20. Cincinnati (3-0)
This Cincinnati program has been in a significant rut across the last half-decade, though this season seems to be changing those tides. The Bearcats have a roster flooded with talent and Wes Miller may just have his breakthrough year based on early results. We haven’t yet seen Cincinnati face a significant challenge, but they’ll get plenty of those when their second season of Big 12 play starts just over a month from now.
They can only play the teams on their schedule and they have handled their first three opponents with ease. This week’s only victim came on Friday night, as the Bearcats delivered in an 86-49 win over Nicholls State. This was another impressive defensive showing, led by Simas Lukosius with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Bearcats’ interior offense has looked stellar while Jizzle James also starred with a 19-point outing.
Fellow starters Aziz Bandaogo and Dillon Mitchell have also looked tough to start the season, with Cincinnati certainly boasting their best lineup in several years. They’ve gotten the job done on offense against weak mid-major teams, but they can’t depend on those bigs owning the paint when conference play starts. We’ll get a better idea on the resolve of this Cincinnati squad with two road games next week, though trips at Northern Kentucky and Georgia Tech are definitely both winnable.