Cincinnati Bearcats
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #32
Conference Rank: #2 American
After 13 successful seasons, Cincinnati has to replace Coach Mick Cronin, who left for UCLA. The Bearcats went out and nabbed John Brannen from Northern Kentucky. Coach Brannen did a magnificent job at NKU and should continue the success at Cincinnati. Cincinnati may have lost their coach, but they did not lose Jarron Cumberland, who opted to return for his senior season. Cumberland was the AAC Player of the Year last season after averaging 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. With Cumberland leading the way, the Bearcats should be able to reach their tenth straight NCAA Tournament.
2018-19 Record: 28-7, 14-4
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: John Brannen
Coach Record: 0-0 at Cincinnati, 82-52 overall
Key Departed Players:
Justin Jenifer, Guard, 8.6 ppg
Nysier Brooks, Center, 8.1 ppg
Cane Broome, Guard, 8.3 ppg
Rasha Fredericks, Guard/Forward, 2.3 ppg
Logan Johnson, Guard, 2.0 ppg
Eliel Nsoseme, Forward/Center, 1.3 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Jarron Cumberland, Senior, Guard, 18.8 ppg
Keith Williams, Junior, Guard, 9.9 ppg
Tre Scott, Senior, Forward, 9.3 ppg
Trevor Moore, Junior, Guard, 2.3 ppg
Mamoudou Diarra, Sophomore, Forward, 2.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Prince Toyambi, RS Freshman, Forward
Jeremiah Davenport, Freshman, Forward
Mika Adams-Woods, Freshman, Guard
Chris McNeal, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Tennessee Tech
Jaevin Cumberland, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Oakland
Jaume Sorolla, Senior, Center, Grad Transfer from Valparaiso
Zach Harvey, Freshman, Guard
Chris Vogt, Junior, Center, Transfer from Northern Kentucky, not eligible
Projection:
Jarron Cumberland will not be the only Cumberland on the roster. His cousin Jaevin Cumberland has transferred in from Oakland where he averaged 17.2 points per game last season. Fellow grad transfers Chris McNeal and Jaume Sorolla bring in some experienced options to fill in some of the depth concerns. Keith Williams figures to return to his starting role on the perimeter beside Jarron Cumberland. Williams was second on the team in scoring last season with 9.9 points per game and the big 6-5, 215 pound guard is quite potent when inside the arc. Tre Scott, a 6-8 senior, does a lot of the hard work for this team. He averaged 9.3 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds last season and will be the leader of the new look frontcourt. If the newcomers can live up to their expectations, Coach Brannen has a solid trio of Cumberland, Williams and Scott to build around. The graduate transfers and a freshman or two will need to crack the regular rotation in order for the Bearcats to have enough depth to remain competitive for an AAC title, but there are some very good options and by March this will be a team nobody wants to see in their portion of the bracket.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.7 (198th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.7 (14, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.2 (239, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (41, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6,6 (283, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.5 (170, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.4 (180, 5)
Rebound Margin: 5.0 (31, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (184, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.4 (15, 1)
Madness 2020 NBA Draft Rankings:
#51 Jarron Cumberland
