Cincinnati Bearcats Men 's basketball - Wikipedia Cincinnati Bearcats Men 's basketball Cincinnati Bearcats 2017 -- 18 Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball team University University of Cincinnati First season 1901 All - time record 1787 -- 1009 (. 639 ) Athletic director Mike Bohn Head coach Mick Cronin ( 12th season ) Conference The American Athletic Conference Location Cincinnati, Ohio Arena Fifth Third Arena BB&T Arena ( 2017 -- 2018 ) ( Capacity : 13,477 -- Fifth Third Arena 9400 -- BB&T Arena ) Nickname Bearcats Student section The rUCkus Colors Red and Black Uniforms Home Away Alternate NCAA Tournament champions 1961, 1962 NCAA Tournament runner - up 1963 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1992 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1992, 1993, 1996 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1975, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2012 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 1975, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 NCAA Tournament appearances 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Conference tournament champions 1976, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2018 Conference regular season champions 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2018 The Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball program represents the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school 's team competes in NCAA Division I as part of the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats are coached by Mick Cronin, who has been UC 's head coach since 2006. With nearly 1800 total wins, the Bearcats are one of the 20 winningest basketball programs of all - time. The school 's merits include 2 National Titles, 6 Final Fours, and 32 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament appearances. As of 2018, Cincinnati has appeared in 8 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and 22 of the last 27, with an all - time tournament record of 45 -- 30. There have also been 30 All - American honors issued to Bearcats as well. Cincinnati has been playing its home games since 1989 at Fifth Third Arena, which holds 13,176 fans plus overflow. The Bearcats played their home games for the 2017 -- 18 season in the 9,400 seat BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky while their home arena was renovated, which will be ready for the 2018 - 19 season, the renovated arena will hold 12,012. Cincinnati joined the original Big East Conference in 2005, which was rebranded as the American Athletic Conference ( AAC ) in 2013. Contents 1 By the numbers 2 History 2.1 1901 - 1940s -- The beginning 2.2 1954 -- 1958 -- The start of something special 2.3 1958 -- 1964 -- A run unlike any other 2.4 1970s -- Continued success 2.5 1980 -- 1988 -- Down in the dumps 2.6 1989 -- 2005 -- Back into the national spotlight 2.7 2006 -- 2009 -- Resurrecting a gutted program 2.8 2010 -- Present -- Return to winning ways 3 Notable seasons 4 Notable games 5 Postseason history 5.1 NCAA Tournament seeding history 5.2 NCAA tournament results 6 All - Americans 6.1 Consensus 1st Team All - Americans 6.2 Consensus 2nd Team, 3rd Team, Freshmen, and Honorable Mention All - Americans 6.3 McDonald 's All - Americans 7 Player of the Year awards 8 Retired jerseys 9 All - time scoring leaders 10 Bearcats in the NBA 11 Fifth Third Arena 11.1 Season - by - season record at Fifth Third Arena 12 Season by season results 13 See also 14 References 15 External links By the numbers Statistics and NCAA all - time rankings ( through the end of the 2016 -- 17 season ) : Wins : 1757 ( 16th ) Win percentage :. 637 ( 20th ) National Titles : 2 ( T - 9th ) Final Fours : 6 ( T - 10th ) NCAA Tournament appearances : 31 ( T - 16th ) NCAA Tournament games played : 75 ( 17th ) NCAA Tournament wins : 45 ( 17th ) Weeks in the AP Top 25 : 410 ( 12th ) Weeks in the AP Top 10 : 203 ( 13th ) Weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll : 45 ( 7th ) 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1992 -- 2005 ( T - 11th longest streak ) First - team Consensus All - American selections : 8 ( T - 22nd ) Current players in the NBA : 2 ( T - 42nd ) First school to reach three consecutive National Title games ( 1961 -- 63 ) First school to reach five consecutive Final Fours ( 1959 -- 63 ) History 1901 - 1940s -- the beginning Basketball formally debuted as a selected varsity team in 1901 and played nine games. Cincinnati, in its first season lost to Yale but later defeated a team from the University of Kentucky while compiling a 5 -- 4 record, with the remaining games being against non-collegiate teams. Home games during this time were played in a gym in the basement of McMicken Hall. Pillars on the court gave UC a home court advantage. UC experienced moderate success in the early days, with the main highlights being them winning several conference championships in both the Buckeye Athletic Association and the Mid-American Conference. 1954 -- 1958 -- the start of something special Cincinnati opened its new on - campus arena, Armory Fieldhouse, with a 97 -- 65 win over Indiana in 1954. One of the first of Cincinnati 's long list of standouts was Jack Twyman, who earned All - America status in 1954 -- 55. He went on to NBA stardom and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Oscar Robertson made his debut in 1957, and quickly emerged as one of the top college players in the country. `` The Big O '' is still widely recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the sport -- college or professional. A unanimous three - time All - American, he was college basketball 's all - time leading scorer at the close of his career. His 33.8 scoring average today ranks third on the NCAA career charts, and he has the NBA 's third-most career assists. The Bearcats celebrated their entry into the Missouri Valley Conference by winning the league title. Cincinnati made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1958, losing to Kansas State in overtime at the Midwest Regional. 1958 -- 1964 -- a run unlike any other Sparked by the exploits of Robertson, who became the first player to lead the nation in scoring in three consecutive seasons, Cincinnati advanced to the Final Four in 1958 -- 59 and 1959 -- 60, settling for third place both years. Then the Bearcats, with a rookie head coach ( Ed Jucker ) and without Robertson, won their first national title in 1960 -- 61. Then to prove that its 1961 championship was no fluke, UC repeated as national champion in 1961 -- 62. Cincinnati made a fifth - straight trip to the Final Four in 1962 -- 63, and narrowly missed capturing a third - straight national crown when Loyola ( Ill. ) overcame a 15 - point deficit and defeated the Bearcats by a basket, 60 -- 58, in overtime. During those five seasons, UC recorded a 37 - game win streak and posted a 161 -- 16 ledger. The five straight Final Four appearances is a feat topped only by UCLA. Connie Dierking ( 1958 ), Ralph Davis ( 1960 ), Bob Wiesenhahn ( 1961 ), Paul Hogue ( 1961, 1962 ), Tom Thacker ( 1963 ), Tony Yates ( 1963 ), Ron Bonham ( 1963, 1964 ) and George Wilson ( 1963 ) were accorded All - American recognition with Wilson playing on the U.S. 1964 Olympic gold medal team. 1970s -- continued success The Bearcats during the 1970s compiled a 170 -- 85 record (. 667 ). Cincinnati inaugurated the Metro Conference by winning the league 's first two tournament championships and made four consecutive post-season appearances from 1974 -- 1977, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1975. Jim Ard ( 1970 ), Lloyd Batts ( 1973 ), Steve Collier ( 1976 ), Gary Yoder ( 1977 ), Bob Miller ( 1978 ) and Pat Cummings ( 1979 ) earned All - American recognition. Cummings closed his career as UC 's No. 2 leading scorer of all - time. 1980 -- 1988 -- down in the dumps Cincinnati fell into exceptionally hard times during the 1980s, going 112 -- 142 over the course of the decade. Tony Yates, a member of the national championship teams in the 1960s, was hired as head coach in 1983. In his first season in 1983 -- 84, UC went 3 -- 25 ( 0 -- 14 in conference ), the school 's worst season ( winning - percentage-wise ) since going 1 -- 9 in 1915. After several unremarkable campaigns thereafter, Yates was fired after the 1989 season. The Bearcats of the 1980s failed to make a single NCAA tournament, and only had one postseason appearance in the 1985 NIT. 1989 -- 2005 -- back into the national spotlight Bob Huggins, the former head coach at the University of Akron, was named head coach at UC prior to the 1989 -- 90 season. Taking over a team with a proud history but one that had not had any legitimate success in over a decade, Huggins quickly turned things around and rekindled the national championship expectations of the past. Posting winning records in each of his first two seasons, Huggins would soon prove that his team was for real and in only his third season at the helm he directed UC to the 1992 Final Four. The 1992 team that went on to lose to Michigan 's `` Fab Five '' in the Final Four, would set a high standard of success that would last for years to come. The Bearcats advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament three times, and reached the Sweet 16 four times while Huggins was coach. Cincinnati also won its conference season and / or tournament title in 12 years out of a 13 - year span ( 1992 -- 2004 ). UC was also one of the top ranked teams of this time, often being ranked in the top 10 if not number one in the country. Huggin 's team merits include claiming eight league tournament titles and 10 regular season crowns in addition to appearing in 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments ( 1992 -- 2005 ). Fifteen Bearcats had garnered first team all - conference honors during this era with three of those, Danny Fortson, Kenyon Martin and Steve Logan, picking up a total of four C - USA Most Outstanding Player Awards. Fortson, Nick Van Exel, Ruben Patterson, Bobby Brannen, Melvin Levett, Logan, Martin and Pete Mickeal have joined Cincinnati 's list of All - Americans. Fortson was a consensus first team All - American in 1996 -- 97 after receiving second team recognition in 1995 -- 96. Martin was college basketball 's top player of the 1999 -- 2000 season, making a clean sweep of the national player of the year awards. Logan was a consensus All - American in 2001 -- 02 and a finalist for every national player of the year award. Several Bearcats were NBA Draft Picks, including Martin being the number one overall pick in 2000. After a DUI in 2004 and a string of players having academic and behavioral issues off the court, in her efforts to improve the school 's national image and reputation, new school president at the time Nancy Zimpher controversially asked coach Bob Huggins to resign in August 2005. This decision was met wide widespread criticism among virtually everyone connected to the program, creating a situation that would not bode well for the team in the near future. Looking to stay within the program, the school immediately promoted assistant coach Andy Kennedy as interim head coach for the 2005 -- 06 season. 2006 -- 2009 -- resurrecting a gutted program In the spring of 2006, Mick Cronin was hired as head coach, replacing interim coach Andy Kennedy after the dismissal of Bob Huggins. Cronin was tasked with picking up the pieces from a depleted program after Huggins was abruptly asked to resign three months before the 2005 season, and a temporary coach in Kennedy for the previous season. Due to the school having little - to - no recruiting going on for around a full calendar year, Cronin was forced to scrounge for players. He even had a couple players on the school 's football team play, one being current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin. Although Cronin 's teams struggled early in his UC career, he improved the school 's win total each of his first five seasons. After two straight losing seasons, UC began to get back on track under Cronin in the 2008 -- 09 season with an 18 -- 14 record. This was then followed by an NIT appearance and a brief return to the Top 25 polls during the 2009 -- 10 campaign. 2010 -- present -- return to winning ways Since the beginning of the 2010 -- 11 season, the Bearcats have amassed a 206 -- 71 record (. 744 ), have spent 71 weeks ranked in the AP Poll, and have reached 8 straight NCAA Tournaments ( all as of March 12, 2018 ). UC also, for the first time in its storied history, defeated a team with a higher seed than theirs in the NCAA Tournament ( 6 seeded Cincinnati defeated 3 seeded Florida State in 2012 ). Following the team 's breakthrough season in 2010 -- 11, the 2011 -- 12 team was looked upon with high expectations coming into the season. The team, of which had many returning players like Yancy Gates, Cashmere Wright, and Dion Dixon, was the first team under Cronin to be nationally ranked going into a season and was thought to be able to compete for a conference title that year in the Big East. These high expectations were quickly diminished however, as the team lost early to two Mid Major 's on their home court. This, added to the team 's involvement in the Crosstown Shootout Brawl left most people to write them off. UC showed that they were not done though, winning the remainder of their non-conference games and a good showing in conference play defeating 8 ranked teams ( tops in college basketball ), leading to a 6 - seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The team would then go onto the Sweet Sixteen, which was their first since 2001. At the start of the 2013 -- 14 season and the team 's first in the newly formed American conference, Cincinnati received just one vote in the Preseason AP Poll. Under the leadership of 2nd team All - American senior guard Sean Kilpatrick, the Bearcats got off to a hot start and picked up their 20th win on January 30, 2014, which was the fastest they 've gotten to 20 wins since the 2001 -- 02 season ( went 31 -- 4 that year ). They also reached as high as # 7 in the AP Poll, their highest since being ranked # 6 in the 2003 -- 04 season. On March 8, UC clinched a share of the AAC Conference regular season championship, their first conference title since 2004. Although very successful, the season would come to a sour end with a 1st round loss to underdog 12 seed Harvard in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. During the 2014 -- 15 season, UC was forced to play without head coach Mick Cronin for the majority of the season due to health concerns. Under assistant coach Larry Davis, the Bearcats rallied to reach the 2015 NCAA Tournament for their 5th consecutive tournament appearance, and knocked off # 9 seed Purdue before falling to # 1 seed Kentucky in the second round. On January 2, 2017, Cincinnati celebrated its 400th week in the AP Poll, becoming just the 12th program all - time to spend that many weeks in the Top 25. On March 17, 2017, Cincinnati defeated Kansas State in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament to win its 30th game of the season, reaching 30 wins for the first time in 15 years, and a new high in the Mick Cronin era. Notable seasons 1959 -- 60 Oscar Robertson scored a school record 62 points in an early - February game vs. North Texas State and in the process became the NCAA 's all - time leading career scorer. Robertson claimed national player of the year honors for the third straight year while Cincinnati won its third straight Missouri Valley title. The Bearcats made their second trip to the Final Four. California again turned back UC 's title hopes as UC finished third. George Smith stepped down as head coach to become athletic director, capping a career in which he posted a 154 -- 56 record in eight years. 1960 -- 61 Largely an unknown team, without Robertson, and with a new head coach, Ed Jucker, in command, Cincinnati stumbled to a 5 -- 3 start. The Bearcats then won their next 22 contests, garnering a league title, a third straight trip to the Final Four, and a national championship. In the first - ever championship game matchup of two teams from the same state, UC defeated Ohio State in overtime, 70 -- 65. 1961 -- 62 Cincinnati fashioned a 28 -- 2 record, but the Bearcats had to defeat Bradley in a league playoff game to defend their national title. UC won the Midwest Regional to earn its fourth straight trip to the Final Four. After edging UCLA, 72 -- 70, in the semifinals, Cincinnati became a repeat champion with a 71 -- 59 win over Ohio State. Paul Hogue was the tournament 's Most Outstanding Player. 1962 -- 63 UC breezed to its fifth straight Missouri Valley Conference crown and, after winning the Midwest Regional, a fifth straight trip to the Final Four. An 80 -- 46 win over Oregon in the semifinals put the Bearcats in position to win a third straight national title. Cincinnati held a 15 - point lead over Loyola ( Ill. ) in the second half of the championship game, only to have the Ramblers come back to win, 60 -- 58, in overtime. Cincinnati led the nation in defense. 1991 -- 92 The Bearcats opened play in the Great Midwest Conference and marked their debut in this new league by sharing the regular season title and winning the tournament crown. Cincinnati made its first appearance in two decades in the Top 20 rankings. The Bearcats were seeded fourth in the Midwest Regional. UC defeated its four regional foes by an average margin of 20.8 points to make its sixth appearance in the Final Four. Michigan edged UC, 76 -- 72, in the semifinal. 1999 -- 00 Cincinnati was the nation 's top team and Kenyon Martin was college basketball 's top player. UC was ranked No. 1 in the national polls for 12 of 18 weeks and Martin made a clean sweep of the national player of the year awards ( Naismith, Wooden, Rupp, Robertson, NABC ). The Bearcats tied a school record for victories with a 29 -- 4 record and won their fifth straight Conference USA regular season title. UC seemed poised for a run for the national title until Martin suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament. Martin was a unanimous first team All - American with Pete Mickeal earning honorable mention honors. Cincinnati went from the # 1 team in the country to a 2 - seed in the NCAA Tournament, and fell to Tulsa in the 2nd round. 2001 -- 02 Unranked in the major polls at the start of the season, the Bearcats posted a 31 -- 4 record -- setting a new standard for victories -- won a seventh consecutive Conference USA regular season championship, captured the C - USA tournament crown and earned their first - ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Steve Logan earned his second straight Conference USA Player of the Year award, was a consensus All - American and a finalist for every national player of the year honor. The Bearcats were upset in the 2nd round to 8 - seed UCLA in a double - overtime thriller. 2011 -- 12 After starting the season 5 -- 3 with bad losses and dealing with the aftermath and suspensions from the Crosstown Shootout brawl, UC 's season was already on the brinks halfway through December. The Bearcats then went on a run against fantastic competition and wound up beating 8 ranked teams, the most ranked wins in any Cincinnati season in history. The biggest win came against the 31 -- 1 and # 2 Syracuse Orange in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The Bearcats went on to the Sweet 16 where they lost to Ohio State. The latter half of this season is considered by many to be a big turning point in Mick Cronin 's coaching career. The Bearcats are now the 2012 Big East Champions after Louisville has vacated all the wins from 2011 thru 2014. 2017 -- 18 Cincinnati began the season with high hopes, featuring a team hallmarked by four `` 1000 point career scorers '' ( Gary Clark, Jacob Evans, Kyle Washington, and Cane Broome ). They spent the entire season in the national polls, peaking at # 5 - this was fueled by their defensive prowess which ranked second overall nationally. They earned their first outright American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and tied the school record for wins, going 31 - 5. Their season ended with a second round NCAA tournament upset to Nevada who tied the record for the 2nd largest NCAA Tournament comeback - surmounting a 22 - point deficit to win by 2. Notable games 01 / 09 / 1958 -- Cincinnati 118, Seton Hall 54 : 19 - year - old sophomore Oscar Robertson ( `` The Big O '' ) dropped 56 points, scoring more than all of Seton Hall, and caught the attention of New York City in a road win. His 56 points, at the time, was a Madison Square Garden record. 03 / 25 / 1961 -- Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 65 : The Buckeyes were the defending champs, 27 -- 0 and No. 1 in the nation. They took on state rival No. 2 Cincinnati in the National Championship. A layup by Ohio State 's Bobby Knight sent the game into overtime, tied at 61. Cincy, led by Paul Hogue and Bob Wiesenhahn, took it from there, winning, 70 -- 65, giving the Bearcats their first basketball title in school history. 03 / 24 / 1962 -- Cincinnati 71, Ohio State 59 : Cincinnati and Ohio State, again ranked Nos. 1 and 2 at the end of the regular season, became the first teams to play each other in two consecutive NCAA championship games. Unlike the year before, this game was not close. Cincy led by eight at the half and won by 12 as Paul Hogue and Tom Thacker led the way with 22 and 21 points, respectively. When it was over, the Bearcats ' second - year coach Ed Jucker had a pair of NCAA titles in two tries. 03 / 23 / 1963 -- Loyola ( Ill. ) 60, Cincinnati 58 : Despite its No. 3 ranking and a scoring average of 91.8, nobody expected Loyola of Chicago to beat Cincinnati, especially when the Ramblers fell behind by 15 in the second half. But Loyola rallied to send the game into OT and won the title on a last - second rebound and basket by Vic Rouse. 12 / 21 / 1981 -- Cincinnati 75, Bradley 73 : This contest is still listed as the longest game of NCAA Division I history, reaching seven overtimes. Reserve forward Doug Schloemer hit the decisive shot, a left - wing 15 - footer with one second remaining in the seventh overtime. If he had missed that jump shot, it would have gone to an eighth overtime. 12 / 12 / 1984 -- Cincinnati 69, UAB 67 : UAB had a one - point lead, but in the waning seconds, Tony Wilson, who was on a track scholarship, hit a 54 - foot shot beyond half - court at the buzzer to give Cincinnati a 2 - point win at Riverfront Coliseum. 11 / 25 / 1989 -- Cincinnati 66, Minnesota 64 : It was the school 's first game under Bob Huggins, in their new arena, the Shoemaker Center. Walk - on Steve Sanders, who was also the school 's football team 's wide receiver for four years, hit the buzzer - beating three - pointer to give UC a 66 -- 64 win over No. 20 Minnesota. 01 / 23 / 1993 -- Cincinnati 40, UAB 38 : The No. 9 Bearcats were heavily favored playing at home vs an 11 -- 7 UAB team. It was an ugly, very low - scoring affair, where UAB led at halftime 15 -- 11. In a tie game with seconds left, Corie Blount for UC had his shot blocked. It was kicked around and Nick Van Exel recovered it to put up a long two - pointer at the buzzer. Nothing but net. Cats won 40 -- 38. 12 / 17 / 1994 -- Cincinnati 81, Wyoming 80 : UC trailed to Wyoming all game, but when down 2 in the final seconds, LaZelle Durden put up a 3 - point attempt as the final horn sounded. He was fouled, but hit all three free throws with no time on the clock. UC won, 81 -- 80, and Durden 's 45 points were the most by a Bearcat in 34 years. 03 / 12 / 1995 -- Cincinnati 67, St. Louis 65 : LaZelle Durden fired in the game - winning three - pointer with 1.2 seconds to play in the conference championship game over Saint Louis, giving the Bearcats a 67 -- 65 victory and clinching an NCAA Tournament berth. 02 / 11 / 1996 -- Arizona, 79, Cincinnati 76 : The Bearcats had the ball under their own hoop in a tie game vs Arizona with just a few seconds left. Miles Simon stripped the ball from Danny Fortson, and hit a three - quarter - court buzzer - beater to beat UC, 79 -- 76. 02 / 06 / 1997 -- Cincinnati 65, Tulane 64 : The game was tied at 63 with 2 seconds left, and UC had the ball. Bobby Brannan threw the ball the length of the court. Danny Fortson made the catch near the hoop and laid it in with 0.2 seconds remaining. The majority of the Bearcats bench stormed the court in excitement, thinking the game was over. Cincinnati was given a technical foul for the incident, awarding Tulane two free throws and the ball. Honeycutt only made one of two free throws, and Tulane was unable to score with 0.2 seconds left. Cincinnati won by one. 02 / 19 / 1998 -- Cincinnati 93, UAB 76 : All - American Ruben Patterson was awoken at 6 : 00 in the morning by Bob Huggins. The coach broke the news to him that his mother had a heart attack overnight and died. Patterson played the game that night anyway, after spending all day crying. He scored a career - high 32 points in a 93 -- 76 win over UAB. 03 / 15 / 1998 -- West Virginia 75, Cincinnati 74 : Cincinnati took a 2 - point lead with 7.1 seconds remaining against West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Jarrod West of WV then banked in a 30 - foot three - pointer with 0.8 seconds left, a shot that was tipped by Ruben Patterson. West Virginia advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 75 -- 74 win. 11 / 29 / 1998 -- Cincinnati 77, Duke 75 : No. 14 Cincinnati took on No. 1 Duke in the Great Alaska Shootout championship. In a tie game with 3 seconds left, Cincinnati ran a `` hook - and - ladder '' type play, that had Kenyon Martin hit an open Melvin Levett sprinting towards the hoop. Levett dunked the ball with one second left, and the Bearcats won, 77 -- 75. To this day, it is their lone win vs a No. 1 team. 03 / 02 / 2000 -- Cincinnati 66, DePaul 64 : DePaul led the No. 2 Bearcats by 17, and by 10 with under 4 minutes remaining. The National POY Kenyon Martin took over, scoring 5 straight field goals for UC and had 2 key blocks down the stretch. With the game tied at 62, freshman DerMarr Johnson hit the game - winning jumper with 2.7 seconds left. 02 / 22 / 2002 -- Cincinnati 63, Marquette 62 : 9th - ranked Marquette led No. 4 Cincinnati by 4 with 30 seconds remaining. Steve Logan hit a three - pointer with 22 seconds left, then after a missed one - and - one free throw by Dwyane Wade, Donald Little hit a jumper with 3 seconds remaining. Cincinnati won 63 -- 62 in their biggest win of the season. 03 / 08 / 2006 -- Syracuse 74, Cincinnati 73 : In the first round of the Big East Tournament, the Bearcats led by one with 8.3 seconds remaining. Devan Downey of UC was at the line shooting two free throws. After making the first, he missed the second. Trailing by 2, Gerry McNamara of Syracuse came down and hit a running one - handed three pointer with 0.5 seconds left, giving Syracuse a one - point win. Cincinnati, who was a bubble team, just barely missed the NCAA Tournament ( even with a Joe Lunardi prediction of a 9 seed on the morning of Selection Sunday ), snapping their streak of 14 straight appearances. 12 / 10 / 2011 -- Xavier 76, Cincinnati 53 : The 2011 rivalry game with Xavier ended in a bench - clearing brawl between the two teams, with the officials calling an end to the game with less than 10 seconds left. For more details, see 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl. 03 / 09 / 2012 -- Cincinnati 71, Syracuse 68 : Unranked Cincinnati took on No. 2 Syracuse ( 31 -- 1 ) in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The Bearcats were hot out of the gate, hitting 8 of their first 10 three - point attempts and jumping out to a 25 -- 8 lead. Syracuse came roaring back in the game, getting it to a one - point game with a few seconds left. A Justin Jackson dunk with a second remaining capped the Bearcats 71 -- 68 win, the school 's highest - ranked victory since 1998. 03 / 19 / 2015 -- Cincinnati 66, Purdue 65 : 8 - seeded Cincinnati and 9 - seeded Purdue met for the first time in the NCAA Tournament in this round of 64 matchup. In a game that was close the majority of the way, Purdue began to pull away down the stretch. Down 7 with 48 seconds to go, the Bearcats hit a three pointer, forced a turnover, and made an and - one layup, all within 6 seconds to cut it to one. Down two with 7 seconds left, sophomore Troy Caupain drove to the hoop and hit a floater that dramatically spun around the rim, hung on the rim for a second, and fell in, as time expired. In overtime, UC prevailed 66 -- 65, to advance to the round of 32. 03 / 11 / 2016 -- UConn 104, Cincinnati 97 : In a 4 - overtime thriller for the ages, Cincinnati and UConn faced off in the AAC Tournament. In the closing seconds of the 3rd overtime, in a tie game, UC guard Kevin Johnson drained a long 3 - pointer with 0.8 seconds left to take a three - point lead. In a desperation heave, Jalen Adams of UConn banked in a 75 - footer to extend the game. UConn outscored Cincinnati in the 4th overtime, 16 -- 9, advancing in the conference tournament in which they would end up winning. 03 / 18 / 2016 -- St. Joe 's 78, Cincinnati 76 : In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 9 - seeded Cincinnati took on 8 - seeded St. Joe 's. After the Cats clawed back from a second half deficit of 12 points, St. Joe 's drained a 3 - pointer with under 10 seconds left to take a two - point lead. Cincy guard Troy Caupain drove the length of the floor to the hoop, and got the ball to Octavius Ellis after being swarmed by a double - team. Ellis attempted to quickly slam it home, only to discover his dunk was 0.1 seconds too late. Time expired. St. Joe 's advanced. 03 / 11 / 2018 -- Houston 55, Cincinnati 56 : Cincinnati met the nationally ranked Houston Cougars for the third time this season, having split the regular season 1 - 1. The rubber match came in the finals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, with both schools seeking their first ever AAC tournament title. Gary Clark and company were able to cut down the nets for the first time in their collegiate careers, as Houston 's star Rob Gray turned the ball over on the game 's final possession. 03 / 18 / 2018 -- Nevada 75, Cincinnati 73 : With the `` South bracket '' in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament shaping up in Cincinnati 's favor, the Bearcats seemed prime for continued March success as they led Nevada by 22 points with 11 minutes remaining. Nevada mounted a furious comeback, scoring 16 straight points over the next 3 minutes. The game continued to be touch and go for the remainder of the half, with an overwhelming amount of foul calls against the Bearcats. With 9 seconds left, Nevada took their first and only lead of the game at 75 - 73. The Bearcats dribbled the full length of the court but bobbled the ball and never got a clean look as time expired and Nevada tied the second largest comeback to - date in NCAA Tournament history. Postseason history NCAA Tournament seeding history Years → ' 92 ' 93 ' 94 ' 95 ' 96 ' 97 ' 98 ' 99 ' 00 ' 01 ' 02 ' 03 ' 04 ' 05 ' 11 ' 12 ' 13 ' 14 ' 15 ' 16 ' 17 ' 18 Seeds → 8 7 5 8 7 6 6 10 5 8 9 6 NCAA Tournament results The Bearcats have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 32 times. Their combined record is 46 -- 29. They have been to six Final Fours, including five in a row from 1959 -- 1963, and are two time National Champions ( 1961, 1962 ). Year Seed Round Opponent Result 1958 Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game Kansas State Arkansas L 80 -- 83 W 97 -- 62 1959 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game TCU Kansas State California Louisville W 77 -- 72 W 85 -- 75 L 58 -- 64 W 98 -- 85 1960 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game DePaul Kansas California NYU W 99 -- 59 W 82 -- 71 L 69 -- 77 W 95 -- 71 1961 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Texas Tech Kansas State Utah Ohio State W 78 -- 55 W 69 -- 64 W 82 -- 67 W 70 -- 65 1962 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Creighton Colorado UCLA Ohio State W 66 -- 46 W 73 -- 46 W 72 -- 70 W 71 -- 59 1963 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Texas Colorado Oregon State Loyola -- Chicago W 73 -- 68 W 67 -- 60 W 80 -- 46 L 58 -- 60 1966 Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game Texas Western SMU L 76 -- 78 L 84 -- 89 First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game Texas A&M Louisville Notre Dame W 87 -- 79 L 63 -- 78 W 95 -- 87 1976 First Round Notre Dame L 78 -- 79 1977 First Round Marquette L 51 -- 66 1992 # 4 First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four # 13 Delaware # 5 Michigan State # 9 UTEP # 6 Memphis # 6 Michigan W 85 -- 47 W 77 -- 65 W 69 -- 67 W 88 -- 57 L 72 -- 76 1993 # 2 First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight # 15 Coppin State # 7 New Mexico State # 6 Virginia # 1 North Carolina W 93 -- 66 W 92 -- 55 W 71 -- 54 L 68 -- 75 1994 # 8 First Round # 9 Wisconsin L 72 -- 80 1995 # 7 First Round Second Round # 10 Temple # 2 Connecticut W 77 -- 71 L 91 -- 96 # 2 First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight # 15 UNC Greensboro # 7 Temple # 3 Georgia Tech # 5 Mississippi State W 66 -- 61 W 78 -- 65 W 87 -- 70 L 63 -- 73 1997 # 3 First Round Second Round # 14 Butler # 6 Iowa State W 86 -- 69 L 67 -- 66 1998 # 2 First Round Second Round # 15 Northern Arizona # 10 West Virginia W 65 -- 62 L 74 -- 75 1999 # 3 First Round Second Round # 14 George Mason # 6 Temple W 72 -- 48 L 54 -- 64 2000 # 2 First Round Second Round # 15 UNC Wilmington # 7 Tulsa W 64 -- 47 L 61 -- 69 2001 # 5 First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen # 12 BYU # 13 Kent State # 1 Stanford W 84 -- 59 W 66 -- 43 L 65 -- 78 2002 # 1 First Round Second Round # 16 Boston University # 8 UCLA W 90 -- 52 L 101 -- 105 2003 # 8 First Round # 9 Gonzaga L 69 -- 74 # 4 First Round Second Round # 13 East Tennessee State # 5 Illinois W 80 -- 77 L 68 -- 92 2005 # 7 First Round Second Round # 10 Iowa # 2 Kentucky W 76 -- 64 L 60 -- 69 2011 # 6 First Round Second Round # 11 Missouri # 3 Connecticut W 78 -- 63 L 58 -- 69 2012 # 6 First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen # 11 Texas # 3 Florida State # 2 Ohio State W 65 -- 59 W 62 -- 56 L 66 -- 81 2013 # 10 First Round # 7 Creighton L 63 -- 67 2014 # 5 First Round # 12 Harvard L 57 -- 61 2015 # 8 First Round Second Round # 9 Purdue # 1 Kentucky W 66 -- 65 L 51 -- 64 2016 # 9 First Round # 8 Saint Joseph 's L 76 -- 78 2017 # 6 First Round Second Round # 11 Kansas State # 3 UCLA W 75 -- 61 L 67 -- 79 2018 # 2 First Round Second Round # 15 Georgia State # 7 Nevada W 68 -- 53 L 73 -- 75 All - Americans Cincinnati has had 30 different players receive All - American honors while at UC. The award has been given to a Consensus 1st - Team All - American 8 times. Consensus 1st Team All - Americans 1958, 1959, 1960 -- Oscar Robertson 1963 -- Ron Bonham 1963 -- Tom Thacker 1997 -- Danny Fortson 2000 -- Kenyon Martin 2002 -- Steve Logan Consensus 2nd Team, 3rd Team, Freshmen, and Honorable Mention All - Americans 1948, 1949, 1950 -- Dick Dallmer 1955 -- Jack Twyman 1958 -- Connie Dierking 1960 -- Ralph Davis 1961 -- Bob Wiesenhahn 1961, 1962 -- Paul Hogue 1962, 1963 -- Tony Yates 1963 -- George Wilson 1967 -- Mike Rolf 1970 -- Jim Ard 1973, 1974 -- Lloyd Batts 1976 -- Steve Collier 1977 -- Gary Yoder 1978 -- Bob Miller 1979 -- Pat Cummings 1992 -- Herb Jones 1993 -- Nick Van Exel 1994 -- Dontonio Wingfield 1995, 1996 -- Danny Fortson 1998 -- Bobby Brannen 1998 -- Ruben Patterson 1999 -- Melvin Levett 1999 -- Kenyon Martin 2000 -- DerMarr Johnson 2000 -- Pete Mickeal 2001 -- Steve Logan 2014 -- Sean Kilpatrick 2018 -- Gary Clark McDonald 's All - Americans The following were McDonald 's All - Americans in high school that committed to, and played for, the University of Cincinnati. 1993 -- Dontonio Wingfield 1993 -- Damon Flint 1994 -- Danny Fortson 1999 -- DerMarr Johnson 1999 -- Kenny Satterfield 2001 -- James White ( Transferred from Florida after freshman year ) 2004 -- Mike Williams ( Transferred from Texas after sophomore year ) 2009 -- Lance Stephenson Player of the Year awards 1959, 1960 -- Oscar Robertson, USBWA College Player of the Year 2000 -- Kenyon Martin, Consensus National Player of the Year ( USBWA, AP, Naismith, Wooden, Rupp ) Retired jerseys Cincinnati Bearcats retired numbers No. Player Position Tenure Kenyon Martin 1996 -- 00 12 Oscar Robertson 1957 -- 60 27 Jack Twyman 1951 -- 55 All - time scoring leaders Rank Player Number Years Games Points AVG Oscar Robertson # 12 1957 -- 1960 88 2,973 33.8 Sean Kilpatrick # 23 2010 -- 2014 140 2,145 15.3 Steve Logan # 22 1998 -- 2002 135 1,985 14.7 Danny Fortson # 25 1994 -- 1997 100 1,881 18.8 5 Roger McClendon # 21 1984 -- 1988 114 1,789 15.7 6 Pat Cummings # 6 1975 -- 1979 103 1,762 17.1 7 Ron Bonham # 21 1961 -- 1964 85 1,666 19.6 8 Louis Banks # 25 1987 -- 1991 118 1,644 13.9 9 Jack Twyman # 27 1951 -- 1955 90 1,598 17.8 10 Lloyd Batts # 33 1971 -- 1974 79 1,584 20.1 1000 - Point Club -- Career Scoring Leaders Bearcats in the NBA The Bearcats have had 33 players play in the NBA, spanning seven decades. Player Years Seasons Draft NBA Earnings NBA Accomplishments Jim Holstein 1952 -- 1956 Territorial choice N / A 2 × NBA champion Jack Twyman * 1955 -- 1966 11 Territorial choice N / A 6 × NBA All - Star, 2 × All - NBA Second Team, No. 27 retired by Cincinnati Royals. An NBA award introduced in 2013, the Twyman -- Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, is named in part for him. Connie Dierking 1958 -- 1971 13 1st round, 6th overall N / A Wayne Stevens 1959 -- 1960 7th round, 49th overall N / A Ralph Davis 1960 -- 1962 3rd round, 17th overall N / A Oscar Robertson * 1960 -- 1974 14 1st round, 1st overall N / A 12 × NBA All - Star, 9 × All - NBA First Team, NBA champion, NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Rookie of the Year, 6 × NBA assists leader, all - time triple - double leader, No. 14 and No. 1 retired by the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks Bob Wiesenhahn 1961 -- 1962 2nd round, 11th overall N / A Paul Hogue 1962 -- 1964 1st round, 2nd overall N / A Tom Thacker 1963 -- 1971 8 Territorial choice N / A NBA champion Ron Bonham 1964 -- 1968 2nd round, 16th overall N / A 2 × NBA champion George Wilson 1964 -- 1971 7 Territorial choice N / A Roland West 1967 -- 1968 8th round, 73rd overall N / A Rick Roberson 1969 -- 1976 7 1st round, 15th overall N / A Jim Ard 1970 -- 1978 8 1st round, 6th overall N / A NBA champion Derrek Dickey 1973 -- 1978 5 2nd round, 29th overall N / A NBA champion Lloyd Batts 1974 -- 1975 4th round, 60th overall N / A Pat Cummings 1979 -- 1989 10 3rd round, 59th overall N / A Bob Miller 1983 -- 1984 4th round, 58th overall N / A Corie Blount 1993 -- 2005 12 1st round, 25th overall $14,441,735 Nick Van Exel 1993 -- 2006 13 2nd round, 37th overall $74,408,867 NBA All - Star, NBA All - Rookie Second Team, Top 25 all - time in made 3 - point FGs Dontonio Wingfield 1994 -- 1998 2nd round, 37th overall $1,475,000 Danny Fortson 1997 -- 2007 10 1st round, 10th overall $42,145,240 Ruben Patterson 1998 -- 2008 10 2nd round, 31st overall $36,858,397 DerMarr Johnson 2000 -- 2008 7 1st round, 6th overall $9,283,842 Kenyon Martin 2000 -- 2015 15 1st round, 1st overall $113,035,975 NBA All - Star, NBA All - Rookie First Team, started in 10 NBA Finals games Art Long 2001 -- 2004 Undrafted $720,093 Kenny Satterfield 2001 -- 2003 2nd round, 54th overall $845,252 Tony Bobbitt 2004 -- 2005 Undrafted $305,403 Jason Maxiell 2005 -- 2015 10 1st round, 26th overall $28,614,821 Robert Whaley 2005 -- 2006 2nd round, 51st overall $481,788 James White 2006 -- 2013 2nd round, 31st overall $1,672,542 NBA champion, NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant Lance Stephenson 2010 -- present 8 2nd round, 40th overall $30,986,672 2013 -- 14 triple - doubles leader Sean Kilpatrick 2015 -- present Undrafted $2,989,591 * Basketball Hall of Famer Fifth third arena The Bearcats have played their home games in Fifth Third Arena since 1989. The arena is on - campus and has a capacity of 13,176 ( with room for overflow ). It is located in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, which was also the name of the arena until 2005, when it was named for Cincinnati - based Fifth Third Bank. It is still popularly known as `` The Shoe ''. The Bearcats closed out Fifth Third Arena ( pre-2018 renovation ) with an all - time home record of 389 -- 79 (. 831 ), along with an active 26 - game home winning streak. The Bearcats held a 42 - game win streak from 1997 -- 2000 as well. In the 1999 -- 2000 season, every Bearcat home game was sold out. During the Bob Huggins era, it was known as one of the most hostile arenas in the nation due to the high decibel levels typical of his tenure. On December 15, 2015, The UC Board of Trustees approved an $87 - million, privately funded renovation of Fifth Third Arena. Proposed improvements to the facility, include the creation of a 360 - degree seating bowl, new HD scoreboard, ribbon boards, sound system, an LED lighting system which will allow for enhanced gameday presentation, new restroom and concession facilities, a new upper - level concourse with its own fan amenities, expanded food and beverage options and a new main entrance and plaza with centralized ticketing and guest services. The renovated arena also will feature upgraded locker room spaces, expanded premium seating options, including a courtside club, arena club and concourse club as well as enclosed suites, loge seating, a new Bearcats Lounge and super suites. During the meeting, trustee Rob Richardson Jr. said the upgraded facility would support the university 's objective to join a power athletic conference and in student - athlete recruitment. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2017 and be completed in fall 2018. During the 2017 -- 18 school year, men 's basketball home games will be moved to BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky, while women 's basketball and volleyball home games will be moved to the campus of St. Ursula Academy. Season - by - season record at Fifth Third Arena 1989 -- 90 : 10 -- 4 1990 -- 91 : 12 -- 4 1991 -- 92 : 15 -- 2 1992 -- 93 : 14 -- 0 1993 -- 94 : 18 -- 2 1994 -- 95 : 9 -- 4 1995 -- 96 : 13 -- 1 1996 -- 97 : 13 -- 3 1997 -- 98 : 19 -- 1 1998 -- 99 : 14 -- 0 1999 -- 00 : 13 -- 1 2000 -- 01 : 11 -- 3 2001 -- 02 : 15 -- 0 2002 -- 03 : 13 -- 3 2003 -- 04 : 18 -- 1 2004 -- 05 : 15 -- 2 2005 -- 06 : 14 -- 5 2006 -- 07 : 10 -- 8 2007 -- 08 : 10 -- 7 2008 -- 09 : 14 -- 5 2009 -- 10 : 12 -- 4 2010 -- 11 : 15 -- 3 2011 -- 12 : 14 -- 4 2012 -- 13 : 13 -- 5 2013 -- 14 : 18 -- 1 2014 -- 15 : 15 -- 3 2015 -- 16 : 14 -- 3 2016 -- 17 : 18 -- 0 2017 -- 18 : 0 -- 0 ( 14 -- 1 record at BB&T Arena ) OVERALL : 389 -- 80 (. 829 ) Season by season results Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason Henry Pratt ( Independent ) ( 1901 -- 1902 ) 1901 -- 02 Cincinnati 5 -- 4 -- -- -- Anthony Chez ( Independent ) ( 1902 -- 1904 ) 1902 -- 03 Cincinnati 4 -- 4 -- -- -- 1903 -- 04 Cincinnati 8 -- 6 -- -- -- Anthony Chez : 12 -- 10 (. 545 ) Amos Foster ( Independent ) ( 1904 -- 1909 ) 1904 -- 05 Cincinnati 6 -- 3 -- -- -- 1905 -- 06 Cincinnati 2 -- 1 -- -- -- 1906 -- 07 Cincinnati 7 -- 2 -- -- -- 1907 -- 08 Cincinnati 9 -- 0 -- -- -- 1908 -- 09 Cincinnati 6 -- 4 -- -- -- Amos Foster : 30 -- 10 (. 750 ) C.A. Schroetter ( Independent ) ( 1909 -- 1910 ) 1909 -- 10 Cincinnati 3 -- 2 -- -- -- Russ Easton ( Ohio Athletic Conference ) ( 1910 -- 1914 ) 1910 -- 11 Cincinnati 3 -- 6 1 -- 2 -- -- 1911 -- 12 Cincinnati 2 -- 9 1 -- 6 -- -- 1912 -- 13 Cincinnati 4 -- 7 3 -- 3 -- -- 1913 -- 14 Cincinnati 2 -- 8 2 -- 5 -- -- Russ Easton : 11 -- 30 (. 268 ) 7 -- 16 (. 304 ) George Little ( Ohio Athletic Conference ) ( 1914 -- 1916 ) 1914 -- 15 Cincinnati 3 -- 8 3 -- 7 -- -- 1915 -- 16 Cincinnati 1 -- 9 1 -- 7 -- -- George Little : 4 -- 17 (. 190 ) 4 -- 14 (. 222 ) Ion Cortright ( Ohio Athletic Conference ) ( 1916 -- 1917 ) 1916 -- 17 Cincinnati 3 -- 8 3 -- 8 -- -- Whitelaw Morrison ( Ohio Athletic Conference ) ( 1917 -- 1918 ) 1917 -- 18 Cincinnati 2 -- 6 2 -- 6 -- -- Boyd Chambers ( Ohio Athletic Conference ) ( 1918 -- 1925 ) 1918 -- 19 Cincinnati 3 -- 11 1 -- 7 -- -- 1919 -- 20 Cincinnati 5 -- 9 4 -- 6 -- -- 1920 -- 21 Cincinnati 10 -- 11 4 -- 8 -- -- 1921 -- 22 Cincinnati 15 -- 8 8 -- 4 -- -- 1922 -- 23 Cincinnati 13 -- 9 7 -- 7 -- -- 1923 -- 24 Cincinnati 11 -- 8 10 -- 4 -- -- 1924 -- 25 Cincinnati 5 -- 14 1 -- 11 -- -- Boyd Chambers ( Buckeye Athletic Association ) ( 1925 -- 1928 ) 1925 -- 26 Cincinnati 17 -- 2 9 -- 1 1st -- 1926 -- 27 Cincinnati 13 -- 5 5 -- 5 3rd -- 1927 -- 28 Cincinnati 14 -- 4 8 -- 2 1st -- Boyd Chambers : 106 -- 81 (. 567 ) 57 -- 55 (. 509 ) Frank Rice ( Buckeye Athletic Association ) ( 1928 -- 1932 ) 1928 -- 29 Cincinnati 13 -- 4 7 -- 3 1st -- 1929 -- 30 Cincinnati 14 -- 4 7 -- 3 1st -- 1930 -- 31 Cincinnati 2 -- 15 2 -- 6 5th -- 1931 -- 32 Cincinnati 4 -- 11 2 -- 10 7th -- Frank Rice : 33 -- 34 (. 493 ) 18 -- 22 (. 450 ) John Halliday ( Buckeye Athletic Association ) ( 1932 -- 1933 ) 1932 -- 33 Cincinnati 9 -- 9 4 -- 6 4th -- Tay Brown ( Buckeye Athletic Association ) ( 1933 -- 1937 ) 1933 -- 34 Cincinnati 12 -- 7 6 -- 4 2nd -- 1934 -- 35 Cincinnati 16 -- 3 6 -- 2 2nd -- 1935 -- 36 Cincinnati 10 -- 7 8 -- 2 2nd -- 1936 -- 37 Cincinnati 9 -- 10 6 -- 4 3rd -- Tay Brown : 47 -- 27 (. 635 ) 26 -- 12 (. 684 ) Rip Van Winkle ( Independent ) ( 1937 -- 1939 ) 1937 -- 38 Cincinnati 6 -- 11 -- -- -- 1938 -- 39 Cincinnati 12 -- 5 -- -- -- Rip Van Winkle : 18 -- 16 (. 529 ) Clark Ballard ( Independent ) ( 1939 -- 1942 ) 1939 -- 40 Cincinnati 8 -- 9 -- -- -- 1940 -- 41 Cincinnati 6 -- 12 -- -- -- 1941 -- 42 Cincinnati 10 -- 10 -- -- -- Clark Ballard : 24 -- 31 (. 436 ) Bob Ruess ( Independent ) ( 1942 -- 1944 ) 1942 -- 43 Cincinnati 9 -- 10 -- -- -- 1943 -- 44 Cincinnati 6 -- 5 -- -- -- Bob Ruess : 15 -- 15 (. 500 ) Ray Farnham ( Independent ) ( 1944 -- 1946 ) 1944 -- 45 Cincinnati 8 -- 9 -- -- -- 1945 -- 46 Cincinnati 8 -- 13 -- -- -- Ray Farnham : 16 -- 22 (. 421 ) John Wiethe ( Mid-American Conference ) ( 1946 -- 1952 ) 1946 -- 47 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 6 -- 2 1st 1947 -- 48 Cincinnati 17 -- 7 7 -- 2 1st -- 1948 -- 49 Cincinnati 23 -- 5 9 -- 1 1st -- 1949 -- 50 Cincinnati 20 -- 6 10 -- 0 1st -- 1950 -- 51 Cincinnati 18 -- 4 7 -- 1 1st NIT Sweet Sixteen 1951 -- 52 Cincinnati 11 -- 16 5 -- 5 5th -- John Wiethe : 106 -- 47 (. 693 ) 44 -- 11 (. 800 ) George Smith ( Mid-American Conference ) ( 1952 -- 1953 ) 1952 -- 53 Cincinnati 11 -- 13 9 -- 3 2nd -- George Smith ( Independent ) ( 1953 -- 1957 ) 1953 -- 54 Cincinnati 11 -- 10 -- -- -- 1954 -- 55 Cincinnati 21 -- 8 -- -- NIT 3rd Place 1955 -- 56 Cincinnati 17 -- 7 -- -- -- 1956 -- 57 Cincinnati 15 -- 9 -- -- NIT Sweet Sixteen George Smith ( Missouri Valley Conference ) ( 1957 -- 1960 ) 1957 -- 58 Cincinnati 25 -- 3 13 -- 1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 1958 -- 59 Cincinnati 26 -- 4 13 -- 1 1st NCAA Final Four 1959 -- 60 Cincinnati 28 -- 2 13 -- 1 1st NCAA Final Four George Smith : 154 -- 56 (. 733 ) 48 -- 6 (. 889 ) Ed Jucker ( Missouri Valley Conference ) ( 1960 -- 1965 ) 1960 -- 61 Cincinnati 27 -- 3 10 -- 2 1st NCAA Champion 1961 -- 62 Cincinnati 29 -- 2 10 -- 2 1st NCAA Champion 1962 -- 63 Cincinnati 26 -- 2 11 -- 1 1st NCAA Runner - Up 1963 -- 64 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 6 -- 6 4th -- 1964 -- 65 Cincinnati 14 -- 12 5 -- 9 7th -- Ed Jucker : 113 -- 28 (. 801 ) 42 -- 20 (. 677 ) Tay Baker ( Missouri Valley Conference ) ( 1965 -- 1970 ) 1965 -- 66 Cincinnati 21 -- 7 10 -- 4 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 1966 -- 67 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 6 -- 8 4th 1967 -- 68 Cincinnati 18 -- 8 11 -- 5 3rd -- 1968 -- 69 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 8 -- 8 4th -- 1969 -- 70 Cincinnati 21 -- 6 12 -- 4 2nd NIT Sweet Sixteen Tay Baker ( Independent ) ( 1970 -- 1972 ) 1970 -- 71 Cincinnati 14 -- 12 -- -- -- 1971 -- 72 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 -- -- -- Tay Baker : 125 -- 60 (. 676 ) 47 -- 29 (. 618 ) Gale Catlett ( Independent ) ( 1972 -- 1975 ) 1972 -- 73 Cincinnati 17 -- 9 -- -- -- 1973 -- 74 Cincinnati 19 -- 8 -- -- NIT Sweet Sixteen 1974 -- 75 Cincinnati 23 -- 6 -- -- NCAA Sweet Sixteen Gale Catlett ( Metro Conference ) ( 1975 -- 1978 ) 1975 -- 76 Cincinnati 25 -- 6 2 -- 1 2nd NCAA Round of 32 1976 -- 77 Cincinnati 25 -- 5 4 -- 2 2nd NCAA Round of 32 1977 -- 78 Cincinnati 17 -- 10 6 -- 6 4th -- Gale Catlett : 126 -- 44 (. 741 ) 12 -- 9 (. 571 ) Ed Badger ( Metro Conference ) ( 1978 -- 1983 ) 1978 -- 79 Cincinnati 13 -- 14 4 -- 6 4th -- 1979 -- 80 Cincinnati 13 -- 15 3 -- 9 6th -- 1980 -- 81 Cincinnati 16 -- 13 6 -- 6 3rd -- 1981 -- 82 Cincinnati 15 -- 12 4 -- 8 5th -- 1982 -- 83 Cincinnati 11 -- 17 1 -- 11 7th -- Ed Badger : 68 -- 71 (. 489 ) 18 -- 40 (. 310 ) Tony Yates ( Metro Conference ) ( 1983 -- 1989 ) 1983 -- 84 Cincinnati 3 -- 25 0 -- 14 8th -- 1984 -- 85 Cincinnati 17 -- 14 8 -- 6 3rd NIT Second Round 1985 -- 86 Cincinnati 12 -- 16 5 -- 7 5th -- 1986 -- 87 Cincinnati 12 -- 16 3 -- 9 7th 1987 -- 88 Cincinnati 11 -- 17 3 -- 9 7th -- 1988 -- 89 Cincinnati 15 -- 12 5 -- 7 5th -- Tony Yates : 70 -- 100 (. 412 ) 24 -- 52 (. 316 ) Bob Huggins ( Metro Conference ) ( 1989 -- 1991 ) 1989 -- 90 Cincinnati 20 -- 14 9 -- 5 2nd NIT Second Round 1990 -- 91 Cincinnati 18 -- 12 8 -- 6 3rd NIT Second Round Bob Huggins ( Great Midwest Conference ) ( 1991 -- 1995 ) 1991 -- 92 Cincinnati 29 -- 5 8 -- 2 T -- 1st NCAA Final Four 1992 -- 93 Cincinnati 27 -- 5 8 -- 2 1st NCAA Elite Eight 1993 -- 94 Cincinnati 22 -- 10 7 -- 5 4th NCAA Round of 64 1994 -- 95 Cincinnati 23 -- 11 7 -- 5 3rd NCAA Round of 32 Bob Huggins ( Conference USA ) ( 1995 -- 2005 ) 1995 -- 96 Cincinnati 28 -- 5 11 -- 3 1st NCAA Elite Eight 1996 -- 97 Cincinnati 26 -- 8 14 -- 2 1st NCAA Round of 32 1997 -- 98 Cincinnati 27 -- 6 12 -- 4 1st NCAA Round of 32 1998 -- 99 Cincinnati 27 -- 6 12 -- 4 1st ( American ) NCAA Round of 32 1999 -- 00 Cincinnati 29 -- 4 16 -- 0 1st ( American ) NCAA Round of 32 2000 -- 01 Cincinnati 25 -- 10 11 -- 5 1st ( American ) NCAA Sweet Sixteen 2001 -- 02 Cincinnati 31 -- 4 14 -- 2 1st ( American ) NCAA Round of 32 2002 -- 03 Cincinnati 17 -- 12 9 -- 7 T -- 4th NCAA Round of 64 2003 -- 04 Cincinnati 25 -- 7 12 -- 4 T -- 1st NCAA Round of 32 2004 -- 05 Cincinnati 25 -- 8 12 -- 4 T -- 2nd NCAA Round of 32 Bob Huggins : 398 -- 128 (. 757 ) 170 -- 60 (. 739 ) Andy Kennedy ( Big East Conference ) ( 2005 -- 2006 ) 2005 -- 06 Cincinnati 21 -- 13 8 -- 8 8th NIT Elite Eight Mick Cronin ( Big East Conference ) ( 2006 -- 2013 ) 2006 -- 07 Cincinnati 11 -- 19 2 -- 14 16th 2007 -- 08 Cincinnati 13 -- 19 8 -- 10 10th CBI 1st Round 2008 -- 09 Cincinnati 18 -- 14 8 -- 10 10th 2009 -- 10 Cincinnati 19 -- 16 7 -- 11 11th NIT 2nd Round 2010 -- 11 Cincinnati 26 -- 9 11 -- 7 6th NCAA Round of 32 2011 -- 12 Cincinnati 26 -- 11 12 -- 6 3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen 2012 -- 13 Cincinnati 22 -- 12 9 -- 9 8th NCAA Round of 64 Mick Cronin ( American Athletic Conference ) ( 2013 -- present ) 2013 -- 14 Cincinnati 27 -- 7 15 -- 3 T - 1st NCAA Round of 64 2014 -- 15 Cincinnati 23 -- 11 13 -- 5 3rd NCAA Round of 32 2015 -- 16 Cincinnati 22 -- 11 12 -- 6 3rd NCAA Round of 64 2016 -- 17 Cincinnati 30 -- 6 16 -- 2 2nd NCAA Round of 32 2017 -- 18 Cincinnati 31 -- 5 16 -- 2 1st NCAA Round of 32 Mick Cronin : 268 -- 140 (. 657 ) 129 -- 85 (. 603 ) Total : 1786 -- 1008 National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion See also University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats Fifth Third Arena Mick Cronin NCAA Men 's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches References Jump up ^ Brand Color ( PDF ). University of Cincinnati Branding Standards Manual. Retrieved July 31, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Cincinnati ''. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 07. Jump up ^ List of NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball champions Jump up ^ NCAA Men 's Division I Final Four appearances by school Jump up ^ NCAA Men 's Division I Tournament bids by school ^ Jump up to : NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament all - time team records Jump up ^ `` Total AP Men 's BB Poll Appearances Summary -- College Poll Archive -- Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings ''. collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Total AP Men 's BB Poll Appearances Summary -- College Poll Archive -- Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings ''. collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Total AP Men 's BB Poll Appearances Summary -- College Poll Archive -- Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings ''. collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament consecutive appearances Jump up ^ `` All - American Award Winners '' ( PDF ). ncaa.org. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ Sukup, Jim. `` Where the NBA Players Come From - RPIRatings.com ''. rpiratings.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cronin introduced as head coach at Cincinnati ''. espn.com. March 24, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Marquette vs. Cincinnati -- Game Recap -- February 22, 2002 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Syracuse vs. Cincinnati -- Game Recap -- March 8, 2006 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cincinnati vs. Syracuse -- Game Recap -- March 9, 2012 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Purdue vs. Cincinnati -- Game Recap -- March 19, 2015 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Connecticut vs. Cincinnati -- Game Recap -- March 11, 2016 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cincinnati vs. Saint Joseph 's -- Game Recap -- March 18, 2016 -- ESPN ''. go.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ ESPN. `` Defense lifts No. 8 Cincinnati over Houston in AAC final ''. go.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018. Jump up ^ ESPN. `` Comeback for the ages : Nevada edges Cincinnati 75 - 73 ''. go.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 06 - 11. Retrieved 2008 - 06 - 11. Jump up ^ List of U.S. men 's college basketball national player of the year awards Jump up ^ `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` UCBearcats -- Official Athletic Website of the University of Cincinnati ''. gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Fifth Third Arena Project Receives Board Approval ''. GoBearcats.com. CBSi. Retrieved 16 December 2015. Jump up ^ Tweh, Bowdeya. `` UC pushes back Fifth Third Arena renovation ''. Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 16 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Athletics Announces 2017 -- 18 Playing Site For WBB & VB '' ( Press release ). Cincinnati Bearcats. April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cincinnati Bearcats Index - College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com ''. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` GoBEARCATS.COM -- University Of Cincinnati Official Athletic Site ''. GoBearcats.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017. External links Official website Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball Venues Schmidlapp Gymnasium ( 19 ? ? -- 1954 ) Cincinnati Gardens ( 1949 -- 1954 ; 1987 -- 1989 ) Armory Fieldhouse ( 1954 -- 1976 ) Riverfront Coliseum ( 1976 -- 1987 ) Fifth Third Arena ( 1989 -- 2017 ; 2018 -- future ) BB&T Arena ( 2017 -- 2018 ) Rivalries Louisville Xavier Culture & lore Bearcat `` Cheer Cincinnati '' 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl Longest game in Division I history UC Pep Band People Head coaches Seasons 1901 -- 02 1902 -- 03 1903 -- 04 1904 -- 05 1905 -- 06 1906 -- 07 1907 -- 08 1908 -- 09 1909 -- 10 1910 -- 11 1911 -- 12 1912 -- 13 1913 -- 14 1914 -- 15 1915 -- 16 1916 -- 17 1917 -- 18 1918 -- 19 1919 -- 20 1920 -- 21 1921 -- 22 1922 -- 23 1923 -- 24 1924 -- 25 1925 -- 26 1926 -- 27 1927 -- 28 1928 -- 29 1929 -- 30 1930 -- 31 1931 -- 32 1932 -- 33 1933 -- 34 1934 -- 35 1935 -- 36 1936 -- 37 1937 -- 38 1938 -- 39 1939 -- 40 1940 -- 41 1941 -- 42 1942 -- 43 1943 -- 44 1944 -- 45 1945 -- 46 1946 -- 47 1947 -- 48 1948 -- 49 1949 -- 50 1950 -- 51 1951 -- 52 1952 -- 53 1953 -- 54 1954 -- 55 1955 -- 56 1956 -- 57 1957 -- 58 1958 -- 59 1959 -- 60 1960 -- 61 1961 -- 62 1962 -- 63 1963 -- 64 1964 -- 65 1965 -- 66 1966 -- 67 1967 -- 68 1968 -- 69 1969 -- 70 1970 -- 71 1971 -- 72 1972 -- 73 1973 -- 74 1974 -- 75 1975 -- 76 1976 -- 77 1977 -- 78 1978 -- 79 1979 -- 80 1980 -- 81 1981 -- 82 1982 -- 83 1983 -- 84 1984 -- 85 1985 -- 86 1986 -- 87 1987 -- 88 1988 -- 89 1989 -- 90 1990 -- 91 1991 -- 92 1992 -- 93 1993 -- 94 1994 -- 95 1995 -- 96 1996 -- 97 1997 -- 98 1998 -- 99 1999 -- 00 2000 -- 01 2001 -- 02 2002 -- 03 2003 -- 04 2004 -- 05 2005 -- 06 2006 -- 07 2007 -- 08 2008 -- 09 2009 -- 10 2010 -- 11 2011 -- 12 2012 -- 13 2013 -- 14 2014 -- 15 2015 -- 16 2016 -- 17 2017 -- 18 2018 -- 19 NCAA national championships in bold ; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball 1960 -- 61 NCAA champions Carl Bouldin Paul Hogue Tom Thacker Bob Wiesenhahn Tony Yates Head coach Ed Jucker Assistant coach Tay Baker Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball 1961 -- 62 NCAA champions Ron Bonham Paul Hogue ( MOP ) Tom Thacker George Wilson Tony Yates Head coach Ed Jucker Assistant coach Tay Baker American Athletic Conference men 's basketball Teams Cincinnati Bearcats Connecticut Huskies East Carolina Pirates Houston Cougars Memphis Tigers SMU Mustangs South Florida Bulls Temple Owls Tulane Green Wave Tulsa Golden Hurricane UCF Knights Wichita State Shockers Championships & awards Conference Tournament Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Coach of the Year Seasons 2013 -- 14 2014 -- 15 2015 -- 16 2016 -- 17 2017 -- 18 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cincinnati_Bearcats_men%27s_basketball&oldid=842919206 '' Categories : Cincinnati Bearcats men 's basketball Hidden categories : Use American English from April 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Use mdy dates from April 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from May 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 25 May 2018, at 15 : 37. 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Question: when was the last time uc made the sweet 16
Answer: 2012