Cincinnati Bearcats NCAA Basketball Betting
Considering that the Bearcats were included in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings, you can tell that there are higher expectations for this program. Recent seasons have been tough, with Cincinnati flailing in the AAC before joining the Big 12 last year, but this season could be a chance to put all of that hardship behind them.
Cincinnati returns five of their top seven players from last season, including four with a significant run in the starting rotation. In the era of the Transfer Portal, this kind of returned production will become rarer. The Bearcats showed potential and returned much of that talent with even more depth and experience this season.
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Big things aren’t expected solely because of the returning talent, as Cincinnati got a few studs in the Transfer Portal themselves. Mitchell is an incredible addition after starting to realize his potential last year with the Longhorns. And while he won’t have a starting role, you’ll see plenty of production out of Hickman, especially if his long-range shot continues to fall. The Bearcats have more depth than in recent memory and could run one of the deeper rotations in the Big 12.
One thing that really stands out is that everyone will contribute on a nightly basis. There’s no single player who needs to score 20 a night for this team to win, while the pure rebounding talent in the starting frontcourt means plenty of opportunities on both ends. This isn’t the squad that faltered under former coach John Brannen anymore; these Bearcats mean business and should finish well above 11th place.
This roster lacks major holes and has the talent to push forward to be a contender after some tough setbacks last season. It’s hard to predict where the Bearcats will end up specifically, but they should certainly be in the top half of the league standings. If this roster plays as expected, they’ll be in the Big Dance for the first time in six years and might even have the depth and talent to make it a memorable trip.
It seems like a lifetime ago that Cincinnati appeared in nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments, but life has been different for the Bearcats since the pandemic. Mick Cronin’s departure and some subsequent decisions stunted the program, but Wes Miller has been putting the pieces back together in Cincinnati. He hasn’t gotten the Bearcats back to the Big Dance, but this program is certainly trending that way.
Each of the last two seasons has seen the Bearcats win at least 22 games while making decent runs at the NIT. They’ve been nearing a return to the Big Dance but haven’t quite gotten there yet. What makes this past season even more impressive is that this was the Bearcats’ first season in the Big 12. The transition wasn’t easy, tying for 11th place in perhaps the nation’s toughest conference, but that was only the beginning.
Miller begins his fourth year at the helm of the Bearcats and has his most talented team, with a significant amount of returning talent and a few intriguing new faces. While life in the Big 12 is immensely difficult, this could be the team that makes the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, perhaps starting a new run of prosperity.
Another 11th-place finish in the Big 12 won’t suffice in year two, though you’ll soon see a few reasons why we’re excited about this Bearcats squad. We’re going to take some time and run through the important pieces in the rotation and look ahead to the schedule. We’ll think a bit about what to expect from the Bearcats in the months ahead; can this team break that recent NCAA Tournament drought?
There are four new teams in the Big 12 with this conference as deep and talented as ever. That becomes evident early, as conference play begins at Kansas State on December 30th before a three-game stretch that includes Arizona, Baylor, and Kansas. The Bearcats see only five of their conference foes both home and away, though that includes four winnable games against Utah and West Virginia.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2019 |
Lost First Round vs. (10) Iowa 72–79 |
| 2018 |
Lost Second Round vs. (7) Nevada 73–75 |
| 2017 |
Lost Second Round vs. (3) UCLA 67–79 |
| 2016 |
Lost First Round vs. (8) Saint Joseph's 76–78 |
| 2015 |
Lost Second Round vs. (1) Kentucky 51–64 |
| 2014 |
Lost First Round vs. (12) Harvard 57–61 |
| 2013 |
Lost First Round vs. (7) Creighton 63–67 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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