# 2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games at the BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky due to renovations at their home arena, Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats were led by 12th-year head coach Mick Cronin and are members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 31–5, 16–2 in AAC play to win the regular season championship. They defeated SMU, Memphis, and Houston to win the AAC tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 2 seed in the South region, they defeated Georgia State in the First Round before being upset by Nevada in the Second Round. In their loss to Nevada, they were up 22 before losing 75–73, tying the second largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.

## Previous season

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

## Offseason
### Departing players

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Troy Caupain | 10 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Midlothian, Virginia | Graduated |
| Kevin Johnson | 25 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Senior | Cincinnati, Ohio | Graduated |
| Zack Tobler | 45 | F | 6'5" | 225 | Senior | Fort Mitchell, Kentucky | Walk-on; graduated |
| Quadri Moore | 0 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Junior | Linden, New Jersey | Transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State |

### Recruiting class of 2017

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Trevor Moore SG | Houston, Texas | South Kent Prep | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 29, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Eliel Nsoseme C | Kinshasa, DR Congo | The RISE Centre Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 21, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Keith Williams SG | Brooklyn, New York | Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 4, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Mamoudou Diarra SF | Bamako, Mali | 22ft Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: 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 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016. ||||||
Cincinnati will also add Preferred Walk-on Sam Martin a 5'10" PG from Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

## Preseason

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

## Roster
### Depth chart

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

## Schedule and results

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

## Awards and milestones
### All-American

* Honorable Mention: Gary Clark

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

* Player of the Year: Gary Clark
* Defensive Player of the Year: Gary Clark
* Sportsmanship Award: Gary Clark

#### All-AAC First Team

* Gary Clark
* Jacob Evans

#### All-AAC Honorable Mention

* Kyle Washington

#### Player of the Week

* Week 3: Gary Clark
* Week 6: Jacob Evans
* Week 9: Jacob Evans
* Week 11: Gary Clark
* Week 12: Gary Clark

#### Weekly Honor Roll

* Week 2: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 6: Gary Clark
* Week 8: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 10: Jarron Cumberland
* Week 13: Jacob Evans
* Week 14: Kyle Washington
* Week 16: Gary Clark
* Week 17: Jacob Evans

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | Not released |
| Coaches | 13 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 18 | RV | 22 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 (1) | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings