As Cincinnati heads into the first season under Jerrod Calhoun, the bar for what counts as success is pretty clear: the Bearcats need to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
That’s the central question with a roster that has turned over and a fan base ready to see what Calhoun can build right away. With the NCAA Tournament field expanding from 68 to 76 teams, a bid for the first time in seven seasons has to be the target, and that view is shared by a number of college basketball analysts.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein put it bluntly with a promise tied to Cincinnati’s return. He said, "If Cincinnati makes the NCAA Tournament in 2027, prior to the 2027-28 season, I am going to fly to Cincinnati, and i'm going to put my credit card down at that Graeter's Ice Cream in fountain square and I'm buying ice cream for all the Bearcats fans."
A tournament berth would be the baseline for a successful year, but there are other marks the Bearcats could hit along the way. Beating Xavier would qualify. So would finishing in the top 7 of the Big 12.
If Cincinnati does get into the field, the next test becomes what happens once it gets there. The biggest measure would be getting out of the play-in round if the Bearcats end up in Dayton or Wichita.
Rothstein closed by saying, "Now there's no where to run.... I am one that believes that this program under Jerrod Calhoun will be different moving forward. But the facts are the facts, Cincinnati has been mostly nationally irrelevant for the last 7 years, will that change in 2026-27?"
In Other News...
Jerrod Calhoun Just Cleared An Early Recruiting Test At Cincinnati
Jerrod Calhoun and his staff have already put Cincinnati in a strong position with one of the more sought-after guards in the 2027 class. Payton Jones, a Dynamic Prep standout in Texas, has trimmed a list that once stretched to 25 offers down to a final group of seven, and the Bearcats are still in the mix after making him a priority early in the process. Jones is ranked 65th nationally and 12th among combo guards, which gives Cincinnati a clear sense of the level of prospect it is chasing.
The Bearcats also got Jones on campus in June, a useful step for a staff that has been working to close ground quickly under Calhoun. The remaining competition is sturdy, with Baylor, Boston College, Houston, Clemson, Maryland and Oklahoma State all still involved, so Cincinnatis early push has earned it a seat at the table. What happens next will tell whether that visit and the staffs recent momentum are enough to keep the Bearcats in position as Jones narrows things further. [Read more 🡒]