Cincinnati Bearcats: 30-4, 16-2 in the American Athletic Conference
Head coach: Mick Cronin (12th season)
Players to watch: Jacob Evans (12.9 PPG, 38.2 3PT%); Gary Clark (12.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG); Kyle Washington (11.3 PPG, 1.4 BPG)
Season recap: When you think of defensive powerhouses, Cincinnati isn’t the first team that comes to mind—or maybe even the 30th.
But this year, the Bearcats continued their recent ascent as a defensive power, ranking second in the nation in KenPom.com's defensive efficiency en route to what could be the most wins in program history—if they make a deep run. Cincinnati’s defense has few holes—it’s the second-best in the nation in shooting percentage allowed inside the arc, and No. 11 from downtown.
But a lack of quality wins has cast a shadow of doubt over the Bearcats all season. They got thrashed by Xavier early in the season and fell to then-No. 5 Florida, and are 2-3 against ranked teams this season. Cincinnati cruised through conference play and downed then-No. 11 Wichita State on the road to clinch the conference title March 4, but has just the 89th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to Pomeroy.
The Bearcats don’t have one standout scorer, but get a lot of second chances as one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation. A 6-foot-8 forward, Clark leads the way on the glass for Cincinnati, averaging nearly a double-double.
How they make a run: Cincinnati’s defense travels and prevents it from being vulnerable to early upsets, propelling it deep into the tournament. The Bearcat offense gets hot from deep and gets past some shooting woes that plagued it in the AAC tournament.
How they falter: Cincy’s lack of experience on the big stage catches up with it, and its offense stalls en route to an early exit.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.