Cincinnati Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Bearcats

Schedule Outlook

You could easily argue that Cincinnati has a very underwhelming nonconference slate, especially for a team hoping to head to the NCAA Tournament. One positive of this is that their lineup gets a chance to meld against weaker foes before the rigors of Big 12 play later in the year.

After three straight home games against mid-majors, the Bearcats have a unique road game across the river at Northern Kentucky before a tougher road test at Georgia Tech on November 23rd. Those two games are both certainly winnable, though a contest at Villanova a few weeks later on December 3rd may pose slightly more of a challenge.

One of the most highly anticipated games on the schedule is the Crosstown Shootout, as the Bearcats will host Xavier on December 14th. Their only other significant nonconference game is against in-state foe Dayton right before Christmas, played at home as part of the Hoops Classic.

There are four new teams in the Big 12 with this conference as deep and talented as ever. That becomes evident early, as conference play begins at Kansas State on December 30th before a three-game stretch that includes Arizona, Baylor, and Kansas. The Bearcats see only five of their conferences foes both home and away, though that includes four winnable games against Utah and West Virginia.

Unfortunately, they won’t host two of the best teams in the conference, let alone the country, heading to Iowa State on February 15th and Houston on March 1st. With the toughness of the Big 12, Cincinnati has plenty of challenges but need to take advantage of those home opportunities as well. Senior night will be March 5th against Kansas State before the regular season ends three days later at Oklahoma State.