| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2019–20 |
| Team: | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| Conference: | American Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | American |
| Record: | 20–10 |
| Conf Record: | 13–5 |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Ac1 Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach2: | Sean Dwyer |
| Ac2 Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach3: | Tim Morris |
| Ac3 Year: | 1st |
| Champion: | AAC regular season co-champions |
The 2019–20 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats were led by first-year head-coach John Brannen. The team played their home games at Fifth Third Arena as members of the American Athletic Conference.
The Bearcats finished the 2018–19 season 28–7, 14–4 in AAC play, finishing in second place. They defeated SMU, Wichita State, and No. 1 seed Houston to win the AAC tournament for the second consecutive year, and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the South region, they were upset by No. 10 seed Iowa in the first round. After the conclusion of the NCAA tournament, head coach Mick Cronin accepted the head-coaching position at UCLA.[1] John Brannen, the head coach at nearby Northern Kentucky, would be hired to replace Cronin.[2] In the transition, UC lost G/F Rashawn Fredericks and C Nysier Brooks - both of whom would've both been seniors. They also lost sophomore guard Logan Johnson and backup PF Eliel Nsoseme. Incoming freshman and Ohio's Mr. Basketball in 2019, Samari Curtis, also de-committed. Jarron Cumberland announced he would test the waters to enter the 2019 NBA draft on April 20, 2019.[3] On May 27, Cumberland announced he would return for his senior season.[4]
Despite the deluge of transfers, Brannen was able to inspire a late-season recruiting renaissance, as he moved quickly to land Jeremiah Davenport, Chris Vogt, Mika Adams-Woods, Chris McNeal, Jaume Sorolla, and Jaevin Cumberland (in that order) - with the latter four commitments transpiring in under one week's time. It is worth noting that, at the time of the final scholarship being fulfilled, both Logan Johnson and Eliel Nsoseme were still in the transfer protocol and technically "could" return to UC; this series of signings effectively locked in their transfer from the program.
After all the dust settled, UC would have a final transfer enter the portal in redshirt Freshman LaQuill Hardnett. His spot would be filled shortly thereafter by the highest rated recruit of the 2019 class, Zach Harvey. Entering this season, new scholarship players would now outnumber returning players 7-6.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Johnson | 0 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Mountain View, California | Transferred to Saint Mary's[5] | ||
| Justin Jenifer | 3 | G | 5'10" | 175 | Baltimore, Maryland | Graduated | ||
| Rashawn Fredericks | 10 | G/F | 6'5" | 200 | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | Transferred to UAB[6] | ||
| LaQuill Hardnett | 11 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Buffalo[7] | ||
| Cane Broome | 15 | G | 6'0" | 165 | East Hartford, Connecticut | Graduated | ||
| Eliel Nsoseme | 22 | F/C | 6'9" | 225 | Kinshasa, DR Congo | Transferred to Georgia State[8] | ||
| Nysier Brooks | 33 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Miami (FL)[9] |
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Vogt | C | 240 | Transferred from Northern Kentucky. Vogt was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[10] | ||||
| Chris McNeal | PG | 195 | Transferred from Tennessee Tech after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[11] | ||||
| Jaume Sorolla | C | 240 | Transferred from Valparaiso after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[12] | ||||
| Jaevin Cumberland | SG | 185 | Transferred from Oakland after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[13] Cousin of guard Jarron Cumberland. |
The AAC media poll was released on October 14, 2019, with the Bearcats predicted to finish third in the AAC.[14]
| Media poll | |||
| 1 | Houston | 113 (7) | |
| 2 | Memphis | 113 (4) | |
| 3 | Cincinnati | 94 (1) | |
| 4 | Wichita State | 88 | |
| 5 | USF | 79 | |
| 6 | UConn | 75 | |
| 7 | Temple | 72 | |
| 8 | SMU | 47 | |
| 9 | UCF | 40 | |
| 10 | Tulsa | 36 | |
| 11 | East Carolina | 20 | |
| 12 | Tulane | 15 | |
American Athletic Conference[15]
Sporting News[16]
Source[21]
The Bearcats traveled to in-state rival Ohio State to open the season for the second part of a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes. The Bearcats also began a home-and-home series with Tennessee beginning in the 2019–2020 season in Cincinnati. Tennessee visited Fifth Third Arena on December 18, 2019.[22] The Bearcats traveled to Chicago to take on Iowa in the Chicago Legends event.[23] Cincinnati traveled to the Virgin Islands to compete in the Paradise Jam tournament where they finished in third-place.[24]
|-!colspan=12 style=|Exhibition|-|-!colspan=12 style=| Non-conference regular season|-|-!colspan=12 style=| AAC Regular Season|-|-!colspan=12 style=| AAC Tournament
See main article: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings