Release today from UC:
Cincinnati (20-10, 13-5 American) has earned a share of the 2020 American Athletic Conference men's basketball regular-season championship and received the top seed in this week’s AAC Championship, March 12-15, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
UC will face the winner of Thursday’s first-round matchup between No. 8 seed UCF and No. 9 seed USF in Friday’s quarterfinal round at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Bearcats compiled a 13-5 league record, winning 10 of their final 13 conference games to share the regular-season crown with No. 2 seed Houston and No. 3 seed Tulsa.
UC received the top seed as the result of a tiebreaker in which the Bearcats owned the highest win percentage (.666/2-1) in a three-team mini conference with the Cougars (.500/2-2) and the Golden Hurricane (.333/1-2).
UC wrapped up conference play Saturday with a 64-63 comeback win over Temple on Senior Night at Fifth Third Arena. Houston defeated Memphis, 64-57, at home on Sunday and Tulsa dropped a 79-57 decision at Wichita State on Sunday to create the three-way tie for first.
The regular-season title is Cincinnati's 29th in program history and third in seven seasons in the AAC, sharing the 2014 crown with Louisville and claiming the 2018 title outright. It also marks the third time UC has entered the AAC Tournament as the top seed.
John Brannen becomes the fifth UC coach to win a regular-season conference title in his first year leading the program, joining Frank Rice (1929 - Buckeye Athletic Association), John Wiethe (1947 – Mid-American Conference); Ed Jucker (1961 - Missouri Valley) and Tay Baker (1966 – Missouri Valley Conference).
// BEARCATS GO FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE TOURNAMENT TITLE
Cincinnati looks to defend back-to-back AAC Tournament championships this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. The Bearcats defeated Houston in the championship game at each of the last two events, posting a 69-57 victory at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., last season and outlasting the Cougars, 56-55, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., to claim the event in 2018.
In fact, the Bearcats have played in the last three league tournament championship games, falling to SMU, 71-56, in 2017 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
In all, UC has won two AAC Tournament titles, played in three tournament championship games and advanced to the semifinals four times in the six-year history of the event.
Cincinnati owns a 9-4 record all-time at the AAC Tournament, having won six in a row. Bearcats opponents at the event have included UCF (1-0), UConn (1-3), Houston (2-0), Memphis (1-0), SMU (2-1), Tulsa (1-0) and Wichita State (1-0).
The school record for most consecutive league tournament titles is five when the Bearcats won the Great Midwest Conference tournament crown during all four years of the league (1992-95) before winning the 1996 Conference USA tournament title during their first year in the league.
UC has won 12 league tournament titles in its history: Metro Conference (two: 1976-77); Great Midwest Conference (four: 1992-95); Conference USA (four: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004) and AAC (two: 2018-19).
// POSSIBLE OPPONENTS
UC split a pair of matchups with UCF during the regular season with the road team winning both games. UC posted a 68-54 victory in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 11 before the Knights answered with an 89-87 double overtime win on Feb. 19 at Fifth Third Arena.
UC owns a 12-3 lead in its series with UCF, including a 61-58 win in the quarterfinals of the 2014 AAC Tournament.
UC won its lone matchup with USF this season, claiming a 79-67 comeback win in Tampa, Fla., on Mar. 3. It marked UC's 11th consecutive win in the series.
The Bearcats own a 34-8 advantage in the USF series overall. The two teams have never met in the AAC Tournament. UC claimed an 87-61 win over the Bulls in the second round of the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament.
Cincinnati (20-10, 13-5 American) has earned a share of the 2020 American Athletic Conference men's basketball regular-season championship and received the top seed in this week’s AAC Championship, March 12-15, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
UC will face the winner of Thursday’s first-round matchup between No. 8 seed UCF and No. 9 seed USF in Friday’s quarterfinal round at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Bearcats compiled a 13-5 league record, winning 10 of their final 13 conference games to share the regular-season crown with No. 2 seed Houston and No. 3 seed Tulsa.
UC received the top seed as the result of a tiebreaker in which the Bearcats owned the highest win percentage (.666/2-1) in a three-team mini conference with the Cougars (.500/2-2) and the Golden Hurricane (.333/1-2).
UC wrapped up conference play Saturday with a 64-63 comeback win over Temple on Senior Night at Fifth Third Arena. Houston defeated Memphis, 64-57, at home on Sunday and Tulsa dropped a 79-57 decision at Wichita State on Sunday to create the three-way tie for first.
The regular-season title is Cincinnati's 29th in program history and third in seven seasons in the AAC, sharing the 2014 crown with Louisville and claiming the 2018 title outright. It also marks the third time UC has entered the AAC Tournament as the top seed.
John Brannen becomes the fifth UC coach to win a regular-season conference title in his first year leading the program, joining Frank Rice (1929 - Buckeye Athletic Association), John Wiethe (1947 – Mid-American Conference); Ed Jucker (1961 - Missouri Valley) and Tay Baker (1966 – Missouri Valley Conference).
// BEARCATS GO FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE TOURNAMENT TITLE
Cincinnati looks to defend back-to-back AAC Tournament championships this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. The Bearcats defeated Houston in the championship game at each of the last two events, posting a 69-57 victory at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., last season and outlasting the Cougars, 56-55, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., to claim the event in 2018.
In fact, the Bearcats have played in the last three league tournament championship games, falling to SMU, 71-56, in 2017 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
In all, UC has won two AAC Tournament titles, played in three tournament championship games and advanced to the semifinals four times in the six-year history of the event.
Cincinnati owns a 9-4 record all-time at the AAC Tournament, having won six in a row. Bearcats opponents at the event have included UCF (1-0), UConn (1-3), Houston (2-0), Memphis (1-0), SMU (2-1), Tulsa (1-0) and Wichita State (1-0).
The school record for most consecutive league tournament titles is five when the Bearcats won the Great Midwest Conference tournament crown during all four years of the league (1992-95) before winning the 1996 Conference USA tournament title during their first year in the league.
UC has won 12 league tournament titles in its history: Metro Conference (two: 1976-77); Great Midwest Conference (four: 1992-95); Conference USA (four: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004) and AAC (two: 2018-19).
// POSSIBLE OPPONENTS
UC split a pair of matchups with UCF during the regular season with the road team winning both games. UC posted a 68-54 victory in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 11 before the Knights answered with an 89-87 double overtime win on Feb. 19 at Fifth Third Arena.
UC owns a 12-3 lead in its series with UCF, including a 61-58 win in the quarterfinals of the 2014 AAC Tournament.
UC won its lone matchup with USF this season, claiming a 79-67 comeback win in Tampa, Fla., on Mar. 3. It marked UC's 11th consecutive win in the series.
The Bearcats own a 34-8 advantage in the USF series overall. The two teams have never met in the AAC Tournament. UC claimed an 87-61 win over the Bulls in the second round of the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament.
