The Bearcats went home happy Saturday night after securing an upset win over (then No. 8) Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. This win marked Cincinnati's first road win against a top-10 opponent since 1990. As they sit at 15-12, and 7-7 in Big 12 play, Cincinnati finds themselves in prime position to threaten the bubble.
Nothing easy in the Big 12
The road to the tournament will not be easy, but the blueprint is there. The four games remaining on the Bearcats schedule are against two ranked opponents in No. 16 Texas Tech and No. 19 BYU, as well as games against Oklahoma State and TCU, who are both teams that are considered to be on the bubble. With that being said, there is reason to be hopeful entering these games.
Texas Tech, who Cincinnati visits tonight, announced last week that junior phenom JT Toppin would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Toppin has been seen on many mock draft boards as he was averaging 21.8 points per game, along with 10.8 rebounds per game. Additionally, Oklahoma State has chosen the wrong time to get cold. The Cowboys are losers of their last five games and now sit at 4-10 in conference games.
Found some toughness
Another encouraging factor for Cincinnati as they head into homestretch of the season is that they have shown they can win tough games. In addition to Saturday's win, Cincinnati was able to take down (then No. 2) Iowa State just over a month ago.
The common theme in these two massive wins, which has been a recurring theme all season long for Cincinnati, is that they had four players score in double figures in each of those games. There are four Bearcats averaging at least 11 points per game on the season, which creates a nightmare for opponents. Because they have scorers at every position on the court, Cincinnati can target the weakest defenders on the floor, creating matchup advantages.
This is also intimidating in the sense that in the scenario where one of their scorers has an off night, they have several players that have what it takes to step up.
Scoring options for Bearcats
While many Cincinnati players have their cases as the team's leading options, they are mainly powered by journeyman Baba Miller, who is leading the team with 13.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. Joining Miller in the frontcourt is sophomore center Moustapha Thiam, who stands at 7-foot-2. Thiam adds just under 12 points a game and is a feared defender inside the paint. Alongside the big men is Jizzle James, who is in his third year at the school. James averages 11 points on 43.1% shooting, which includes an impressive 42.6% from three-point land.
Despite these three key contributors, Jalen Celestine is Cincinnati's x-factor. Celestine, who is a fifth-year wing playing at his third school, has played in 26 games this season, while starting in just eight. Celestine has seen a tremendous increase in minutes since flipping the calendar to 2026 and he was a prime impact in their win against Kansas.
On Saturday he scored 14 points as he connected on four three-pointers, he also added eight rebounds and an astounding four steals. He has came up big in moments where Head Coach Wes Miller has needed him most. Celestine's veteran presence combined with his ability to spread the floor makes him a hidden hazard for opposing teams if they do not game plan against him.
Cincinnati heads to Lubbock tonight for a match with No. 16 Texas Tech at 7:00pm EST on ESPN2.
