Cincinnati Bearcats basketball’s Top 25 tumble: How could so many experts be wrong?

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Before Halloween, the highly touted University of Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball team demonstrably routed Ohio State 80-62 in a charity exhibition. Though it didn’t count, Wes Miller’s newly formed team drew “oohs and ahs” at Fifth Third Arena.

It didn’t matter that it didn’t count and it didn’t hurt that it was the first win over the Buckeyes since the back-to-back national championships of 1961 and 1962. UC would win its first seven regular-season games before falling at Villanova Dec. 3 minus Dan Skillings Jr. They would improve to 10-1 by the end of the month with a come-from-behind Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout win (Miller’s first) and a victory over then-No. 22 Dayton at Heritage Bank Center.

A curious Big 12 conference opener followed Dec. 30 at Kansas State, a 70-67 loss where the Wildcats led for over 35 of the 40 minutes. Still, UC entered the new year ranked No. 16.

UC began the new year at Fifth Third Arena with a five-point loss to Arizona Jan. 4. UC trailed by 13 at halftime, then tied the game with 58 seconds left on a Dan Skillings Jr. layup. The Wildcats outscored them 6-3 from there for the win.

The Bearcats have since lost seven of their last nine, the last being a discombobulated effort at Fifth Third Arena which saw them down 15 points at halftime against a West Virginia team they were favored to beat. An arena full of optimism just a few months ago was sour with boos when UC was down 13 late in the first half after a timeout and again with less than seven minutes to play when the Mountaineers went up by 22 as a 29% three-point shooter sank his fourth triple in a row.

The Bearcats had an 8-0 non-conference record against seven cupcakes and Xavier. They are 1-4 at home in the Big 12 and ranked 15th out of 16 teams in the league, where they were picked sixth.

How many college basketball experts missed on Cincinnati Bearcats?

Given the current data, all of them. Truth be told, my Enquirer projections missed the mark like a clanked free throw.

Associated…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cincinnati-bearcats-basketballs-top-25-052017019.html

Author : The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-02-04 05:20:00

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