Big 12 Basketball: Introducing 4 new official members for 2023-24 season

Cincinnati Bearcats

Joining the Cougars in the move from the American to the Big 12 are the Cincinnati Bearcats, who like the Cougars have been in the American since its infancy in 2013. The Bearcats are one of those programs that is consistent in that they have solid seasons that put them in the NCAA Tournament but success in the tournament has been tough to come by, having only reached the Sweet Sixteen just twice since their Elite Eight appearance in 1996 despite 18 trips to the Big Dance.

Head coach Wes Miller enters his third season with the Bearcats. In his first season they finished at 18-15 and last season they won 23 games and made the NIT quarterfinals. The Bearcats lose four of their top five scorers off of last year’s team, leaving Miller with some work to do. To fill the holes Miller hit the transfer portal hard, landing four guys who should help the Bearcats immediately (should they be immediately eligible).

CJ Frederick comes aboard after a relatively forgettable season at Kentucky last year. Frederick is known as a shooter but struggled 35% from deep after averaging nearly 47% in his two years at Iowa. Miller also landed 6’7 Simas Lukosius who was one of the bright spots for Butler last year averaging 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists last season as a sophomore.

The other two transfers are big men, Aziz Bandaogo from Utah Valley and Jamile Reynolds from Temple. As of this writing the duo may have to sit out this season should they not receive a waiver to play immediately. Bandaogo was a double-double machine for the Wolverines last year averaging 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds, Reynolds is another big-bodied center, weighing 285lbs. He averaged over 10 points and 5.4 rebounds in his only season with the Owls.

Miller has also added two four-star recruits in point guard Jizzle James and Rayvon Griffith who should see a good amount of playing time in the Bearcats’ first year in the Big 12.