# 2024–25 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats, led by fourth-year head coach Wes Miller, played their home games at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

## Previous season

The Bearcats finished the season 22–15 and 7–11 in Big 12 play to finish in 11th place in the conference standings, thus earning the 11th seed in the 2024 Big 12 Tournament. They defeated West Virginia, and Kansas in the Big 12 tournament before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals.
The Bearcats were invited to play in the NIT, where they defeated San Francisco and Bradley before falling to Indiana State in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Coaching staff changes

Former assistant coach Josh Loeffler accepted the head coaching job at Loyola. South Carolina assistant Tim Buckley was hired as an assistant coach. Jake Thelen previously Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach accepted the head coaching job at Covington Catholic High School. Former UC graduate assistant Jaylen Stowe who was an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at High Point was hired as an assistant coach.

### Departures

Due to COVID-19, the NCAA ruled in October 2020 that the 2020–21 season would not count against the eligibility of any basketball player, thus giving all players the option to return in 2022–23. Additionally, any players who have declared for the 2024 NBA draft—including seniors, who must opt into this year's draft—have the option to return if they make a timely withdrawal from the draft and end any pre-draft relationships with agents.
Cincinnati Departing Players :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason |
| John Newman III | G/F | 6' 5" | 215 | Graduate student | Greensboro, NC | Completed college eligibility |
| Landen Long | G | 5' 11" | 185 | Graduate student | Cincinnati, OH | Completed college eligibility |
| Ody Oguama | F | 6' 9" | 230 | Graduate student | Raleigh, NC | Completed college eligibility |
| Viktor Lakhin | C | 6' 11" | 240 | Junior | Anapa, Russia | Graduated; transferred to Clemson |
| Jamille Reynolds | F | 6' 11" | 275 | Senior | St. Petersburg, FL | Transferred to South Florida |
| Sage Tolentino | C | 7' 1" | 240 | Sophomore | Honolulu, HI | Transferred to UNC Asheville |

### Incoming transfers

Cincinnati incoming transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Old school | Remaining Eligibility |
| Arrinten Page | C | 6' 11" | 245 | Sophomore | Atlanta, GA | USC | Three years |
| Connor Hickman | G | 6' 3" | 200 | Senior | Bloomington, IN | Bradley | One year |
| Dillon Mitchell | F | 6' 8" | 205 | Junior | Tampa, FL | Texas | Two years |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tyler Betsey SF | Windsor, CT | St. Thomas More School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 6, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Tyler McKinley PF | Cincinnati, OH | Winton Woods High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 8, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Halvine Dzellat PF/C | Loir-et-Cher, France | ADA Blois Basket 41 | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Sep 11, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| 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 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2024 Cincinnati Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "Cincinnati 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. ||||||

#### 2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Keyshuan Tillery PG | Albany, NY | New Hampton School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | Sep 20, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Shon Abaev SF | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Calvary Christian Academy (Florida) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 28, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 |||||||
| 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 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2025 Cincinnati Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "Cincinnati 2025 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. |||||||

## Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll
| | Big 12 Coaches | Points |
| 1. | Kansas | 215 (9) |
| 2. | Houston | 211 (5) |
| 3. | Iowa State | 194 (1) |
| 4. | Baylor | 185 |
| 5. | Arizona | 179 (1) |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 140 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 135 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 133 |
| 9. | BYU | 116 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | UCF | 83 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 64 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 62 |
| 14. | Oklahoma State | 46 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Utah | 30 |
| Reference: (#) first-place votes |||
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

### First Team

| Player | School |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| J’Wan Roberts | Houston |
| Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State |
| Hunter Dickinson† | Kansas |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||

### Second Team

| Player | School |
| Norchad Omier | Baylor |
| Jeremy Roach | Baylor |
| Keshon Gilbert | Iowa State |
| Dajuan Harris Jr | Kansas |
| Coleman Hawkins | Kansas State |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||
* Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
* Co-Newcomer of the Year: Jeremy Roach, Baylor & Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
* Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 18, 2024 7:00 p.m. | No. 20 | Ohio State CareSource Exhibition Game for Mental Health | W 80–62 | – | 12 – Tied | 7 – Mitchell | 6 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 20 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 109–54 | 1–0 | 20 – Lukošius | 11 – Skillings | 10 – James | Fifth Third Arena (10,290) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 20 | Morehead State | W 83–56 | 2–0 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Mitchell | 6 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (10,604) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 17 | Nicholls Twyman-Stokes Classic | W 86–49 | 3–0 | 19 – Tied | 9 – Mitchell | 6 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (10,485) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., FDSNOH | No. 18 | at Northern Kentucky Twyman-Stokes Classic | W 76–60 | 4–0 | 18 – Lukošius | 6 – Mitchell | 6 – James | Truist Arena (7,485) Highland Heights, KY |
| November 23, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | No. 18 | at Georgia Tech | W 81–58 | 5–0 | 14 – Tied | 11 – Mitchell | 7 – James | McCamish Pavilion (4,970) Atlanta, GA |
| November 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 16 | Alabama State | W 77–59 | 6–0 | 16 – Lukošius | 9 – Bandaogo | 5 – James | Fifth Third Arena (10,970) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 3, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 14 | at Villanova Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 60–68 | 6–1 | 19 – James | 5 – Tied | 5 – James | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| December 8, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | Howard | W 84–67 | 7–1 | 18 – Lukošius | 8 – Page | 4 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (10,913) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 14, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 22 | Xavier Crosstown Shootout | W 68–65 | 8–1 | 14 – Lukošius | 10 – Mitchell | 5 – James | Fifth Third Arena (12,513) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 20, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 19 | vs. No. 22 Dayton Simple Truth Hoops Classic | W 66–59 | 9–1 | 17 – Skillings Jr. | 7 – Mitchell | 3 – James | Heritage Bank Center (15,107) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 22, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 19 | Grambling State | W 84–49 | 10–1 | 15 – Bandaogo | 7 – Mitchell | 8 – James | Fifth Third Arena (11,175) Cincinnati, OH |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 16 | at Kansas State | L 66–70 | 10–2 (0–1) | 15 – Mitchell | 11 – Mitchell | 4 – James | Bramlage Coliseum (9,970) Manhattan, KS |
| January 4, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 16 | Arizona | L 67–72 | 10–3 (0–2) | 18 – Skillings Jr. | 9 – Bandaogo | 5 – James | Fifth Third Arena (11,212) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 7, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Baylor | L 48–68 | 10–4 (0–3) | 18 – Skillings Jr. | 5 – James | 5 – Lukošius | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 11, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 11 Kansas | L 40–54 | 10–5 (0–4) | 10 – Mitchell | 8 – Bandaogo | 3 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (12,003) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 15, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Colorado | W 68–62 | 11–5 (1–4) | 16 – Lukošius | 10 – Bandaogo | 2 – Tied | CU Events Center (6,576) Boulder, CO |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Arizona State | W 67–60 | 12–5 (2–4) | 14 – Mitchell | 9 – Bandaogo | 4 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (11,090) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Texas Tech | L 71–81 | 12–6 (2–5) | 17 – James | 5 – Skillings Jr. | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (10,790) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 25, 2025 10:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | at BYU | L 52–80 | 12–7 (2–6) | 14 – Lukošius | 5 – Mitchell | 5 – James | Marriott Center (17,483) Provo, UT |
| January 28, 2025 10:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Utah | L 66–69 | 12–8 (2–7) | 18 – James | 6 – Mitchell | 4 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,570) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | West Virginia rivalry | L 50–63 | 12–9 (2–8) | 10 – Thomas | 10 – Mitchell | 3 – Mitchell | Fifth Third Arena (11,085) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at UCF | W 93–83 | 13–9 (3–8) | 20 – Thomas | 6 – Tied | 6 – Thomas | Addition Financial Arena (7,421) Orlando, FL |
| February 8, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | BYU | W 84–66 | 14–9 (4–8) | 24 – James | 6 – Bandaogo | 4 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (12,217) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Utah | W 85–75 | 15–9 (5–8) | 25 – James | 10 – Bandaogo | 6 – James | Fifth Third Arena (10,510) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 15, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 10 Iowa State | L 70–81 | 15–10 (5–9) | 25 – James | 5 – Mitchell | 4 – Thomas | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at West Virginia rivalry | L 59–62 | 15–11 (5–10) | 13 – Tied | 10 – Bandaogo | 3 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (10,683) Morgantown, WV |
| February 22, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | TCU | W 75–63 | 16–11 (6–10) | 18 – James | 13 – Mitchell | 4 – James | Fifth Third Arena (10,648) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Baylor | W 69–67 | 17–11 (7–10) | 18 – James | 9 – Mitchell | 4 – Thomas | Fifth Third Arena (10,598) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 1, 2025 4:30 p.m., CBS | | at No. 4 Houston | L 64–73 | 17–12 (7–11) | 19 – Thomas | 8 – Bandaogo | 5 – James | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| March 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kansas State | L 49–54 | 17–13 (7–12) | 12 – Thomas | 7 – Tied | 5 – Lukošius | Fifth Third Arena (10,814) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 8, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oklahoma State | L 67–78 | 17–14 (7–13) | 17 – James | 9 – Reed | 4 – Tied | Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,597) Stillwater, OK |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2025 12:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (13) | vs. (12) Oklahoma State First round | W 87–68 | 18–14 | 21 – Thomas | 15 – Mitchell | 5 – Mitchell | T-Mobile Center (6,406) Kansas City, MO |
| March 13, 2025 12:30 p.m., ESPN | (13) | vs. (5) No. 12 Iowa State Second round | L 56–73 | 18−15 | 17 – James | 5 – Mitchell | 4 – Thomas | T-Mobile Center (12,922) Kansas City, MO |
| [[2025 College Basketball Crown|College Basketball Crown]] |||||||| |
| April 1, 2025* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | (2) | vs. (15) DePaul First round | | | | | | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## 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 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 16 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 20 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |