13-6… But Sleepers in March?
Photo Credit: Albert Cesare, The Enquirer / USA TODAY
The Cincinnati Bearcats (13-6) recently suffered a close 69-74 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks (16-3), and while it drops the Bearcats to 12th place in the Big 12 Conference, the loss is a surefire sign that Wes Miller’s squad could be a team to look out in the coming months.
Photo Credit: Albert Cesare, The Enquirer / USA TODAY
Though Cincinnati’s 13-6 record is widely unappealing, digging deeper into those losses reveals that the Bearcats’ record is an inaccurate representation of the team’s potential.
As a predictable byproduct of shifting to one of the most competitive conferences in the field of men’s college basketball, the Bearcats played six ranked teams back-to-back-to-back, with that stretch starting on January sixth against the Brigham Young Cougars. In those six matchups against ranked opponents, the Bearcats went 2-4, with respectable wins against the aforementioned Brigham Young and the Texas Christian Horned Frogs. Over those four losses, their average margin of loss is a shocking 2.6.
Photo Credit: Albert Cesare, The Enquirer / USA TODAY
Using the most recent Associated Press rankings, the Bearcats still have five ranked opponents on their schedule, including playing 20th ranked Texas Tech, fourth ranked Houston, and 11th ranked Oklahoma on the road, while playing Houston and the 23rd ranked Iowa State Cyclones at home.
The Bearcats currently sit at 38th in the all-important NET Rankings, according to the official NCAA Website and 33rd on kenpom.com, another set of rankings widely used in the college basketball world.
