Cincinnati looking to save season, faces Oklahoma State

Field Level Media|published: Fri 7th March, 20:22 2025

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jizzle James (2) attempts to drive past Kansas State Wildcats guard Max Jones (2) in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Kansas State Wildcats, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati ends its regular season on the road Saturday against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, and while the campaign took a disappointing turn in Big 12 play for Wes Miller's Bearcats, the coach received a vote of confidence from his boss late Thursday.

John Cunningham, the school's athletic director, confirmed to the Cincinnati Enquirer that Miller would return for a fifth season with the Bearcats (17-13, 7-12 Big 12). That came after fans called for a coaching change.

Cincinnati started 10-1 and was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2018-19. That was also the last time the Bearcats made the NCAA Tournament. Getting there this year will likely require winning next week's Big 12 Tournament.

"I believe in Wes, and I trust him to get this program back to where it's supposed to be -- in the NCAA Tournament, competing for championships," Cunningham said.

The Bearcats' offense has been inconsistent throughout conference play. They enjoyed a three-game winning streak last month averaging 87.3 points a game, but they also failed to break 50 in three losses. That includes a 54-49 defeat Wednesday to Kansas State in the home finale.

Sophomore guard Jizzle James' 12.7-point scoring average leads the Bearcats. He scored 10 in Wednesday's loss.

The Cowboys (14-16, 6-13) have also been inconsistent in the conference. They went 0-10 on the road, capped by Wednesday's 83-70 loss to UCF. However, their home wins include a 74-68 defeat of then-No. 9 Iowa State on Feb. 25.

Saturday will be the last home game for guard Bryce Thompson. The fifth-year senior leads the Cowboys, averaging 12.3 points per game. He scored just four in Wednesday's loss, playing only 14 minutes because of foul trouble.

First-year coach Steve Lutz said after Wednesday's loss that he hopes the team will play strong for the nine seniors and graduate students on the roster.

"We took a lot of one-year transfers with this group in our first recruiting class, and I'd like to think that they're going to band together and make sure that we send them out the right way," the coach said.

--Field Level Media