# 2019–20 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head-coach John Brannen. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference.

## Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2018–19 season 28–7, 14–4 in AAC play, finishing in second place. They defeated SMU, Wichita State, and No. 1 seed Houston to win the AAC tournament for the second consecutive year, and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the South region, they were upset by No. 10 seed Iowa in the first round. After the conclusion of the NCAA tournament, head coach Mick Cronin accepted the head-coaching position at UCLA. John Brannen, the head coach at nearby Northern Kentucky, would be hired to replace Cronin. In the transition, UC lost G/F Rashawn Fredericks and C Nysier Brooks - both of whom would've both been seniors. They also lost sophomore guard Logan Johnson and backup PF Eliel Nsoseme. Incoming freshman and Ohio's Mr. Basketball in 2019, Samari Curtis, also de-committed. Jarron Cumberland announced he would test the waters to enter the 2019 NBA draft on April 20, 2019. On May 27, Cumberland announced he would return for his senior season.
Despite the deluge of transfers, Brannen was able to inspire a late-season recruiting renaissance, as he moved quickly to land Jeremiah Davenport, Chris Vogt, Mika Adams-Woods, Chris McNeal, Jaume Sorolla, and Jaevin Cumberland (in that order) - with the latter four commitments transpiring in under one week's time. It is worth noting that, at the time of the final scholarship being fulfilled, both Logan Johnson and Eliel Nsoseme were still in the transfer protocol and technically "could" return to UC; this series of signings effectively locked in their transfer from the program.
After all the dust settled, UC would have a final transfer enter the portal in redshirt Freshman LaQuill Hardnett. His spot would be filled shortly thereafter by the highest rated recruit of the 2019 class, Zach Harvey. Entering this season, new scholarship players would now outnumber returning players 7-6.

## Offseason
### Departing players

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Logan Johnson | 0 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Mountain View, California | Transferred to Saint Mary's |
| Justin Jenifer | 3 | G | 5'10" | 175 | Senior | Baltimore, Maryland | Graduated |
| Rashawn Fredericks | 10 | G/F | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | Transferred to UAB |
| LaQuill Hardnett | 11 | F | 6'8" | 210 | RS Freshman | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Buffalo |
| Cane Broome | 15 | G | 6'0" | 165 | RS Senior | East Hartford, Connecticut | Graduated |
| Eliel Nsoseme | 22 | F/C | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Kinshasa, DR Congo | Transferred to Georgia State |
| Nysier Brooks | 33 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Junior | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Miami (FL) |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Chris Vogt | C | 7'1" | 240 | Junior | Mayfield, KY | Transferred from Northern Kentucky. Vogt was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Chris McNeal | PG | 6'0" | 195 | Graduate Student | Jackson, TN | Transferred from Tennessee Tech after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| Jaume Sorolla | C | 6'11" | 240 | Graduate Student | Tortosa, Spain | Transferred from Valparaiso after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| Jaevin Cumberland | SG | 6'3" | 185 | Graduate Student | Wilmington, OH | Transferred from Oakland after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. Cousin of guard Jarron Cumberland. |

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jeremiah Davenport SG | Cincinnati, OH | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 11, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Mika Adams-Woods PG | Syracuse, NY | New Hampton School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 30, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Zach Harvey SG | Topeka, KS | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | June 27, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 44 ||||||
| 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 2019 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019. ||||||

### 2020 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mike Saunders PG | Indianapolis, IN | Wasatch Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | June 11, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Gabe Madsen SF | Rochester, MN | Mayo High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | August 31, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Mason Madsen CG | Rochester, MN | Mayo High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | August 31, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Tari Eason PF | Seattle, WA | Garfield High School (Seattle) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | December 21, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: 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 2020 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020. |||||||

## Preseason
### AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on October 14, 2019, with the Bearcats predicted to finish third in the AAC.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 113 (7) |
| 2 | Memphis | 113 (4) |
| 3 | Cincinnati | 94 (1) |
| 4 | Wichita State | 88 |
| 5 | USF | 79 |
| 6 | UConn | 75 |
| 7 | Temple | 72 |
| 8 | SMU | 47 |
| 9 | UCF | 40 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 36 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 20 |
| 12 | Tulane | 15 |

### Preseason Awards

American Athletic Conference
* All-AAC First Team - Jarron Cumberland (* Only unanimous selection)
* AAC Player of the Year - Jarron Cumberland
Sporting News
* All-America: Second team - Jarron Cumberland

## Roster

* Preseason - Prince Toyambi underwent surgery to correct a cardiac issue, leading him to sit out for the entire season.
* Dec. 9, 2019 - Trevor Moore elected to transfer to Morgan State after the fall semester.
* Feb. 4, 2020 - Jaume Sorolla left the team. He elected to return home to Spain to pursue a professional career.
* Mar. 1, 2020 - Jeremiah Davenport did not make the trip to Houston. He later underwent surgery to correct a knee injury, leading him to sit out for the rest of the season.

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Chris Vogt | Jaume Sorolla | Rob Banks |
| PF | Trevon Scott | Mamoudou Diarra | Adam Cook |
| SF | Keith Williams | Zach Harvey | Jeremiah Davenport |
| SG | Jarron Cumberland | Jaevin Cumberland | Trevor Moore |
| PG | Mika Adams-Woods | Chris McNeal | Sam Martin |
Source

## Schedule and results

The Bearcats traveled to in-state rival Ohio State to open the season for the second part of a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes. The Bearcats also began a home-and-home series with Tennessee beginning in the 2019–2020 season in Cincinnati. Tennessee visited Fifth Third Arena on December 18, 2019. The Bearcats traveled to Chicago to take on Iowa in the Chicago Legends event. Cincinnati traveled to the Virgin Islands to compete in the Paradise Jam tournament where they finished in third-place.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 31, 2019* 6:00pm, Bearcats TV | | Thomas More | W 79–36 | | 15 – McNeal | 5 – Diarra | 4 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (5,389) Cincinnati, OH |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2019* 8:30pm, FS1 | | at No. 18 Ohio State | L 56–64 | 0–1 | 13 – Tied | 12 – Scott | 3 – Jar. Cumberland | Value City Arena (13,845) Columbus, OH |
| November 11, 2019 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | | Drake | W 81–59 | 1–1 | 17 – Jae. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – McNeal | Fifth Third Arena (10,133) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 14, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | | Alabama A&M | W 85–53 | 2–1 | 18 – Vogt | 10 – Vogt | 6 – Jae. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (9,830) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 22, 2019* 5:45pm, FloSports | | vs. Illinois State Paradise Jam Quarterfinals | W 66–65 | 3–1 | 23 – Jar. Cumberland | 13 – Vogt | 3 – Scott | Sports and Fitness Center Saint Thomas, USVI |
| November 24, 2019* 7:45pm, FloSports | | vs. Bowling Green Paradise Jam Semifinals | L 84–91 $^{OT}$ | 3–2 | 21 – Jae. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – McNeal | Sports and Fitness Center (1,525) Saint Thomas, USVI |
| November 25, 2019* 5:45pm, FloSports | | vs. Valparaiso Paradise Jam Third-place game | W 81–77 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | 21 – Vogt | 11 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Sports and Fitness Center Saint Thomas, USVI |
| November 30, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | | UNLV | W 72–65 $^{OT}$ | 5–2 | 20 – Jar. Cumberland | 9 – Scott | 5 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,783) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00pm, CBSSN | | Vermont | W 82–73 | 6–2 | 23 – Williams | 12 – Scott | 5 – Williams | Fifth Third Arena (10,220) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 7, 2019* 5:00pm, FS1 | | at Xavier Crosstown Shootout | L 66–73 | 6–3 | 15 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Cintas Center (10,811) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 14, 2019* 7:00pm, FSOH/ESPN3 | | Colgate | L 66–67 | 6–4 | 16 – Vogt | 7 – Tied | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,416) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 18, 2019* 7:00pm, ESPN2 | | No. 21 Tennessee | W 78–66 | 7–4 | 15 – Scott | 7 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (12,012) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 21, 2019* 9:00pm, BTN | | vs. Iowa Chicago Legends | L 70–77 | 7–5 | 18 – Jar. Cumberland | 8 – Vogt | 4 – McNeal | United Center (6,814) Chicago, IL |
| AAC Regular Season |||||||||
| January 1, 2020 7:00pm, CBSSN | | UConn | W 67–51 | 8–5 (1–0) | 19 – Vogt | 13 – Scott | 5 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (10,833) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 4, 2020 4:00pm, CBSSN | | at Tulane | L 71–76 | 8–6 (1–1) | 21 – Vogt | 6 – Tied | 8 – Scott | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,513) New Orleans, LA |
| January 8, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | | Tulsa | W 75–44 | 9–6 (2–1) | 22 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Vogt | 8 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,138) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 11, 2020 12:00pm, ESPN2 | | at UCF | W 68–54 | 10–6 (3–1) | 16 – Williams | 11 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Addition Financial Arena (5,482) Orlando, FL |
| January 16, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | | at No. 22 Memphis Rivalry | L 49–60 | 10–7 (3–2) | 19 – Jar. Cumberland | 8 – Williams | 2 – Tied | FedEx Forum (16,079) Memphis, TN |
| January 19, 2020 6:00pm, ESPNU | | East Carolina | W 82–57 | 11–7 (4–2) | 16 – Scott | 11 – Tied | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (11,103) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 22, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNews | | at Temple | W 89–82 | 12–7 (5–2) | 22 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 6 – Jar. Cumberland | Liacouras Center (6,463) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 28, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNews | | SMU | W 65–43 | 13–7 (6–2) | 28 – Jar. Cumberland | 9 – Tied | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (11,221) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 1, 2020 6:00pm, ESPN2 | | No. 21 Houston | W 64–62 | 14–7 (7–2) | 17 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,189) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 6, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | | at Wichita State | W 80–79 | 15–7 (8–2) | 24 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 5 – Jar. Cumberland | Charles Koch Arena (10,211) Wichita, KS |
| February 9, 2020 12:00pm, CBSSN | | at UConn | L 71–72 $^{OT}$ | 15–8 (8–3) | 25 – Scott | 13 – Scott | 10 – Jar. Cumberland | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,409) Storrs, CT |
| February 13, 2020 7:00pm, ESPN | | Memphis Rivalry | W 92–86 $^{OT}$ | 16–8 (9–3) | 25 – Scott | 19 – Scott | 9 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,239) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 16, 2020 12:00pm, CBSSN | | at East Carolina | W 70–67 $^{OT}$ | 17–8 (10–3) | 17 – Williams | 12 – Scott | 5 – Williams | Williams Arena (4,082) Greenville, NC |
| February 19, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | | UCF | L 87–89 $^{2OT}$ | 17–9 (10–4) | 22 – Scott | 21 – Scott | 9 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (10,874) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 23, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN | | Wichita State | W 67–64 | 18–9 (11–4) | 24 – Jar. Cumberland | 11 – Scott | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (12,137) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 1, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN | | at No. 25 Houston | L 55–68 | 18–10 (11–5) | 17 – Scott | 11 – Scott | 4 – Jar. Cumberland | Fertitta Center (7,096) Houston, TX |
| March 3, 2020 7:00pm, ESPNU | | at South Florida | W 79–67 | 19–10 (12–5) | 30 – Williams | 11 – Scott | 3 – Scott | Yuengling Center (3,008) Tampa, FL |
| March 7, 2020 8:00pm, CBSSN | | Temple | W 64–63 | 20–10 (13–5) | 20 – Jar. Cumberland | 12 – Scott | 7 – Jar. Cumberland | Fifth Third Arena (12,365) Cincinnati, OH |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2020 1:00pm, ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (8) UCF / (9) South Florida Quarterfinals | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | | |
| Coaches | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

## Awards and honors
### American Athletic Conference honors
#### All-AAC Awards

* Defensive Player of the Year: Trevon Scott
* Most Improved Player: Trevon Scott
* Sportsmanship Award: Trevon Scott

#### All-AAC First Team

* Jarron Cumberland
* Trevon Scott

#### Player of the Week

* Week 15: Trevon Scott

#### Weekly Honor Roll

* Week 4: Chris Vogt
* Week 10: Trevon Scott
* Week 11: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 12: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 13: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 14: Trevon Scott
* Week 16: Trevon Scott
* Week 18: Keith Williams
Source