16. Cincinnati (9-1)
A lot hasn’t gone according to plan in Cincinnati since Mick Cronin left the program in 2019 but Wes Miller finally has fixed the trajectory for this school. The Bearcats have missed out on the Big Dance since then but have a team that can certainly play meaningful games in the month of March for the first time in a half decade. After last week’s win against rival Xavier, the Bearcats picked up an even better resume-building victory this week.
They saw their only action of the week on Friday night but it was quite the matchup against Dayton. A pair of ranked teams did battle, with the Bearcats leading for a majority of the game, notching a 66-59 win in the end. Cincinnati allowed just 17 points in the first half and did enough on offense down the stretch, led by a 17-point effort from Dan Skillings Jr. while Jizzle James added 14 points.
The going clearly gets tougher when Big 12 play begins, but Cincinnati is answering the early questions and has bounced back nicely after that disappointing effort at Villanova a few weeks ago. This team is far from perfect but they play hard on both sides and will be a factor in their league’s title race. Grambling State is the last nonconference foe before the Bearcats begin Big 12 action with a tumultuous slate of games.