2016–17 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games at Fifth Third Arena, with a capacity of 13,176. The season marked the final year prior to major renovations to Fifth Third Arena.^[1] The Bearcats were led by 11th-year head coach Mick Cronin and were members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 30–6, 16–2 to finish in second place in AAC play. They beat Tulsa and UConn in the AAC tournament before losing to SMU in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. They defeated No. 11-seeded Kansas State in the first round before losing to No. 3-seeded UCLA in the second round.

2016–17 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22
AP	No. 18
Record	30–6 (16–2 AAC)
Head coach	Mick Cronin (11th season)
Assistant coaches	Larry Davis (11th season) Antwon Jackson (5th season) Darren Savino (7th season)
Home arena	Fifth Third Arena
Seasons ← 2015–16 2017–18 →

2016–17 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 11 SMU †	17	–	1		.944			30	–	5		.857
No. 18 Cincinnati	16	–	2		.889			30	–	6		.833
Houston	12	–	6		.667			21	–	11		.656
UCF	11	–	7		.611			24	–	12		.667
Memphis	9	–	9		.500			19	–	13		.594
UConn	9	–	9		.500			16	–	17		.485
Tulsa	8	–	10		.444			15	–	17		.469
Temple	7	–	11		.389			16	–	16		.500
East Carolina	6	–	12		.333			15	–	18		.455
Tulane	3	–	15		.167			6	–	25		.194
South Florida	1	–	17		.056			7	–	23		.233
† 2017 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 22–11, 12–6 in AAC play to finish in a tie for third place in conference. They lost to UConn in four overtimes in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament. The Bearcats received an at-large bid as a No. 9 seed to the NCAA tournament where they lost to Saint Joseph's in the first round.

Preseason

At AAC Media Day, Cincinnati was picked to win the AAC regular season title and senior guard Troy Caupain was voted as AAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year. In addition, Gary Clark and Caupain were named to the Preseason All-AAC First Team.^[2]

Offseason

Departing players

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Octavius Ellis	2	F	6'10"	235	Senior	Memphis, Tennessee	Graduated
Farad Cobb	21	G	6'1"	170	Senior	West Palm Beach, Florida	Graduated
Coreontae DeBerry	22	C	6'9"	275	Senior	Holland, Michigan	Graduated
Shaq Thomas	24	F	6'7"	210	RS Senior	Paterson, New Jersey	Graduated

Incoming Transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Cane Broome	G	6'0"	170	Junior	East Hartford, CT	Transferred from Sacred Heart. Under NCAA transfer rules, Broome will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[3]

Recruiting class of 2016

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jarron Cumberland SG	Wilmington, Ohio	Wilmington High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jul 1, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (85)
Nysier Brooks C	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Life Center Academy	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Jun 30, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: NR    Rivals: NR    247Sports: 62    ESPN: 40
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Cincinnati 2016 Player Commits". ESPN. Retrieved June 30, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved June 30, 2016.

Recruiting class of 2017

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Trevor Moore SG	Houston, Texas	South Kent Prep	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 29, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (79)
Eliel Nsoseme C	Kinshasa, DR Congo	The RISE Centre Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 21, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Keith Williams SG	Brooklyn, New York	Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oct 4, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Cincinnati 2017 Player Commits". ESPN. Retrieved June 29, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

Roster

2016–17 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Quadri Moore 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Linden High School Linden, New Jersey G/F 1 Jacob Evans 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So St. Michael the Archangel High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana G 3 Justin Jenifer 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Milford Mill Academy Baltimore, Maryland G 10 Troy Caupain (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Cosby High School Midlothian, Virginia F 11 Gary Clark 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Clayton High School Clayton, North Carolina F 13 Trevon Scott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr McIntosh County Academy Darien, Georgia F 14 Jackson Bart (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Oral Roberts Bartlesville, Oklahoma G 15 Cane Broome  6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Sacred Heart East Hartford, Connecticut F 24 Kyle Washington 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr NC State Champlin, Minnesota G 25 Kevin Johnson (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Summit Country Day School Cincinnati, Ohio G 32 John Koz (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Bay High School Cleveland, Ohio C 33 Nysier Brooks 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Advanced Prep International Philadelphia, Pennsylvania G 34 Jarron Cumberland 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Fr Wilmington High School Wilmington, Ohio F 45 Zack Tobler (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Covington Catholic High School Fort Mitchell, Kentucky	Head coach Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) Assistant coach(es) Larry Davis (Asbury) Darren Savino (NJCU) Antwon Jackson (Pikeville) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: December 26, 2016

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Kyle Washington	Nysier Brooks	Quadri Moore
PF	Gary Clark	Trevon Scott	Jackson Bart
SF	Jacob Evans	Zack Tobler
SG	Kevin Johnson	Jarron Cumberland	John Koz
PG	Troy Caupain	Justin Jenifer

Source^[4]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2016* 7:00pm, BearcatsTV		Bellarmine	W 64–55		Fifth Third Arena (5,979) Cincinnati, OH
Regular Season
November 11, 2016* 7:00pm, ESPN3		Brown Hall of Fame Tip Off	W 84–55	1–0	Fifth Third Arena (6,504) Cincinnati, OH
November 14, 2016* 7:00pm, ESPNU	No. 24	Albany Hall of Fame Tip Off	W 74–51	2–0	Fifth Third Arena (5,864) Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2016* 3:00pm, ESPN3	No. 24	vs. No. 21 Rhode Island Hall of Fame Tip Off Semifinals	L 71–76	2–1	Mohegan Sun Arena (9,189) Uncasville, CT
November 20, 2016* 3:30pm, ESPN2	No. 24	vs. Penn State Hall of Fame Tip Off Consolation	W 71–50	3–1	Mohegan Sun Arena (9,119) Uncasville, CT
November 23, 2016* 7:00pm, ESPN3		Samford	W 70–55	4–1	Fifth Third Arena (7,422) Cincinnati, OH
November 26, 2016* 2:30pm, FS Ohio/ESPN3		Lipscomb	W 91–68	5–1	Fifth Third Arena (5,724) Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2016* 9:00pm, ESPN		at No. 19 Iowa State	W 55–54 OT	6–1	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA
December 4, 2016* 8:00pm, ESPNU		Bowling Green	W 85–56	7–1	Fifth Third Arena (7,162) Cincinnati, OH
December 10, 2016* 4:30pm, FS1	No. 22	at No. 16 Butler	L 65–75	7–2	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,176) Indianapolis, IN
December 13, 2016* 7:00pm, ESPN3	No. 25	Texas Southern	W 96–58	8–2	Fifth Third Arena (6,612) Cincinnati, OH
December 17, 2016* 2:30pm, FS Ohio/ESPN3	No. 25	Fairleigh Dickinson	W 119–68	9–2	Fifth Third Arena (7,017) Cincinnati, OH
December 22, 2016* 7:00pm, CBSSN	No. 24	Marshall	W 93–91 OT	10–2	Fifth Third Arena (10,540) Cincinnati, OH
December 28, 2016 9:00pm, ESPNU	No. 23	at Temple	W 56–50	11–2 (1–0)	Liacouras Center (5,478) Philadelphia, PA
January 1, 2017 7:00pm, CBSSN	No. 23	Tulane	W 92–56	12–2 (2–0)	Fifth Third Arena (10,328) Cincinnati, OH
January 7, 2017 9:00pm, ESPNU	No. 22	at Houston	W 67–58	13–2 (3–0)	Hofheinz Pavilion (4,875) Houston, TX
January 12, 2017 9:00pm, ESPN	No. 22	SMU	W 66–64	14–2 (4–0)	Fifth Third Arena (11,344) Cincinnati, OH
January 15, 2017 4:00pm, CBSSN	No. 22	at East Carolina	W 55–46	15–2 (5–0)	Williams Arena (4,597) Greenville, NC
January 18, 2017 7:00pm, CBSSN	No. 20	Temple	W 81–74	16–2 (6–0)	Fifth Third Arena (10,718) Cincinnati, OH
January 21, 2017 4:00pm, CBSSN	No. 20	at Tulane	W 78–61	17–2 (7–0)	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,001) New Orleans, LA
January 26, 2017* 7:00pm, ESPN2	No. 19	No. 24 Xavier Crosstown Shootout	W 86–78	18–2	Fifth Third Arena (13,477) Cincinnati, OH
January 29, 2017 4:00pm, CBSSN	No. 19	South Florida	W 94–53	19–2 (8–0)	Fifth Third Arena (12,576) Cincinnati, OH
February 1, 2017 9:00pm, CBSSN	No. 14	at Tulsa	W 57–55	20–2 (9–0)	Reynolds Center (5,002) Tulsa, OK
February 4, 2017 4:00pm, ESPN2	No. 14	UConn	W 82–68	21–2 (10–0)	Fifth Third Arena (13,428) Cincinnati, OH
February 8, 2017 9:00pm, ESPNU	No. 11	UCF	W 60–50	22–2 (11–0)	Fifth Third Arena (9,510) Cincinnati, OH
February 12, 2017 4:00pm, ESPN	No. 11	at No. 25 SMU	L 51–60	22–3 (11–1)	Moody Coliseum (7,518) University Park, TX
February 15, 2017 7:00pm, ESPNU	No. 18	at South Florida	W 68–54	23–3 (12–1)	USF Sun Dome (2,679) Tampa, FL
February 18, 2017 12:00pm, ESPNU	No. 18	Tulsa	W 80–60	24–3 (13–1)	Fifth Third Arena (13,386) Cincinnati, OH
February 23, 2017 7:00pm, ESPN	No. 15	Memphis Rivalry	W 87–74	25–3 (14–1)	Fifth Third Arena (12,787) Cincinnati, OH
February 26, 2017 3:00pm, CBSSN	No. 15	at UCF	L 49–53	25–4 (14–2)	CFE Arena (5,763) Orlando, FL
March 2, 2017 7:00pm, ESPN2	No. 18	Houston	W 65–47	26–4 (15–2)	Fifth Third Arena (13,176) Cincinnati, OH
March 5, 2017 12:00pm, CBS	No. 18	at UConn	W 67–47	27–4 (16–2)	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,331) Storrs, CT
AAC Tournament
March 10, 2017 7:00pm, ESPNU	(2) No. 15	vs. (7) Tulsa Quarterfinals	W 80–61	28–4	XL Center (7,365) Hartford, CT
March 11, 2017 5:35pm, ESPN2	(2) No. 15	vs. (6) Connecticut Semifinals	W 81–71	29–4	XL Center (8,117) Hartford, CT
March 12, 2017 3:15pm, ESPN	(2) No. 15	vs. (1) No. 12 SMU Championship	L 56–71	29–5	XL Center (6,856) Hartford, CT
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2017* 7:27pm, truTV	(6 S) No. 18	vs. (11 S) Kansas State First Round	W 75–61	30–5	Golden 1 Center (16,514) Sacramento, CA
March 19, 2017* 9:40pm, TBS	(6 S) No. 18	vs. (3 S) No. 8 UCLA Second Round	L 67–79	30–6	Golden 1 Center (16,774) Sacramento, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: [5]

Awards and milestones

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

• Sixth Man Award: Jarron Cumberland^[6]
• Sportsmanship Award: Troy Caupain^[6]

All-AAC Second Team

• Troy Caupain^[6]
• Kyle Washington^[6]

All-Rookie Team

• Jarron Cumberland^[6]

Player of the Week

• Week 4: Kyle Washington^[6]
• Week 7: Gary Clark^[6]
• Week 12: Jarron Cumberland^[6]

Rookie of the Week

• Week 6: Jarron Cumberland^[6]
• Week 8: Jarron Cumberland^[6]
• Week 17: Jarron Cumberland^[6]

Rankings

Main article: 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	RV	24	RV	RV	22	25	24	24	23	22	20	19	14	11	18	15	18	15	18	Not released
Coaches'	25	25	RV	RV	23	23	23	23	23	22	20	19	14	11	17	16	20	18	16	22

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings