy Columbus, Ohio
G/F 15 John Newman III 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Clemson Greensboro, North Carolina
G 23 Mika Adams-Woods 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr New Hampton School Syracuse, New York
G 24 Jeremiah Davenport 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Hargrave Military Academy Cincinnati, Ohio
C 25 Hayden Koval 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS UNC Greensboro Prosper, Texas
F 30 Viktor Lakhin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Fr CSKA–2 Anapa, Russia
G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Summit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
F 32 Jarrett Hensley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So UNC Greensboro Merriam, Kansas
F 33 Ody Oguama 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Wake Forest Raleigh, North Carolina
F 43 Rob Banks Injured 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Gould Academy Bracknell, England
G 45 Mason Madsen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Mayo High School Rochester, Minnesota
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 15, 2021

Schedule and results

The Bearcats game vs Texas Southern scheduled for December 18, 2021 was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers program.[28] The Bearcats replaced the Texas Southern game with a game against Division II Ashland.[29]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Evansville W 65–43  1–0
  11 – Davenport   8 – Davenport   7 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (10,024)
Cincinnati, OH
November 13, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Georgia W 73–68  2–0
  11 – Tied   7 – Tied   5 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (10,672)
Cincinnati, OH
November 16, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Alabama A&M W 89–66  3–0
  21 – DeJulius   8 – Oguama   5 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (9,816)
Cincinnati, OH
November 18, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Presbyterian W 79–45  4–0
  16 –  Davenport   6 –  Adams-Woods   5 –  Madsen  Fifth Third Arena (9,749)
Cincinnati, OH
November 22, 2021*
6:30 p.m., ESPNews 		vs. No. 14 Illinois
Hall of Fame Classic semifinals 		W 71–51  5–0
  20 – Saunders   8 – Lakhin   2 – Tied  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 23, 2021*
9:30 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 13 Arkansas
Hall of Fame Classic Championship 		L 67–73  5–1
  24 – DeJulius   10 – Oguama   5 – Saunders  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 27, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Monmouth L 59–61  5–2
  13 – DeJulius   6 – Oguama   5 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (8,262)
Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Miami (OH) W 59–58  6–2
  14 – Tied   11 – Ado   5 – Adams-Woods  Millett Hall (7,285)
Oxford, OH
December 5, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bryant W 73–58  7–2
  16 – DeJulius   11 – Lakhin   4 – 2 tied  Fifth Third Arena (7,924)
Cincinnati, OH
December 11, 2021*
8:30 p.m., FS1 		at Xavier
Crosstown Shootout 		L 63–83  7–3
  14 – Newman III   6 – Lakhin   5 – Saunders  Cintas Center (10,707)
Cincinnati, OH
December 14, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Florida A&M W 77–50  8–3
  16 – Davenport   8 – Tied   6 – Saunders  Fifth Third Arena (7,701)
Cincinnati, OH
December 18, 2021*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ashland W 71–57  9–3
  24 – Dejulius   6 – Newman III   3 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (7,622)
Cincinnati, OH
December 21, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tennessee Tech W 76–67  10–3
  15 – Saunders   7 – Davenport   4 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (10,028)
Cincinnati, OH
AAC Regular Season
January 1, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane L 60–68  10–4
(0–1) 		 19 – Davenport   10 – Davenport   3 – Tied  Fifth Third Arena (7,922)
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2022
9:30 p.m., ESPN 		SMU W 77–60  11–4
(1–1) 		 22 – DeJulius   10 – Oguama   7 – Saunders Jr.  Fifth Third Arena (7,978)
Cincinnati, OH
January 9, 2022
3:30 p.m., ABC 		at Memphis
Rivalry 		L 80–87  11–5
(1–2) 		 21 – Davenport   6 – Davenport   6 – Adams-Woods  FedExForum (14,502)
Memphis, TN
January 12, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina W 79–71  12–5
(2–2) 		 22 – Davenport   6 – Tied   8 – Saunders Jr.  Fifth Third Arena (7,911)
Cincinnati, OH
January 16, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Wichita State W 61–57  13–5
(3–2) 		 18 – DeJulius   6 – Adams-Woods   3 – Davenport  Charles Koch Arena (8,439)
Wichita, KS
January 20, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa W 90–69  14–5
(4–2) 		 24 – Davenport   7 – Oguama   7 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (9,033)
Cincinnati, OH
January 25, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Temple L 58–61  14–6
(4–3) 		 15 – DeJulius   9 – Newman III   3 – Saunders Jr.  Liacouras Center (4,752)
Philadelphia, PA
January 30, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at East Carolina W 60–59  15–6
(5–3) 		 21 – Adams-Woods   6 – Ado   2 – Tied  Williams Arena (3,834)
Greenville, NC
February 6, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 6 Houston L 58–80  15–7
(5–4) 		 25 – DeJulius   5 – Oguama   4 – Saunders  Fifth Third Arena (11,742)
Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Florida W 70–59  16–7
(6–4) 		 24 – DeJulius   8 – Ado   3 – Adams-Woods  Yuengling Center (2,011)
Tampa, FL
February 12, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulsa L 77–83  16–8
(6–5) 		 23 – DeJulius   9 – Davenport   3 – DeJulius  Reynolds Center (3,405)
Tulsa, OK
February 15, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Memphis
Previously scheduled for Feb. 3rd 		L 74–81  16–9
(6–6) 		 20 – Davenport   11 – Davenport   4 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (12,012)
Cincinnati, OH
February 17, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Wichita State W 85–76  17–9
(7–6) 		 17 – DeJulius   6 – Adams-Woods   6 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena (9,655)
Cincinnati, OH
February 20, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Temple L 71–75  17–10
(7–7) 		 24 – Davenport   6 – Newman III   5 – Adams-Woods  Fifth Third Arena (9,122)
Cincinnati, OH
February 23, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at UCF L 61–75  17–11
(7–8) 		 16 – DeJulius   12 – Davenport   4 – Newman III  Addition Financial Arena (5,102)
Orlando, FL
February 26, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Florida L 54–56  17–12
(7–9) 		 11 – Newman III   8 – Newman III   4 – DeJulius  Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
March 1, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at No. 14 Houston
Previously scheduled for Dec. 28th 		L 53–71  17–13
(7–10) 		 14 – Saunders   7 – Newman III   4 – DeJulius  Fertitta Center (7,598)
Houston, TX
March 3, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at SMU L 71–76  17–14
(7–11) 		 21 – DeJulius   7 – Davenport   4 – DeJulius  Moody Coliseum (4,261)
University Park, TX
AAC Tournament
March 10, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(8) vs. (9) East Carolina
First round 		W 74–63  18–14
  22 – DeJulius   8 – Newman III   5 – Newman III  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 11, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(8) vs. (1) No. 18 Houston
Quarterfinals 		L 56–69  18–15
  13 – Tied   5 – Tied   4 – Tied  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[30][31]

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Third Team

References

  1. ^ "UC Loses to Houston, 91-54, will not play in NCAA Tournament for first time since 2010". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "Cincinnati coach Brannen on leave amid inquiry". ESPN.com. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Cincy fires Brannen after investigation of program". ESPN.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Jackson, Wilton. "Cincinnati Fires Men's Basketball Coach John Brannen". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "Cincinnati hires Wes Miller as new hoops coach". ESPN.com. April 15, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "Wes Miller Named Men's Basketball Head Coach". GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Williams, Justin (March 18, 2021). "The rift with Cincinnati Bearcats coach John Brannen that led to a mass exodus of basketball players". The Athletic.
  8. ^ "UC reviewing allegations against men's basketball program after 6 players enter transfer portal". wlwt.com. WLWT. March 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen on leave amid investigation". espn.com. ESPN. April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Men's Basketball Coaching Change Announced". GoBearcats.com. sidearmsports. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Saunders Jr., Mike [@icemikeg3] (April 16, 2021). "#RunItBack" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Madson, Mason [@masmadsen] (April 17, 2021). "Ready to finish what I started, let's get it! #Bearcat4L" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Harvey, Zach [@zachxharvey] (April 9, 2021). "Back to the west side #Committed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (June 29, 2021). "Cincinnati's Keith Williams has entered the transfer portal, the portal told @Stadium" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Hilltoppers Add Cincinnati Transfer Keith Williams". wkusports.com. WKU Athletics. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  16. ^ Eason, Tari [@TAR13ASON] (April 20, 2021). "For Grandpa #Bootup" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ @TTU_Basketball (April 28, 2021). "Welcome to Cookeville @the_dou20. Originally from Bamako, Mali...Mamoudou comes to Tech via transfer from the University of Cincinnati. #WingsUp" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Williams, Justin [@Williams_Justin] (December 30, 2020). "NEWS: #Bearcats head coach John Brannen confirms the roster rumors on his radio show. Junior forward Mamoudou Diarra is back with the program after a brief opt out. Senior graduate transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas is no longer with the team and has elected to opt out this season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Wisconsin basketball recruiting: UW lands grad transfer from Cincinnati". SB Nation. May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Madsen, Gabe [@GabeMadsen53] (April 2, 2021). "#GoUtes" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Williams, Justin [@Williams_Justin] (May 18, 2021). "#Bearcats MBB lands a transfer commit from Miss St. big man Abdul Ado. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center is a grad transfer with one year of eligibility" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ McGinnis, A.J. [@TheAJM2] (April 27, 2021). "Let's run it back #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Newman III, John [@_JayRock15] (April 20, 2021). "LETS GET IT CINCY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Koval, Hayden [@Hayden_Koval] (April 22, 2021). "Slight change of plans! #GoBearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Hensley, Jarrett [@_jarretthensley] (April 23, 2021). "Thank you UNCG #Gobearcats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Oguama, Ody [@odyoguama] (May 12, 2021). "The Next Chapter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  28. ^ Jenkins, Keith. "UC home game against Texas Southern canceled due to COVID-19 issues within TSU program". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  29. ^ "Schedule Update: MBB to Host Ashland Saturday at 1 p.m." GoBearcats.com. University of Cincinnati Athletics. December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  30. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gobearcats.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  31. ^ "2021-22 Cincinnati Bearcats Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.