One more exhibition for Cincinnati Bearcats before season opener

After the Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball team plays Oakland University on Oct. 27, they’ll have six days until the 2026-27 season starts for real on Monday, Nov. 2, against American University.

The Bearcats have had an exhibition win outdoors at the Lindner Tennis Center over Ohio State, then lost to another Big Ten team when Illinois defeated them at Fifth Third Arena Oct. 17.

Advertisement

Now, after two Big Ten practice games, Jerrod Calhoun puts his Big 12 team against the Golden Grizzlies from the Horizon League. Why play Oakland?

There’s a method to Calhoun’s madness.

“You say, ‘Ah, it’s just Oakland!'” Calhoun said. “Well, Oakland beat Kentucky a few years ago. At the end of the day, everything you do is strategically planned. Oakland’s going to sit in a zone the entire 40 minutes. I want to see zone live. That’s why we play Oakland, and he (coach Greg Kampe) is a good friend.”

Calhoun snares another player from Akron for Bearcats

Based on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s executive order, Amani Lyles, a four-year player from Akron, has eligibility. As long as that stands, Lyles, like MJ Collins, has a fifth year, which he will play for the UC Bearcats. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Lyles averaged 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game at Akron, where he was a teammate of current Bearcat Eric Mahaffey, last season. Lyles had 26 points in Akron’s NCAA tournament loss to Big 12 member Texas Tech.

Advertisement

‘Calhoun Street’ documentary on Cincinnati Bearcats basketball comes to ESPN+

The Bearcats released a trailer last week of what 4th Floor Creative has put together during September and October. Jerrod Calhoun announced at the preseason basketball banquet that his first Bearcats team would be featured in an ESPN+ documentary. The title is ‘Calhoun Street’.

“We’ve got to wake this city up!” Calhoun says in the trailer. “I’m here to wake this city up!”

After this dress rehearsal, the lights come on for real.

Buy Cincinnati Bearcats tickets

1 / 13

Cincinnati Bearcats basketball head…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/one-more-exhibition-cincinnati-bearcats-141710660.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-26 14:17:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.