2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

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.

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
2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 15 Houston †15–3 .83332–6  .842
SMU13–4 .76524–9  .727
Memphis13–5 .72222–11  .667
Temple10–7 .58817–12  .586
Tulane10–8 .55614–15  .483
UCF9–9 .50018–12  .600
Wichita State6–9 .40015–13  .536
Cincinnati7–11 .38918–15  .545
East Carolina6–11 .35315–15  .500
Tulsa4–14 .22211–20  .355
South Florida3–15 .1678–23  .258
† 2022 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

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[lower-alpha 1]
Zach Harvey1G6'5"195SophomoreTopeka, KSTransferred to UCSB[13]
Keith Williams2G6'5"215SeniorBrooklyn, NYGraduated; transferred[14] to Western Kentucky[15]
Tari Eason13F6'8"215FreshmanSeattle, WATransferred to LSU[16]
Mamoudou Diarra20F6'9"225Redshirt JuniorBamako, MaliGraduated; transferred to Tennessee Tech[17]
Rapolas Ivanauskas25F6'10"235Graduate StudentBarrington, ILLeft team (mid-season)[18]
Chris Vogt33C7'1"260SeniorMayfield, KYGraduated; transferred to Wisconsin[19]
Adam Cook44F6'6"180SeniorMarysville, OHWalk–on; graduated
Gabe Madsen55G6'5"195FreshmanRochester, MNTransferred 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 Ado00F6'11"255Graduate StudentLagos, NigeriaTransferred from Mississippi State after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[21]
A. J. McGinnis2G6'3"180SophomoreHuntsville, ALTransferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[22]
John Newman III15G6'5"205SeniorGreensboro, NCTransferred from Clemson. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[23]
Hayden Koval25C7'1"220Graduate StudentProsper, TXTransferred from UNC Greensboro after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.[24]
Jarrett Hensley32F6'8"205SophomoreMerriam, KSTransferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[25]
Ody Oguama33F6'9"225JuniorRaleigh, NCTransferred from Wake Forest. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[26]

2021 recruiting class

There was no 2021 recruiting class.

2022 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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)
1Houston98 (8)
2Memphis92 (3)
3SMU77
4Wichita State76
5UCF66
6Cincinnati52
7Tulsa43
8Temple37
T-9South Florida25
T-9Tulane25
11East Carolina14

Preseason Awards
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Jeremiah Davenport

Roster
2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 00 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)255 lb (116 kg) GSMississippi State Lagos, Nigeria
G 2 A. J. McGinnis Injured 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoUNC Greensboro Huntsville, Alabama
G 3 Mike Saunders Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoWasatch Academy Indianapolis, Indiana
G 5 David DeJulius 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrMichigan Detroit, Michigan
G 11 CJ Anthony (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrPutnam Science Academy Columbus, Ohio
G/F 15 John Newman III 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrClemson Greensboro, North Carolina
G 23 Mika Adams-Woods 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrNew Hampton School Syracuse, New York
G 24 Jeremiah Davenport 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrHargrave Military Academy Cincinnati, Ohio
C 25 Hayden Koval 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)225 lb (102 kg) GSUNC Greensboro Prosper, Texas
F 30 Viktor Lakhin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS FrCSKA–2 Anapa, Russia
G 31 Sam Martin (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg) GSSummit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio
F 32 Jarrett Hensley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoUNC Greensboro Merriam, Kansas
F 33 Ody Oguama 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrWake Forest Raleigh, North Carolina
F 43 Rob Banks Injured 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrGould Academy Bracknell, England
G 45 Mason Madsen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoMayo 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

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.
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