Cincinnati has its date set for a neutral-site showdown with Clemson, and the Bearcats will get the Tigers in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Heritage Bank Center.
Head coach Jerrod Calhoun announced the matchup Thursday, with the school’s press release noting that the Cincinnati men’s basketball team will face Clemson in the Cincinnati Clash on Dec. 18 at Heritage Bank Center. The Bearcats’ full non-conference schedule is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
This will finish off a two-game neutral-site series that started last season, when Clemson edged Cincinnati 68-65 in Greenville, S.C. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 4-2, and the teams have split their two previous neutral-site meetings.
It should be a useful measuring stick for UC. Clemson has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons and sits 36th on Bart Torvik, just ahead of Cincinnati at 40th.
The Bearcats are also coming off a strong run in the Bahamas, where they won both of their exhibition games by a combined 88 points. Calhoun liked what he saw after Wednesday’s win.
“I thought we played lights-out in the first half after the first couple minutes,” Cincinnati head coach Jerrod Calhoun said after the Wednesday win. “But we played in spurts.
The first half was dynamite for the final 18 minutes or so. These eight weeks were phenomenal, and I’m grateful we got to play two games down here.
This will really benefit our team moving forward.”
One other future note from the schedule release: Cincinnati will play Louisville at Freedom Hall during the 2027-28 season, and the Bearcats will also travel to Minnesota that season.
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