Cincinnati’s Missed Chances Pile Up as Bearcats Fall Short Again
For Cincinnati, the nonconference stretch was supposed to be a proving ground - a chance to build a tournament-worthy résumé before diving into the grind of Big 12 play. Instead, it’s become a series of missed opportunities.
Five marquee matchups. One win.
That lone victory, a 74-62 home win over Dayton, feels like a distant memory - 40 days ago and counting.
Since starting the season 3-0, the Bearcats have dropped five of their last nine, including losses to Louisville, Xavier, Georgia, and now Clemson - all high-major programs - plus a stunning collapse against Eastern Michigan. In each of those Power Four matchups, Cincinnati had its chances.
They led late against Xavier, were tied at halftime with Georgia, and started strong against Louisville. But the finishing touch just hasn’t been there.
“We’ve had a chance to win every single one of them,” head coach Wes Miller said. “There’s been a second-half lead or opportunity in all four. That’s what’s frustrating.”
Sunday’s loss to Clemson was particularly painful - not just because it was another missed shot at a Quad 1 win, but because of how it unfolded. The Bearcats came out ice-cold, going scoreless for the first 6:21 of the game and hitting just two of their first 16 shots.
From behind the arc? 1-for-10.
It was their worst shooting stretch of the season.
By the time Cincinnati found any kind of rhythm, the damage was done. Clemson built a 38-11 lead late in the first half and carried a 20-point cushion into the break. It marked the second time this calendar year the Bearcats have scored 18 or fewer points in a half - the other being a 15-point second half against Kansas back in January.
Defensively, it wasn’t much better. Clemson came in shooting just 32.6% from deep on the season, but Cincinnati left too many shooters open, and the Tigers made them pay. Eight of their 14 three-point attempts in the first half found the bottom of the net.
“There were some close-outs where our hands were down, or we were late,” Miller said. “And a couple of early possessions where we didn’t finish rotations - those breakdowns gave them clean looks.”
But credit where it’s due: the Bearcats didn’t fold.
Down by as many as 27, Cincinnati clawed its way back into the game with a 25-6 run. The spark?
Graduate guard Day Day Thomas. He caught fire, drilling three straight threes to cut the deficit to eight with over 12 minutes to play.
Thomas finished with a game-high 17 points - 15 of those coming in the second half - and single-handedly gave the Bearcats a pulse.
“He made a couple shots, and I thought our guys did a good job screening for him and getting him clean looks,” Miller said. “Then he hit a tough one off the bounce - that was a big one. You felt like someone needed to step up, and Day Day was that guy.”
Miller also made some bold moves with the rotation. Coming out of halftime, he turned to Sencire Harris and Jizzle James instead of Kerr Kriisa and Shon Abaev.
The change was noticeable. James, in particular, brought a steadying presence in his 29 minutes on the floor, even if he didn’t replicate the impact he had in his return earlier in the week.
Kriisa played just nine minutes and didn’t see the floor in the second half. Abaev logged 14 minutes, only three after the break. Together, they were a combined minus-31.
“Jizzle has done a great job of assimilating,” Miller said. “There’s just a gravity he has on the floor.
He’s humble, he’s poised, and it’s going to affect our rotations moving forward. There’s no way around that as we head into league play.”
Despite the string of losses, Miller isn’t backing away from the challenge. He still sees value in the tough nonconference schedule, especially with how Clemson’s physicality mirrors what’s coming in the Big 12.
“They feel more like a Big 12 or Big Ten team than they do an ACC team,” Miller said. “That’s the kind of team we’re going to see night in and night out.”
Cincinnati now turns its attention to Lipscomb, a team that recently gave Duke a scare at Cameron Indoor. It’s the Bearcats’ final nonconference game before Big 12 play begins with a home matchup against Houston on Jan. 3.
The road has been rough - no question about it. But Miller isn’t dwelling on the frustration. He’s focused on what’s next.
“It’s been a hard three or four weeks for Cincinnati basketball,” he said. “There’s a lot of frustration, a lot of disappointment.
But we’re not going to take a break. We’re going to get back to work.
And sometimes, you have to put things in perspective. I’ve got a lot to be grateful for - family, friends, people who’ve shaped my life.
I’m a lucky guy, even if it hasn’t felt like it lately.”
The Bearcats have one more shot to right the ship before the gauntlet of Big 12 play begins. And if they can channel the grit they showed in the second half against Clemson - and finally find a way to close - they might still have a run in them.