Jerrod Calhoun’s Cincinnati team is about to find out a lot more about itself.
After two wins that followed a familiar script - slow starts, then a late surge - the Bearcats get their first power conference test Monday, Nov. 9, when Minnesota visits Fifth Third Arena in the Twyman-Stokes Classic. Cincinnati has beaten American by 26 and Green Bay by 17, and both victories were fueled by pressure defense. The Bearcats piled up 36 steals across those two games, a number Calhoun is clearly eager to keep climbing.
“We want to be a Top 10 team in the country at stealing the basketball,” Calhoun said. “We’re averaging 18 a game.
That’s pretty good, no matter who you’re playing. We’ve got to score the ball better in transition.”
That next step matters now because Minnesota brings a different level of resistance. The Golden Gophers enter at 2-0, scoring 80.5 points per game while allowing 56.0, and they have already shown balance.
In their opening game, all five starters scored in double figures. Guard Isaac Asuma, along with forwards Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and Bobby Durkin, were all double-figure scorers a year ago when Minnesota beat ranked Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State.
Cincinnati’s own offense has been productive enough at 80.0 points per game, but the Bearcats have not yet put together a complete 40 minutes. They’ve needed second-half separation in both outings, and Calhoun knows the challenge rises sharply against a Big Ten opponent.
The game also carries the Twyman-Stokes Classic label, honoring former Bearcat and Cincinnati Royal Jack Twyman. Twyman, whose No. 27 is retired at UC, became the guardian of teammate Maurice Stokes after a life-changing injury ended Stokes’ NBA career. Twyman is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award bears their names.
One area Calhoun wants tightened up is the glass. He wasn’t pleased with UC’s “crash rate” in the first half against American, and Green Bay actually outboarded the Bearcats early before Calhoun went bigger. Cincinnati eventually finished with a 30-25 rebounding edge, including 13 offensive boards.
The crowd is part of the equation too. Calhoun liked the student section in the opener, when 9,420 showed up, and he was hoping to see 10,000 or more against Green Bay. The announced crowd of 9,003 was solid, but he wants more noise and more bodies Monday.
UC’s last sellout came March 3 last season, when Senior Night against BYU packed the building and ended in a 90-68 Bearcats win. Calhoun also pointed back to the old Shoemaker Center days, when sellouts reached 13,176.
Cincinnati and Minnesota also have a bit of building history together: they opened the arena Nov. 25, 1989, when Bob Huggins’ Bearcats beat No. 20 Minnesota 66-64 on Steve Sanders’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Sanders recently told The Enquirer, “We were just trying to throw the ball to the front of the rim. The last thing he (Coach Huggins) said was, ‘Steve, you have to be ready. If he can’t throw it inside, he’s going to throw it to you.’”
The Bearcats will return the trip to Minnesota in 2027-28.
For Calhoun, the bigger picture is still right there in front of him. On his radio show, he said an 11-3 non-conference record and a 10-8 mark in the Big 12 would likely be enough to get Cincinnati into the NCAA Tournament. Monday’s game also gives him a shot at a milestone: a win would be his 300th as a head coach.
Minnesota is coached by Niko Medved, now in his second season, and the Gophers are 17-18 under him, 239-190 overall. Their projected starters are Bobby Durkin, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Isaac Asuma, Grayson Grove and Kyan Evans. Cincinnati’s projected group features Tylen Riley, Myles Colvin, Riley Allenspach, MJ Collins and Tyler Tejada.
The Bearcats may still be without center Jayden Hastings, which would mean more minutes for Amani Lyles after his 14-point outing against Green Bay. If Akai Fleming remains out, Eric Mahaffey should also see an expanded role. Calhoun says that flexibility is part of the plan.
“We have so many guys, we don’t have time to have slumps,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to win.
Whoever’s playing well is going to play. When guys aren’t playing well, we’ve got other options.
That’s the bottom line.”
Cincinnati is ranked No. 32 in KenPom, with Minnesota at No. 41.
In the final NCAA NET rankings last season, UC was No. 49 and Minnesota No. 82.
Monday’s matchup will be on ESPN+ and 700 WLW.
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