Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2023-24 season

8. Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati is a team that may be under the radar for most, but it has a chance to make an impact in the Big 12, even in its first season. The Bearcats were solid offensively and defensively last year on their way to a 23-13 record and a fourth-place finish in the AAC, and they hung tight with Arizona, Memphis, and Houston in five matchups.

Much of Cincy’s 2023-24 success will hinge on the final decision of First Team All-AAC guard Landers Nolley II, who recently declared for the NBA draft but didn’t hire an agent. Nolley scored 16.8 points per game while shooting almost 42% from three, and he was second on the team in rebounds.

The Bearcats are losing point guard David DeJulius and his team-leading 5.3 assists per game to graduation, but head coach Wes Miller has a pair of talented freshmen arriving. Jizzle James, son of former NFL running back Edgerrin James, will slot in at point guard, while fellow four-star, Rayvon Griffith out of Arizona, is a hyper-athletic forward that may be one of the best dunkers in the conference right when he steps on campus.

In his ten years as head coach at UNC Greensboro, Miller showed an ability to build a program steadily over time. The same seems to be happening in Cincinnati, where the Bearcats improved by five wins last year and reached the NIT quarterfinals. Joining the Big 12 will represent a step up in competition, but this is a program heading in the right direction on the court and on the recruiting trail. If Nolley returns, Cincy could be one of the season’s biggest sleepers.