Is it time for Cincinnati men’s basketball coach Wes Miller to deliver the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament?
Considered one of the best young coaches in the game when he was hired away from UNC-Greensboro, he’s built a solid, competitive program at Cincinnati. But it hasn’t yet yielded an NCAA Tournament berth. Entering his fifth year, that’s the obvious goal. Does he have the roster to get there?
Here is a preview of the 2025-26 season for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Cincinnati Bearcats
2024-25: 19-16, 7-13 in Big 12, tied for 11th place. Reached second round of Big 12 Tournament. Reached second round of College Basketball Crown.
Head coach: Wes Miller is entering his fifth season with the Bearcats he is 82-59 in four seasons, with two NIT appearances and a CBC appearance, but no NCAA Tournament bids. Before that he spent a decade at UNC Greensboro.
Big 12 history: Cincinnati is entering its third year in the Big 12. It has not won a regular season or tournament title. It is 14-24 in league action in two seasons.
2025-26 Schedule: Click here for the full Big 12 men’s schedule.
Cincinnati 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: G Jizzle James (12.7 PPG), G Simas Lukosius (10.3 PPG), F Dillon Mitchell (9.9 PPG), F Dan Skillings Jr. (9.2 PPG), C Aziz Bandaogo (7.4 PPG), G Josh Reed (4.8 PPG), G Connor Hickman (4.3 PPG), F Arrinten Page (3.5 PPG), F Tyler Betsey (3.3 PPG), G/F Rayvon Griffith (1.9 PPG), G CJ Fredrick Jr. (1.3 PPG), G JJ Rembert
Returning: G Day Day Thomas (10.2 PPG), F Halvine Dzellat (0.6 PPG), F Tyler McKinley (redshirt)
Incoming transfers: F Jalen Haynes (14.1 PPG at George Mason), F Baba Miller (11.3 PPG at Florida Atlantic), C Moustapha Thiam (10.4 PPG at UCF), F Jalen Celestine (7.1 PPG at Baylor), G Sencire Harris (5.9 PPG at West Virginia), G Kerr Kriisa (4.4 PPG at Kentucky), G Grant Darbyshire (at Kentucky in 2024-25).
Incoming freshmen: G Shon Abaev (No. 26 in ESPN 100), G Keyshuan Tillery (No. 51 in ESPN 100), G Bryson Buckingham, G Lucas Atauri, G Jordi Rodriguez
Projected Starting Lineup
G Day Day Thomas: The only experienced returning player should start.
G Kerr Kriisa: He’s a better scorer than what he showed at Kentucky last season.
F Jalen Haynes: The George Mason prospect is the highest scoring player on the roster from last season.
F Baba Miller: The FAU star averaged more than 11 points last year.
C Moustapha Thiam: Miller likes mobile big men and Thaim, all 7-foot-2 of him, fits the bill.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Shon Abaev and G Keyshuan Tillery: Two of the top prospects in the country will get a chance to play and one could crack the starting lineup by January.
Lineup Competition
This is basically a new team, aside from Thomas, who will be the connective tissue for the program. Miller has gravitated toward length in his starting lineup, which is why it’s entirely possible he’ll start the season with three forwards on the floor with Thomas and Kriisa. One shouldn’t rule out Harris making a run at a starting spot or the two freshmen forcing some difficult choices. There is good depth on paper, but the dismissal of Jizzle James in the offseason left a gaping hole in the backcourt that is going to take time to sort out.
Early Prediction
This feels like a make-or-break year for Miller, a respected young coach who did great things at UNCG but has yet to make Cincinnati a real player in the Big 12. This team feels like another that will sit around .500 for the bulk of the league slate. Whether the Bearcats get above .500 will be dependent on the development of the young guards and whether there the forward rotation sorts out in a way that produces more offense.
