Former Cincinnati Bearcats guard Michael Horton has died.
Horton was a notable piece of Cincinnati’s late-1990s basketball teams and played in 57 games across the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. During that stretch, he averaged 4.8 points and 4.9 assists.
His former teammate Alex Meacham shared the news on X and remembered Horton with a personal message.
"RIP to my Bearcat teammate Michael Horton," Meachem posted. "I’ll never forget when Jay Z’s song 'Imaginary Player' came on in the locker room, and we went back and forth bar for bar every word of the song.
Every time we saw each other, we would rap the lyrics and just laugh. Rest Easy Bearcat!"
On the floor, Horton’s 1998 season stood out. He made the 1998 All-Conference USA Tournament team and finished in the top five in C-USA steals per game that year.
The loss comes as Cincinnati’s basketball tradition remains a major part of the program’s identity heading into the 2026-27 season. New UC coach Jerrod Calhoun has already talked this offseason about bringing former Bearcats back into the fold and keeping those ties strong with the current roster.
"I think that's why we're here, right?" Calhoun said earlier this offseason about tying all the former greats together and bonding with current players.
"Obviously, we're here for a reason. We're here to get them back to the NCAA Tournament to make deep runs.
This is a storied program, two national championships, the list goes on and on. It's a fan base that is starving to get back in the NCAA tournament, and we fully expect to do that.
"We have to bring back the former players. I think Wes Miller did a phenomenal job with that.
They'll be part of our mentorship program, our character class, our team messaging. We want our former guys to make sure that they know this is their program.
There's been a lot of great players, great coaches that have built this thing, and we got to continue to move it forward."
In Other News...
Bearcats Suddenly Face A Major MJ Collins Problem Before The Season
A late-summer eligibility fight has suddenly put Cincinnatis MJ Collins in limbo just as the Bearcats are trying to settle into preseason rhythm. An Ohio appeals court has suspended a ruling that had given Collins and Xaviers Filip Borovicanin a fifth year of eligibility, leaving both players ineligible to compete while the case works its way through the appeals process.
The timing is what makes this so awkward for Cincinnati. The original decision had blocked the NCAA from enforcing the new eligibility rules that shut out athletes who graduated high school in 2022, but that protection is now on hold. Oral arguments could come as soon as September 22, and until then the Bearcats have to plan without knowing whether Collins will be available when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnati Is Suddenly In The Mix For Proven Guard Help
Tre Hollomans decision to pursue a fifth year of eligibility has put a proven backcourt piece back on the market, and Cincinnati has quickly surfaced among the programs showing interest. After transferring from Michigan State to NC State, the guard is now in the portal again, with Utah State, St. Johns and Providence also said to be involved as teams look for experienced help to stabilize their perimeter rotations.
For Cincinnati, the appeal is easy to understand: a player with high-major experience who could step into a roster need without much runway. The Bearcats are among several programs weighing whether Hollomans background and fit make him the right answer, but with multiple schools in the hunt, this one figures to turn into a familiar transfer-market test of need, opportunity and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bearcats Wideout Is Suddenly Drawing Serious NFL Buzz
Cyrus Allens path through college football already gave him a little of everything, from stops at Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M to a productive season at Cincinnati that put him on the radar in the first place. Now with the Kansas City Chiefs, the former Bearcats wideout has kept pushing his case this summer, posting 27 yards on five catches across two preseason games while trying to carve out a role in one of the leagues most watched receiver rooms.
The buzz around Allen has only grown because of who is saying it. Former Pro Bowler Steve Smith Sr. has gone public with his belief that Allen has the potential to become the Chiefs top wide receiver, which is the sort of praise that can travel fast around the NFL. For Cincinnati fans who watched him finish strong in college, the next question is whether this preseason momentum turns into something much bigger once the games count. [Read more 🡒]