KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cincinnati Bearcats knew their NCAA Tournament bubble was on the verge of bursting with every game they played in Kansas City.
Well, the bubble burst on Wednesday. The Bearcats (18-15) lost to the UCF Knights (21-10), 66-65, in overtime, which likely ends any hope of Cincinnati going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Wes Miller.
Still, Miller stumped for his team.
Wes Miller’s Cincinnati Case
“If it’s about the best teams at this point, we’re one of the best teams in the country,” Miller said. We’re an NCAA Tournament team. If it’s about overall resume then you can make a different argument.”
The NCAA Tournament committee is unlikely to agree.
“Heartbroken for our players. Absolutely heartbroken,” he said about the loss.
The game went to overtime after UCF erased a 10-point deficit in the final four minutes and the Bearcats failed to convert a 3-pointer at the buzzer to break the tie and advance to overtime. There, the Knights outscored the Bearcats, 8-7.
Cincinnati and Bracketology
At the start of Wednesday’s games, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi Cincinnati as one of the first four teams out. In fact, he had the Bearcats as the fourth team out of the tournament. Cincinnati played its way onto the bubble with a strong finish to the season, as the Bearcats went 6-2 in their final eight Big 12 Conference games. That included a huge upset of then-No. 8 Kansas on the road.
Lunardi also said at the start of the Big 12 Tournament that Cincinnati likely needed to win three games at the Big 12 Tournament to have a chance.
That’s because the margins are narrow at this time of year. Among the last four teams in and the first four teams out per Lunardi, the Bearcats have the sixth-best NET ranking among the eight at 46. More notable is the Bearcats’ wins above bubble (WAB), which is 60. That’s the last ranking among the eight teams.
Had the Bearcats won, more ground could have been made up. SMU, which is inside the bubble right now, lost to Louisville in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday. Auburn, which is the first team out, won its SEC Tournament game on Wednesday over Mississippi State. Another team outside the bubble, Stanford, lost its ACC Tournament opener on Tuesday.
Little of that matters now for the Bearcats. Miller and his team will wait to see what non-NCAA Tournament postseason tournament they end up in. It will most likely be the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. The Big 12 is obligated to send its two best non-NCAA Tournament teams to the event. The Bearcats played in the event last year. This year’s event will only feature eight teams.
Cincinnati is the highest-rated Big 12 team in NCAA NET that is unlikely to go to the NCAA Tournament as of Wednesday.
