2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games at the BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky due to renovations at their home arena, Fifth Third Arena.[1] The Bearcats were led by 12th-year head coach Mick Cronin and are members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the 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 South region, they defeated Georgia State in the First Round before being upset by Nevada in the Second Round. In their loss to Nevada, they were up 22 before losing 75-73, tying the second largest comeback in terms of deficit in NCAA Tournament history, the other being in the 2001 Final Four where 3 seed Maryland was up 22 to eventual champion and former ACC rival Duke before losing 95-84. The largest was in the 2012 first four when 14 seed Iona was up 25 to BYU before losing 78-72.

2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 6
Record31–5 (16–2 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Larry Davis (12th season)
  • Antwon Jackson (6th season)
  • Darren Savino (8th season)
Home arenaBB&T Arena
2017–18 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 6 Cincinnati †16–2 .88931–5  .861
No. 21 Houston14–4 .77827–8  .771
No. 16 Wichita State14–4 .77825–8  .758
Tulsa12–6 .66719–12  .613
Memphis10–8 .55621–13  .618
UCF9–9 .50019–13  .594
Temple8–10 .44417–16  .515
UConn7–11 .38914–18  .438
SMU6–12 .33317–16  .515
Tulane5–13 .27814–17  .452
East Carolina4–14 .22210–20  .333
South Florida3–15 .16710–22  .313
† 2018 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2016–17 season 30–6, 16–2 to finish in second place in AAC play. They beat Tulsa[2] and UConn[3] in the AAC tournament before losing to SMU in the championship game.[4] The Bearcats received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. In the NCAA Tournament, they defeated No. 11 Kansas State in the First Round 75–61[5] before losing to No. 3 UCLA 79–67 in the Second Round.[6]

Offseason

Departing players
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Troy Caupain10G6'4"210SeniorMidlothian, VirginiaGraduated
Kevin Johnson25G6'3"185SeniorCincinnati, OhioGraduated
Zack Tobler45F6'5"225SeniorFort Mitchell, KentuckyWalk-on; graduated
Quadri Moore0F6'8"230JuniorLinden, New JerseyTransferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State[7][8]

Recruiting class of 2017
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Trevor Moore
SG		 Houston, Texas South Kent Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jun 29, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 79
Eliel Nsoseme
C		 Kinshasa, DR Congo The RISE Centre Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Keith Williams
SG		 Brooklyn, New York Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Mamoudou Diarra
SF		 Bamako, Mali 22ft Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 28, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: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 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

Cincinnati will also add Preferred Walk-on Sam Martin a 5'10" PG from Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio.[9]

Preseason

At the conference's annual media day, the Bearcats were narrowly picked to win the AAC receiving seven of the 12 first-place votes.[10] Gary Clark, Jacob Evans, and Kyle Washington were named to the preseason All-AAC second team.[10]

Roster
2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G/F 1 Jacob Evans 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrSt. Michael the Archangel High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G 2 Keith Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrBishop Loughlin Memorial High School Brooklyn, New York
G 3 Justin Jenifer 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrMilford Mill Academy Baltimore, Maryland
G 5 Trevor Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrSouth Kent Prep Houston, Texas
F 11 Gary Clark (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrClayton High School Clayton, North Carolina
F 13 Trevon Scott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoMcIntosh County Academy Darien, Georgia
F 14 Jackson Bart (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS SoOral Roberts Bartlesville, Oklahoma
G 15 Cane Broome 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) JrSacred Heart East Hartford, Connecticut
F 20 Mamoudou Diarra Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)205 lb (93 kg) Fr22ft Academy Bamako, Mali
C 22 Eliel Nsoseme 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrThe RISE Centre Academy Kinshasa, DR Congo
F 24 Kyle Washington (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SrNC State Champlin, Minnesota
G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)155 lb (70 kg) FrSummit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
G 32 John Koz (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoBay High School Cleveland, Ohio
C 33 Nysier Brooks 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoAdvanced Prep International Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
G 34 Jarron Cumberland 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)218 lb (99 kg) SoWilmington High School Wilmington, Ohio
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 30, 2017

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Kyle Washington Nysier Brooks Eliel Nsoseme
PF Gary Clark Trevon Scott Mamoudou Diarra
SF Jacob Evans Keith Williams Jackson Bart
SG Jarron Cumberland Trevor Moore John Koz
PG Justin Jenifer Cane Broome Sam Martin

Source[11]

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2017*
7:00pm		 No. 12 vs. Bellarmine W 89–61 
 15 – Washington  5 – 3 tied  4 – Broome  Freedom Hall (4,135)
Louisville, KY
November 5, 2017*
2:00pm, BearcatsTV		 No. 12 Embry-Riddle W 101–68 
 27 – Cumberland  8 – Clark  9 – Jenifer  BB&T Arena (3,589)
Highland Heights, KY
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017*
12:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3		 No. 12 Savannah State W 107–77  1–0
  19 – Evans  11 – Clark  5 – 3 tied  BB&T Arena (6,610)
Highland Heights, KY
November 13, 2017*
7:00pm, ESPN3		 No. 12 Western Carolina W 102–51  2–0
  20 – Cumberland  8 – Brooks  6 – Evans  BB&T Arena (7,051)
Highland Heights, KY
November 16, 2017*
7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3		 No. 12 Coppin State W 97–54  3–0
  19 – Cumberland  9 – Tied  4 – Evans  BB&T Arena (7,158)
Highland Heights, KY
November 20, 2017*
7:30pm, FloHoops.com		 No. 12 vs. Buffalo
Cayman Islands Classic Quarterfinals		 W 73–67  4–0
  24 – Clark  14 – Clark  5 – Jenifer  John Gray Gymnasium (1,200)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 21, 2017*
7:30pm		 No. 12 vs. Richmond
Cayman Islands Classic Semifinals		 W 75–48  5–0
  13 – Broome  8 – Tied  7 – Clark  John Gray Gymnasium (1,400)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 22, 2017*
7:30pm		 No. 12 vs. Wyoming
Cayman Islands Classic Championship		 W 78–53  6–0
  17 – Clark  11 – Washington  5 – Evans  John Gray Gymnasium (1,530)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 27, 2017*
7:00pm, ESPNU		 No. 11 Alabama State W 83–51  7–0
  14 – Clark  7 – Tied  4 – Tied  BB&T Arena (7,012)
Highland Heights, KY
December 2, 2017*
12:00pm, FS1		 No. 11 at No. 21 Xavier
Crosstown Shootout		 L 76–89  7–1
  23 – Evans  7 – Tied  4 – Jenifer  Cintas Center (10,817)
Cincinnati, OH
December 9, 2017*
6:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 vs. No. 5 Florida
Never Forget Tribute Classic		 L 60–66  7–2
  15 – Broome  13 – Clark  2 – Cumberland  Prudential Center (9,112)
Newark, NJ
December 12, 2017*
7:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 25 Mississippi State W 66–50  8–2
  24 – Evans  13 – Clark  4 – Tied  BB&T Arena (8,128)
Highland Heights, KY
December 16, 2017*
3:30pm, CBS		 No. 25 at UCLA W 77–63  9–2
  19 – Washington  11 – Clark  5 – Cumberland  Pauley Pavilion (10,018)
Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2017*
7:00pm, ESPN3		 No. 20 Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 77–49  10–2
  17 – Broome  7 – Evans  3 – 3 tied  BB&T Arena (5,812)
Highland Heights, KY
December 21, 2017*
7:00pm, ESPN3		 No. 20 Cleveland State W 81–62  11–2
  18 – Clark  9 – Washington  7 – Jenifer  BB&T Arena (7,988)
Highland Heights, KY
AAC Regular Season
December 31, 2017
4:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 21 Memphis
Rivalry		 W 82–48  12–2
(1–0)		  15 – Cumberland  10 – Clark  6 – Evans  BB&T Arena (8,143)
Highland Heights, KY
January 4, 2018
9:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 19 at Temple W 55–53  13–2
(2–0)		  18 – Washington  7 – Brooks  4 – Evans  Liacouras Center (4,274)
Philadelphia, PA
January 7, 2018
6:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 19 SMU W 76–56  14–2
(3–0)		  18 – Tied  8 – Tied  4 – 3 tied  BB&T Arena (9,109)
Highland Heights, KY
January 13, 2018
7:00pm, ESPNews		 No. 14 at South Florida W 78–55  15–2
(4–0)		  18 – Cumberland  10 – Clark  4 – Tied  USF Sun Dome (3,609)
Tampa, FL
January 16, 2018
7:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 12 at UCF W 49–38  16–2
(5–0)		  17 – Clark  14 – Clark  3 – Cumberland  CFE Arena (7,565)
Orlando, FL
January 20, 2018
4:00pm, ESPNews		 No. 12 East Carolina W 86–60  17–2
(6–0)		  17 – Tied  14 – Clark  6 – Broome  BB&T Arena (8,879)
Highland Heights, KY
January 24, 2018
9:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 9 Temple W 75–42  18–2
(7–0)		  17 – Clark  10 – Clark  5 – Evans  BB&T Arena (8,924)
Highland Heights, KY
January 27, 2018
6:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 9 at Memphis
Rivalry		 W 62–48  19–2
(8–0)		  18 – Clark  10 – Washington  6 – Broome  FedEx Forum (12,223)
Memphis, TN
January 31, 2018
7:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 8 Houston W 80–70  20–2
(9–0)		  19 – Washington  10 – Clark  5 – Evans  BB&T Arena (8,885)
Highland Heights, KY
February 3, 2018
12:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 8 at UConn W 65–57  21–2
(10–0)		  19 – Evans  11 – Washington  3 – Tied  Gampel Pavilion (9,170)
Storrs, CT
February 6, 2018
7:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 6 UCF W 77–40  22–2
(11–0)		  14 – Moore  8 – Scott  5 – Broome  BB&T Arena (8,673)
Highland Heights, KY
February 11, 2018
4:00pm, ESPN		 No. 6 at SMU W 76–51  23–2
(12–0)		  17 – Washington  8 – Washington  5 – Jenifer  Moody Coliseum (6,935)
University Park, TX
February 15, 2018
7:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 5 at Houston L 62–67  23–3
(12–1)		  16 – Evans  7 – Clark  2 – Tied  H&PE Arena (5,363)
Houston, TX
February 18, 2018
4:00pm, ESPN		 No. 5 No. 19 Wichita State L 72–76  23–4
(12–2)		  18 – Cumberland  8 – Clark  3 – Tied  BB&T Arena (9,523)
Highland Heights, KY
February 22, 2018
7:00pm, ESPN		 No. 11 UConn W 77–52  24–4
(13–2)		  17 – Clark  9 – Scott  5 – Evans  BB&T Arena (8,217)
Highland Heights, KY
February 25, 2018
12:00pm, CBSSN		 No. 11 Tulsa W 82–74  25–4
(14–2)		  17 – Tied  7 – Scott  8 – Cumberland  BB&T Arena (8,911)
Highland Heights, KY
March 1, 2018
9:00pm, ESPN2		 No. 10 at Tulane W 78–49  26–4
(15–2)		  16 – Washington  9 – Clark  5 – Cumberland  Devlin Fieldhouse (2,824)
New Orleans, LA
March 4, 2018
12:00pm, CBS		 No. 10 at No. 11 Wichita State W 62–61  27–4
(16–2)		  19 – Evans  7 – Tied  2 – Tied  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
AAC Tournament
March 9, 2018
12:00pm, ESPN2		 (1) No. 8 vs. (9) SMU
Quarterfinals		 W 61–51  28–4
  15 – Washington  9 – Clark  8 – Cumberland  Amway Center (8,491)
Orlando, FL
March 10, 2018
1:00pm, CBS		 (1) No. 8 vs. (5) Memphis
Semifinals/Rivalry		 W 70–60  29–4
  18 – Cumberland  12 – Clark  5 – Tied  Amway Center (8,644)
Orlando, FL
March 11, 2018
3:30pm, CBS		 (1) No. 8 vs. (3) No. 21 Houston
Championship		 W 56–55  30–4
  20 – Clark  12 – Clark  3 – Evans  Amway Center (8,670)
Orlando, FL
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2018*
2:00pm, TBS		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (15 S) Georgia State
First Round		 W 68–53  31–4
  27 – Cumberland  13 – Clark  5 – Jenifer  Bridgestone Arena (17,552)
Nashville, TN
March 18, 2018*
6:10pm, TNT		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (7 S) No. 24 Nevada
Second Round		 L 73–75  31–5
  19 – Evans  11 – Washington  3 – 2 tied  Bridgestone Arena (17,552)
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[12][13]

Awards and milestones

All-American
  • Honorable Mention: Gary Clark

All-AAC Awards
  • Player of the Year: Gary Clark
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Gary Clark
  • Sportsmanship Award: Gary Clark

All-AAC First Team
  • Gary Clark
  • Jacob Evans

All-AAC Honorable Mention
  • Kyle Washington

Player of the Week
  • Week 3: Gary Clark[14]
  • Week 6: Jacob Evans[15]
  • Week 9: Jacob Evans[16]
  • Week 11: Gary Clark[17]
  • Week 12: Gary Clark[18]

Weekly Honor Roll
  • Week 2: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 6: Gary Clark
  • Week 8: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 10: Jarron Cumberland
  • Week 13: Jacob Evans
  • Week 14: Kyle Washington
  • Week 16: Gary Clark
  • Week 17: Jacob Evans

Rankings
Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP12121211172520211914129865111086Not released
Coaches131313918RV22222013118865 (1)111081012

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References
  1. Watkins, Steve. "UC picks temporary basketball home for Fifth Third Arena renovation". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  2. "No. 15 Cincinnati eases past Tulsa in AAC quarterfinals". Spokesman.com. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  3. "Bearcats defeat Connecticut to advance to AAC Championship Game". Down The Drive. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  4. "Cincinnati loses to SMU in the AAC title game, 71–56 and land sixth seed in the South Region". InsideTheBearcats.com. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  5. "Kansas State vs. Cincinnati – Game Recap – March 17, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  6. MARSHALL, JOHN (March 19, 2017). "UCLA beats Cincinnati 79–67 to earn Sweet 16 trip". Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  7. Groeschen, Tom. "UC basketball player Moore to transfer". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  8. Moore, Quadri [@theofficial_q] (January 9, 2018). "Thankful to be attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University and to be given a second chance to hoop again" (Tweet). Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. Groeschen, Tom. "UC basketball adds former Summit CD star". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  10. "Cincinnati Selected as 2017–18 American Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  11. "2017-18 Cincinnati Bearcats Roster and Stats".
  12. "Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 2017–18 Schedule – Bearcats Home and Away – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  13. "University of Cincinnati Official Athletic Site". www.gobearcats.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  14. "Clark, White Jr. Earn Weekly Honors". Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  15. "Cincinnati's Evans, SMU's Chargois Earn Weekly Honors". Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  16. "Cincinnati's Evans, UCF's DeJesus Collect Weekly Honors". Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  17. "SMU's Milton Cincinnati's Clark, ECU's Williams Earn Weekly Accolades". Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  18. "Cincinnati's Clark, Houston's White Jr. Earn Weekly Honors". Retrieved January 30, 2018.
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