Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Cincinnati (Projected: 7th in Big 12)
Taking Cincinnati into the Big 12, Wes Miller led the Bearcats to a solid first season in the conference, finishing 22-15 (7-11). The Bearcats will have a large portion of last year’s core back for 2024-25, and year four could finally be the year Wes Miller reaches the tournament at Cincinnati. It won’t be easy in a stacked Big 12, but the Bearcats have the experience and talent to make it happen.
Eight players are back from last year’s roster for Cincinnati, including three starters. Even though he wasn’t a primary starter last season, junior wing Dan Skillings Jr. (13 ppg, 6 rpg) is also back after leading the team in scoring. Skillings improved his shooting numbers last year as a sophomore, and his elite athleticism shined even brighter throughout the course of the campaign. He’s a guy that could be first team All-Big 12 depending on how the Bearcats fare in Big 12 play. Aziz Bandaogo (7 ppg, 7 rpg) started 26 of 29 games for Cincinnati and will be another key piece for the Bearcats this season. At 7-0, Bandaogo gives the Bearcats lineup a perfect balance, primarily seen as a rim protector and glass cleaner in the Cincinnati frontcourt. Redshirt freshman Rayvon Griffth (Redshirt) will also return, a highly touted recruit in the 2023 class and another athletic guy on the wing at 6-7.
The guys returning in the backcourt for the Bearcats should bring some excitement as well, highlighted by veteran sharpshooter Simas Lukosius (12 ppg). Lukosius transferred in from Butler last offseason and had an instant impact as an elite floor spacer (38.5% 3P) while showing high-level guard skills at 6-8. Guards Day Day Thomas (10 ppg) and Jizzle James (9 ppg) should both see heavy time at point guard for the Bearcats. Thomas is somewhat of an inefficient scorer himself but provides well for others and is also a pest on the defensive side of the ball. James showed flashes of potential all throughout his freshman season, finally breaking through in the NIT with back-to-back 20+ point games. If he can get anywhere close to that level consistently as a sophomore, Cincinnati should be one of the scarier teams to go against in the Big 12. CJ Fredrick (6 ppg) could be another important piece for the Bearcats, an elite shooter (41.3% 3P Career) who missed all but 15 games last season due to injury. Josh Reed (2 ppg) is the final returner for the Bearcats, a 6-7 wing who saw limited minutes last season as a sophomore.
Cincinnati lost four players this offseason, three to graduation and one to the transfer portal. Seniors John Newman III (9 ppg, 5 rpg), Jamille Reynolds (6 ppg, 4 rpg), and Ody Oguama (2 ppg) all exhausted their eligibility. Forward Viktor Lakhin (9 ppg, 6 rpg) was the man who left in the transfer portal, taking his talents to Clemson.
Three transfers enter the ranks at Cincinnati this offseason, most notably Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell (10 ppg, 8 rpg at Texas). Mitchell comes in after two solid years at Texas, showing off his elite athleticism all throughout the past two seasons. Mitchell will give the Bearcats a huge boost on the glass and on the defensive side of the ball, also proving to be an efficient offensive piece when needed. With Mitchell next to Bandaogo in the frontcourt, the Bearcats should have one of the top defensive frontcourts in the Big 12, and one that can hang with the best in the conference.
Connor Hickman (15 ppg at Bradley) and Arrinten Page (3 ppg at USC) are the other two transfers, both likely contributing to the depth of Cincinnati’s bench. Hickman will add to the experience and shooting in the backcourt, shooting 40.2% from three last season at Bradley as a junior. Page transfers into Cincinnati after a slightly disappointing freshman year at USC, though no one on that team reached the level they were supposed to. The Bearcats didn’t lose an abundance of players this offseason, but it was important for Wes Miller to go out and get guys that could contribute right away with how the rest of the roster stood.
Two incoming freshmen complete the roster for Miller’s fourth season at Cincinnati. Tyler Betsey (4*, NAT 49) will fill in the depth at the three and four spots for the Bearcats, a guy that could have similar growth to Dan Skillings Jr. in his future, perhaps maybe with even more shooting upside. Tyler McKinley (4*, NAT 73) stands at 6-9 and gives the Bearcats another option at the four-spot as a good floor spacer. Both Betsey and McKinley have the talent to contribute as freshmen, but will both see a much bigger spotlight in the years to come around if they stick around in Cincinnati.
Per KenPom rank, Cincinnati’s best season yet under Wes Miller was last season, the first in the Big 12. Now at a power conference school, Miller has done his best to land power conference level recruits, securing two top 100 players in back-to-back classes now. Heading into year four, it’s important to match on-court success with recruiting success, and the Bearcats reaching the NCAA Tournament this season should be seen as an expectation rather than a goal in my eyes.
Compared to the rest of the country, Cincinnati underwent little change to the roster and rotation, with most of the incoming players seen as near-perfect replacements for the guys that left. My X-factor for this team is the guy I think has the chance to raise this team’s ceiling the highest, sophomore guard Jizzle James. As mentioned earlier, James had a fantastic end to his freshman campaign, and if that’s any sign on how his sophomore year will go, I want to buy my stock now.
The Big 12 is set to have eight top 35 teams in my eyes, and Cincinnati is most definitely a part of that. Wes Miller has put together a roster with enough experience, talent, and shooting to compete at the top of the Big 12 and even make a run in the NCAA Tournament. I’ve got the Bearcats placed at 7th in the Big 12, just ahead of Kansas State and right behind Texas Tech.