2024–25 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2024–25 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represents the University of Cincinnati during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Bearcats, led by fourth-year head coach Wes Miller , play their home games at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference .
Previous season
The Bearcats finished the season 22–15 and 7–11 in Big 12 play to finish in 11th place in the conference standings, thus earning the 11th seed in the 2024 Big 12 Tournament. They defeated West Virginia , and Kansas in the Big 12 tournament before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals.[ 1]
The Bearcats were invited to play in the NIT , where they defeated San Francisco and Bradley before falling to Indiana State in the quarterfinals.[ 2]
Offseason
Coaching staff changes
Former assistant coach Josh Loeffler accepted the head coaching job at Loyola .[ 3] South Carolina assistant Tim Buckley was hired as an assistant coach.[ 4] Jake Thelen previously Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach accepted the head coaching job at Covington Catholic High School .[ 5] Former UC graduate assistant Jaylen Stowe who was an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at High Point was hired as an assistant coach.[ 6]
Departures
Due to COVID-19 , the NCAA ruled in October 2020 that the 2020–21 season would not count against the eligibility of any basketball player, thus giving all players the option to return in 2022–23.[ 7] Additionally, any players who have declared for the 2024 NBA draft —including seniors, who must opt into this year's draft—have the option to return if they make a timely withdrawal from the draft and end any pre-draft relationships with agents .
Incoming transfers
Recruiting classes
2024 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Tyler Betsey SF
Windsor, CT
St. Thomas More School
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Oct 6, 2023
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 87
Tyler McKinley PF
Cincinnati, OH
Winton Woods High School
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Nov 8, 2023
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 83
Halvine Dzellat PF /C
Loir-et-Cher, France
ADA Blois Basket 41
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Sep 11, 2024
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : 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:
2025 recruiting class
Preseason
Big 12 Preseason Poll
Big 12 Coaches
Points
1.
Kansas
215 (9)
2.
Houston
211 (5)
3.
Iowa State
194 (1)
4.
Baylor
185
5.
Arizona
179 (1)
6.
Cincinnati
140
7.
Texas Tech
135
8.
Kansas State
133
9.
BYU
116
10.
TCU
90
11.
UCF
83
12.
Arizona State
64
13.
West Virginia
62
14.
Oklahoma State
46
15.
Colorado
37
16.
Utah
30
Reference: [ 16] (#) first-place votes
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team
First Team
Second Team
Player
School
Norchad Omier
Baylor
Jeremy Roach
Keshon Gilbert
Iowa State
Dajuan Harris Jr
Kansas
Coleman Hawkins
Kansas State
† denotes unanimous selectionReference:[ 16]
Roster
2024–25 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
Daniel Skillings
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Jr
Roman Catholic High School
Blackwood, NJ
G
1
Day Day Thomas
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Sr
Kilgore College
Columbia, SC
G
2
Jizzle James
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
So
Olympia High School
Orlando, FL
G/F
3
Rayvon Griffith
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
RS Fr
AZ Compass Prep School
Cincinnati, OH
G
5
CJ Fredrick
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
GS
Kentucky
Cincinnati, OH
G
8
Connor Hickman
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Sr
Bradley
Bloomington, IN
G
10
Josh Reed
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Jr
Pace Academy
Atlanta, GA
G
11
CJ Anthony (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Sr
Putnam Science Academy
Columbus, OH
F
14
Tyler Betsey
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Fr
St. Thomas More School
Windsor, CT
G
20
JJ Rembert (W)
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
Fr
Nation Ford High School
Queens, NY
F
22
Arrinten Page
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
So
USC
Atlanta, GA
F
23
Dillon Mitchell
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Jr
Texas
Tampa, FL
F
24
Tyler McKinley
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
Fr
Winton Woods High School
Cincinnati, OH
G/F
41
Simas Lukošius
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Sr
Butler
Kaunas, Lithuania
C
55
Aziz Bandaogo
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
GS
Utah Valley
Dakar, Senegal
F/C
65
Halvine Dzellat
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Fr
ADA Blois Basket 41
Loir-et-Cher, France
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster Last update: October 8, 2024
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 18, 2024 7:00 p.m.
No. 20
Ohio State CareSource Exhibition Game for Mental Health[ 17]
W 80–62
–
12 –
7 – Mitchell
6 – Thomas
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
Regular season
November 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 20
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
W 109–54
1–0
20 – Lukošius
11 – Skillings
10 – James
Fifth Third Arena (10,290)Cincinnati, OH
November 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 20
Morehead State
W 83–56
2–0
14 –
9 – Mitchell
6 – Lukošius
Fifth Third Arena (10,604)Cincinnati, OH
November 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 17
Nicholls Twyman-Stokes Classic[ 18]
W 86–49
3–0
19 –
9 – Mitchell
6 – Lukošius
Fifth Third Arena (10,485)Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., FDSNOH
No. 18
at Northern Kentucky Twyman-Stokes Classic
W 76–60
4–0
18 – Lukošius
6 – Mitchell
6 – James
Truist Arena (7,485)Highland Heights, KY
November 23, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCNX /ESPN+
No. 18
at Georgia Tech
W 81–58
5–0
14 –
11 – Mitchell
7 – James
McCamish Pavilion (4,970)Atlanta, GA
November 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 16
Alabama State
W 77–59
6–0
16 – Lukošius
9 – Bandaogo
5 – James
Fifth Third Arena (10,970)Cincinnati, OH
December 3, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1
No. 14
at Villanova Big East–Big 12 Battle
L 60–68
6–1
19 – James
5 –
5 – James
Finneran Pavilion (6,501)Villanova, PA
December 8, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 14
Howard
W 84–67
7–1
18 – Lukošius
8 – Page
4 – Lukošius
Fifth Third Arena (10,913)Cincinnati, OH
December 14, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 22
Xavier Crosstown Shootout
W 68–65
8–1
14 – Lukošius
10 – Mitchell
5 – James
Fifth Third Arena (12,513)Cincinnati, OH
December 20, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 19
vs. No. 22 Dayton Simple Truth Hoops Classic presented by CareSource now
W 66–59
9–1
17 – Skillings Jr.
7 – Mitchell
3 – James
Heritage Bank Center (15,107)Cincinnati, OH
December 22, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19
Grambling State
W 84–49
10–1
15 – Bandaogo
7 – Mitchell
8 – James
Fifth Third Arena (11,175)Cincinnati, OH
Big 12 regular season
December 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN
No. 16
at Kansas State
L 66–70
10–2 (0–1)
15 – Mitchell
11 – Mitchell
4 – James
Bramlage Coliseum (9,970)Manhattan, KS
January 4, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 16
Arizona
L 67–72
10–3 (0–2)
18 – Skillings Jr.
9 – Bandaogo
5 – James
Fifth Third Arena (11,212)Cincinnati, OH
January 7, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Baylor
L 48–68
10–4 (0–3)
18 – Skillings Jr.
5 – James
5 – Lukošius
Foster Pavilion (7,500)Waco, TX
January 11, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 11 Kansas
L 40–54
10–5 (0–4)
10 – Mitchell
8 – Bandaogo
3 – Lukošius
Fifth Third Arena (12,003)Cincinnati, OH
January 15, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Colorado
W 68–62
11–5 (1–4)
16 – Lukošius
10 – Bandaogo
2 –
CU Events Center (6,576)Boulder, CO
January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., CBSSN
Arizona State
W 67–60
12–5 (2–4)
14 – Mitchell
9 – Bandaogo
4 – Thomas
Fifth Third Arena (11,090)Cincinnati, OH
January 21, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Texas Tech
L 71–81
12–6 (2–5)
17 – James
5 – Skillings Jr.
3 –
Fifth Third Arena (10,790)Cincinnati, OH
January 25, 2025 10:30 p.m., ESPN2
at BYU
L 52–80
12–7 (2–6)
14 – Lukošius
5 – Mitchell
5 – James
Marriott Center (17,483)Provo, UT
January 28, 2025 10:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Utah
L 66–69
12–8 (2–7)
18 – James
6 – Mitchell
4 –
Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,570)Salt Lake City, UT
February 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
West Virginia rivalry
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
February 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at UCF
Addition Financial Arena Orlando, FL
February 8, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2
BYU
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Utah
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
February 15, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
at Iowa State
Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA
February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
at West Virginia rivalry
WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV
February 22, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
TCU
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
February 25, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Baylor
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
March 1, 2025 4:30 p.m., CBS
at Houston
Fertitta Center Houston, TX
March 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kansas State
Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH
March 8, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Oklahoma State
Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, OK
Big 12 tournament
March 11–15, 2025 TBA
vs.
T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
Source[ 19] [ 20]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received 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 20 17 18 16 14 22 19 17 16 RV RV RV — Coaches 20 17 16 14 14 23 20 17 17 RV — — —
References
^ "Cincinnati's Big 12 Championships Run Ends in Quarterfinals" . gobearcats.com . March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024 .
^ "Bearcats Fall Short in Quarterfinals to Indiana State, 85-81" . gobearcats.com . March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024 .
^ "Josh Loeffler Named Men's Basketball Coach at Loyola" . LoyolaGreyHounds.com . Loyola University Maryland. March 30, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024 .
^ "Tim Buckley Joins Men's Basketball Staff as Assistant Coach" . gobearcats.com . University of Cincinnati. June 3, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024 .
^ Dyer, Mike (June 7, 2024). "Covington Catholic High School names Jake Thelen as its new basketball coach" . WCPO.com . WCPO. Retrieved October 14, 2024 .
^ "Men's Basketball Welcomes Back Stowe As Assistant Coach" . gobearcats.com . University of Cincinnati. July 1, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024 .
^ "DI Council extends eligibility for winter sport student-athletes" (Press release). NCAA. October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2024 .
^ Smith, Kaiden (April 2, 2024). "Cincinnati center Viktor Lakhin enters NCAA transfer portal" . on3.com . Retrieved April 3, 2024 .
^ Heltman, Russ. "Former Cincinnati Bearcats Forward Viktor Lakhin Transferring to ACC School" . si.com . Retrieved April 18, 2024 .
^ Rapien, James (April 4, 2024). "Cincinnati Bearcats Forward Jamille Reynolds Transferring to American Athletic Conference School" . si.com . Retrieved April 4, 2024 .
^ Heltman, Russ. "Cincinnati Forward Entering Transfer Portal" . si.com . Retrieved April 18, 2024 .
^ @@Knickoson42 (April 24, 2024). "Former #Bearcats center Sage Tolentino has committed to UNC Asheville, he announced on Instagram" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ Heltman, Russ. "Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Lands Commitment From USC Center" . si.com . Retrieved April 21, 2024 .
^ Heltman, Russ. "Bradley Transfer Guard Commits to Cincinnati" . si.com . Retrieved April 21, 2024 .
^ Knickoson, Keegan. "Texas F Dillon Mitchell will transfer to UC" . 247sports.com . Retrieved May 21, 2024 .
^ a b c "Kansas Selected As Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite, KU's Dickinson Named Preseason Player of the Year" . Big12sports.com . Big 12 Conference. October 10, 2024.
^ "CareSource Announces Exhibition Games for Mental Health" . CareSource .
^ "Twyman-Stokes Classic Set for Nov. 15 Against Nicholls" . GoBearcats.com . University of Cincinnati Athletics. October 28, 2024.
^ "Wildcats to Host Cincinnati in Big 12-BIG EAST Battle" . villanova.com . Retrieved April 29, 2024 .
^ Heltman, Russ. "Report: Cincinnati Finalizing Another Matchup Against Dayton" . si.com . Retrieved May 3, 2024 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics