Cincinnati Basketball: Why Dillon Mitchell is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

During the 2010’s, Cincinnati made nine straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, though the Bearcats haven’t been there since Mick Cronin left the program in 2019. Rough times followed, but now it’s Wes Miller’s program and he’s done a better job getting the Bearcats back on track. While that return trip to the Big Dance hasn’t yet come, Cincinnati fared decent in their first season in the Big 12, winning 22 games despite an 11th place finish in conference play.

Things are looking up for the Bearcats and the good times could continue into next season, as the Bearcats return their top two scorers. They’ll get additional seasons out of Simas Lukosius and Daniel Skillings, who were both sophomores last season. Those upperclassmen are joined by Jizzle James, a rising sophomore who showed promise, and also return Day Day Thomas. They did lose a few pieces including John Newman and Viktor Lakhin, but it’s hard to say the Bearcats aren’t returning a ton of talent.

What’s even better for future prospects is that Cincinnati added a few very new pieces through the Transfer Portal. One such piece was former USC freshman Arrinten Page, a sizeable athlete who departed the Trojans following a coaching change. Another prominent addition comes from the MVC, as the Bearcats grabbed former Bradley shooting guard Connor Hickman, though there’s one much more prominent addition to highlight.

Dillon Mitchell was considered a Top 5 prospect from the Class of 2022 and opted for Chris Beard and Texas. The Tampa native spent two seasons with the Longhorns, staying as a sophomore after Rodney Terry became Texas’s head coach. He’d take a marked step forward in year two, averaging 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his second year as a full-time starter for the Longhorns.

Now, the Bearcats add a talented weapon to their frontcourt. Mitchell was one of the best rebounders in the Big 12 as a sophomore and made just over 60% of his shots inside the arc. While some parts of his game are still coming together, he’s a raw talent who’s seen life in the Big 12 and is a monster addition to these Bearcats.

Cincinnati brought four of their top five players back from last season but were certainly missing a dominant force at the back end. A former five-star prospect, Mitchell absolutely fits that bill and could be the missing link. A lot depends on how he gels in this new system, but the depth alone that he adds makes this a wining move for Miller and his staff. If he plays like a Top 5 prospect then we could see Cincinnati back into national prominence.

Fans in Cincinnati didn’t see a deep postseason run during that decade of success, but would certainly rather take that over these more recent seasons. Mitchell and company have the potential to not only get back to the NCAA Tournament but to surprise people this year. Is there enough talent on this depth chart to win consistently in their second year in the Big 12? Can Mitchell realize his full potential as a junior and become a star for Cincinnati?