# 2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head coach Wes Miller. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in AAC play to finish in seventh place.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bearcats finished the 2019–20 season 12–11, 8–6 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated SMU and Wichita State in the AAC tournament before losing to Houston in the championship game. The season was the first time since 2010 that the Bearcats did not make the NCAA tournament.
On April 3, 2021, the school placed head coach John Brannen on paid leave pending an investigation after six Bearcats players decided to transfer following the season. A week later, the school fired Brannen following an investigation into his conduct. On April 14, the school named UNC Greensboro head coach Wes Miller the team's new head coach.

## Offseason

Two days after the conference tournament championship, the Bearcats saw six players enter the transfer portal. On March 26, Athletic Director John Cunningham announced the university would begin investigating allegations against the program. On April 3, it was announced that head coach John Brannen was placed on indefinite leave. On April 9, the school announced Brannen had been relieved of his duties effective immediately along with assistants Jayson Gee and Sean Dwyer. Tim Morris was announced as the interim head coach. In the next few days, both Mike Saunders Jr. and Mason Madsen withdrew from the transfer portal after Miller's hiring.

### Departures

Cincinnati Departing Players :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Zach Harvey | 1 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | Topeka, KS | Transferred to UCSB |
| Keith Williams | 2 | G | 6'5" | 215 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated; transferred to Western Kentucky |
| Tari Eason | 13 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Freshman | Seattle, WA | Transferred to LSU |
| Mamoudou Diarra | 20 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Junior | Bamako, Mali | Graduated; transferred to Tennessee Tech |
| Rapolas Ivanauskas | 25 | F | 6'10" | 235 | Graduate Student | Barrington, IL | Left team (mid-season) |
| Chris Vogt | 33 | C | 7'1" | 260 | Senior | Mayfield, KY | Graduated; transferred to Wisconsin |
| Adam Cook | 44 | F | 6'6" | 180 | Senior | Marysville, OH | Walk–on; graduated |
| Gabe Madsen | 55 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Freshman | Rochester, MN | Transferred to Utah |
* ↑ Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any player in any sport held during the organization's winter season, including basketball. This meant that all players had the option to return for 2021–22.

### Incoming transfers

Cincinnati Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Abdul Ado | 00 | F | 6'11" | 255 | Graduate Student | Lagos, Nigeria | Transferred from Mississippi State after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility. |
| A. J. McGinnis | 2 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Huntsville, AL | Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility. |
| John Newman III | 15 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Senior | Greensboro, NC | Transferred from Clemson. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Hayden Koval | 25 | C | 7'1" | 220 | Graduate Student | Prosper, TX | Transferred from UNC Greensboro after graduating. Will have one year of remaining eligibility. |
| Jarrett Hensley | 32 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Sophomore | Merriam, KS | Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have four years of remaining eligibility. |
| Ody Oguama | 33 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Junior | Raleigh, NC | Transferred from Wake Forest. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

There was no 2021 recruiting class.

#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Sage Tolentino C | Honolulu, HI | Hamilton High School (OH) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 15, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Daniel Skillings SG | Philadelphia, PA | Roman Catholic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 23, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Josh Reed SF | Atlanta, GA | Pace Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 1, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021. "2022 Cincinnati Bearcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021. |||||||

## Preseason
### AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards
Coaches Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 98 (8) |
| 2 | Memphis | 92 (3) |
| 3 | SMU | 77 |
| 4 | Wichita State | 76 |
| 5 | UCF | 66 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 52 |
| 7 | Tulsa | 43 |
| 8 | Temple | 37 |
| T-9 | South Florida | 25 |
| T-9 | Tulane | 25 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 14 |

### Preseason Awards

* AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Jeremiah Davenport

## Schedule and results

The Bearcats game vs Texas Southern scheduled for December 18, 2021 was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers program. The Bearcats replaced the Texas Southern game with a game against Division II Ashland.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Evansville | W 65–43 | 1–0 | 11 – Davenport | 8 – Davenport | 7 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (10,024) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 13, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Georgia | W 73–68 | 2–0 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (10,672) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alabama A&M | W 89–66 | 3–0 | 21 – DeJulius | 8 – Oguama | 5 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (9,816) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Presbyterian | W 79–45 | 4–0 | 16 – Davenport | 6 – Adams-Woods | 5 – Madsen | Fifth Third Arena (9,749) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 22, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. No. 14 Illinois Hall of Fame Classic semifinals | W 71–51 | 5–0 | 20 – Saunders | 8 – Lakhin | 2 – Tied | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 23, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 13 Arkansas Hall of Fame Classic Championship | L 67–73 | 5–1 | 24 – DeJulius | 10 – Oguama | 5 – Saunders | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 27, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Monmouth | L 59–61 | 5–2 | 13 – DeJulius | 6 – Oguama | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (8,262) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Miami (OH) | W 59–58 | 6–2 | 14 – Tied | 11 – Ado | 5 – Adams-Woods | Millett Hall (7,285) Oxford, OH |
| December 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bryant | W 73–58 | 7–2 | 16 – DeJulius | 11 – Lakhin | 4 – 2 tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,924) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 11, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Xavier Crosstown Shootout | L 63–83 | 7–3 | 14 – Newman III | 6 – Lakhin | 5 – Saunders | Cintas Center (10,707) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 77–50 | 8–3 | 16 – Davenport | 8 – Tied | 6 – Saunders | Fifth Third Arena (7,701) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 18, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Ashland | W 71–57 | 9–3 | 24 – Dejulius | 6 – Newman III | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,622) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tennessee Tech | W 76–67 | 10–3 | 15 – Saunders | 7 – Davenport | 4 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (10,028) Cincinnati, OH |
| AAC Regular Season |||||||||
| January 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulane | L 60–68 | 10–4 (0–1) | 19 – Davenport | 10 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (7,922) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 6, 2022 9:30 p.m., ESPN | | SMU | W 77–60 | 11–4 (1–1) | 22 – DeJulius | 10 – Oguama | 7 – Saunders Jr. | Fifth Third Arena (7,978) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 9, 2022 3:30 p.m., ABC | | at Memphis Rivalry | L 80–87 | 11–5 (1–2) | 21 – Davenport | 6 – Davenport | 6 – Adams-Woods | FedExForum (14,502) Memphis, TN |
| January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | East Carolina | W 79–71 | 12–5 (2–2) | 22 – Davenport | 6 – Tied | 8 – Saunders Jr. | Fifth Third Arena (7,911) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 16, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Wichita State | W 61–57 | 13–5 (3–2) | 18 – DeJulius | 6 – Adams-Woods | 3 – Davenport | Charles Koch Arena (8,439) Wichita, KS |
| January 20, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tulsa | W 90–69 | 14–5 (4–2) | 24 – Davenport | 7 – Oguama | 7 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (9,033) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Temple | L 58–61 | 14–6 (4–3) | 15 – DeJulius | 9 – Newman III | 3 – Saunders Jr. | Liacouras Center (4,752) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 30, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at East Carolina | W 60–59 | 15–6 (5–3) | 21 – Adams-Woods | 6 – Ado | 2 – Tied | Williams Arena (3,834) Greenville, NC |
| February 6, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 6 Houston | L 58–80 | 15–7 (5–4) | 25 – DeJulius | 5 – Oguama | 4 – Saunders | Fifth Third Arena (11,742) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at South Florida | W 70–59 | 16–7 (6–4) | 24 – DeJulius | 8 – Ado | 3 – Adams-Woods | Yuengling Center (2,011) Tampa, FL |
| February 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulsa | L 77–83 | 16–8 (6–5) | 23 – DeJulius | 9 – Davenport | 3 – DeJulius | Reynolds Center (3,405) Tulsa, OK |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Memphis Previously scheduled for Feb. 3rd | L 74–81 | 16–9 (6–6) | 20 – Davenport | 11 – Davenport | 4 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (12,012) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Wichita State | W 85–76 | 17–9 (7–6) | 17 – DeJulius | 6 – Adams-Woods | 6 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena (9,655) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Temple | L 71–75 | 17–10 (7–7) | 24 – Davenport | 6 – Newman III | 5 – Adams-Woods | Fifth Third Arena (9,122) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 23, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at UCF | L 61–75 | 17–11 (7–8) | 16 – DeJulius | 12 – Davenport | 4 – Newman III | Addition Financial Arena (5,102) Orlando, FL |
| February 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Florida | L 54–56 | 17–12 (7–9) | 11 – Newman III | 8 – Newman III | 4 – DeJulius | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH |
| March 1, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at No. 14 Houston Previously scheduled for Dec. 28th | L 53–71 | 17–13 (7–10) | 14 – Saunders | 7 – Newman III | 4 – DeJulius | Fertitta Center (7,598) Houston, TX |
| March 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at SMU | L 71–76 | 17–14 (7–11) | 21 – DeJulius | 7 – Davenport | 4 – DeJulius | Moody Coliseum (4,261) University Park, TX |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | (8) | vs. (9) East Carolina First round | W 74–63 | 18–14 | 22 – DeJulius | 8 – Newman III | 5 – Newman III | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 11, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (8) | vs. (1) No. 18 Houston Quarterfinals | L 56–69 | 18–15 | 13 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

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

* David DeJulius