No. 20 Cincinnati will open a new season with high hopes and a preseason top-25 ranking for the first time since 2017-18 when it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night. Cincinnati is coming off an 80-62 win over Ohio State in an exhibition game on Oct.
18. The Bearcats raced out to an 18-6 lead in the opening minutes and never trailed the rest of the way in a game that gave their fans a first look at a talented and deep roster filled by many returnees. Simas Lukosius, Dan Skillings Jr.
, Day Day Thomas and Jizzle James lead a deep and versatile backcourt while Aziz Bandaogo, Tyler McKinney and Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell anchor an athletic frontcourt. "We have the pieces and depth to be a good team," coach Wes Miller said. "We aren't going to be a very good team if we think we've arrived in October because the score was in our favor.
I've been here three years, and we have played these closed-door scrimmages and have lost a bunch of them. We've lost a bunch of them and then we got a lot better the next week." Last season, Cincinnati's first in the Big 12, ended with another trip to the NIT quarterfinals and a loss to Indiana State.
The Bearcats finished with a 22-15 overall mark and a 7-11 conference record. Cincinnati, picked to finish sixth this season in the 16-team Big 12, returns six of its top eight scorers. Overall, returnees account for 69.
9 percent of the points, 54.9 percent of the rebounds and 76.1 percent of the assists from the 2023-24 team.
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