2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
APNo. 22
Record28–7 (14–4 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Darren Savino (9th season)
  • Antwon Jackson (6th season)
  • Greg Youncofski (1st season)
Home arenaFifth Third Arena
Seasons
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


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.

Previous season

[edit]

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

[edit]

Departing players

[edit]
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

[edit]
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:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    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:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    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:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    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: ScoutN/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/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 September 20, 2017.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

Preseason

[edit]

AAC media poll

[edit]

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

[edit]

American Athletic Conference[3]

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

[edit]
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 Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Perry Hall High School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 13 Trevon 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 Current redshirt 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
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster
Last update: September 29, 2018

Depth chart

[edit]
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Nysier Brooks Eliel Nsoseme
PF Trevon Scott Mamoudou Diarra
SF Jarron Cumberland Rashawn Fredricks John Koz
SG Keith Williams Trevor Moore Sam Martin
PG Justin Jenifer Cane Broome Logan Johnson

Source[7]

Schedule and results

[edit]

The Bearcats had a pre-season tour in Canada, playing three teams on the trip.[8] The Bearcats will reopen Fifth Third Arena against Ohio State on November 7, 2018.[9][10]

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

[edit]
  • Honorable Mention: Jarron Cumberland

American Athletic Conference honors

[edit]

All-AAC Awards

[edit]

All-AAC First Team

[edit]
  • Jarron Cumberland

Player of the Week

[edit]
  • Week 3: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 7: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 10: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 11: Jarron Cumberland

Weekly Honor Roll

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]

AAC Tournament MVP

[edit]
  • Jarron Cumberland

All Tournament Team

[edit]
  • Jarron Cumberland
  • Trevon Scott

Source[11]

Rankings

[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV25RVRV23202422
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV23RV25-T22192324

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Reactions: Bearcats' Jacob Evans drafted in first round by Golden State Warriors". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Groeschen, Tom. "Cincinnati Bearcats edged out for 1st place in AAC men's basketball Media Day poll". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved October 15, 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. ^ "2018-19 Cincinnati Bearcats Roster and Stats".
  8. ^ "Men's Basketball to Visit Canada in August". GoBearcats.com. Sidearm Sports. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Three Home Dates Announced for 2018-19 Schedule". GoBearcats.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "OHIO STATE, CINCINNATI TO START HOME-AND-HOME SERIES IN 2018-19". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "American Athletic Conference Basketball Report" (PDF). American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 20, 2018.