Cincinnati Bearcats
2023-2024 Result: 22-15 record (7-11 Big 12), NIT appearance
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Wes Miller (4th season)
Guard: Day Day Thomas (SR)
Guard: Dan Skillings Jr. (SR)
Forward: Simas Lukosius (SR)
Forward: Dillon Mitchell (JR)
Center: Aziz Bandaogo (5th year)
Key Losses
Jamille Reynolds
Viktor Lakhin
John Newman III
Key Additions
Dillon Mitchell (Texas)
Connor Hickman (Bradley)
Arrinten Page (USC)
Tyler Betsey (4-star recruit)
Tyler McKinley (4-star recruit)
After finishing with the 78th ranked adjusted offense in the nation last season, per Torvik, expect the Bearcats to be better than that in their second season in the Big 12. It starts with Cincinnati retaining almost their entire backcourt, as Day Day Thomas, Dan Skillings, and Jizzle James were all very important in fitting head coach Wes Miller’s physical style of play. I especially expect a year 2 leap from Jizzle James who showed flashes of being a great big 12 guard late last season. Wes Miller also addressed the shooting issues they had a year ago (33% from 3, 221st nationally) by grabbing one of the most talented shooters in the portal in Connor Hickman. While the addition of Hickman won’t solve all of the Bearcats offensive issues, the combo of him and Simas Lukosius will open up the floor a little more for these athletic Cincinnati drivers. Cincinnati also lost a lot of their frontcourt depth to the portal, and this will certainly cut into the elite rebound margin they had a year ago. While projected 4 man and Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell provides some offensive rebounding ability, it won’t be enough to match the 3 headed monster of Aziz Bandaogo, Viktor Lakhin and Jamille Reynolds from a year ago, who all had above a 10% offensive rebound rate. While offensive rebounding will still be a strength, the Bearcats may not be elite in that aspect in 2024-25.
The defense is the side of the floor that brings me far less worries with the Bearcats. The roster is filled with athletes from top to bottom and there seems to be very few defensive weak spots. This is where Dillon Mitchell’s presence will be felt the most as one of the most versatile defenders in the country. The 6’8” Mitchell showcases rim protection ability along with guarding smaller backcourt players. 5 man Aziz Bandaogo will also see an uptick in minutes, and his rim protection and rebounding is up there with the elites in the Big 12. The only issue with this defense is with the frontcourt depth, as Bandaogo has a track record for getting into foul trouble (fouled out of 6 games last season), and there isn’t much reliable depth behind him. Having elite positional size and athleticism should be able to cover up this issue, but USC transfer Arrinten Page and Freshman Tyler McKinley aren’t necessarily great options to replace Bandaogo. Cincinnati is still more than likely a top 30 defensive unit next season despite these small issues.
While Cincinnati’s rebound margin will be a little less of a strength this upcoming season, the overall offensive versatility should raise this team’s ceiling. The added ball handling and shooting will allow for a more modern day offense and will make them more difficult to gameplan for. Don’t expect the Bearcats to contend for a Big 12 regular season championship, but you should expect better than a 7-11 conference record along with an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in the Wes Miller era.