Cincinnati basketball is expected to add a Big Ten opponent to its future schedule, with Jerrod Calhoun and the Bearcats agreeing in principle to a home-and-home series with Minnesota, according to sources.
The deal gives Calhoun the matchup he had been chasing for weeks. He had been working to line up a home-and-home against a Big Ten program, and Minnesota ended up being the one to push it through. The Golden Gophers are now coached by first-year head coach Nike Medved, who arrived in Minneapolis after leaving Colorado State.
There’s already a connection between the two staffs. Calhoun and Medved crossed paths in the Mountain West during the 2024-25 season, and that relationship helped set the stage for the series. John Cunningham also played a role in getting it done, using his previous experience at Minnesota to help work with current athletic director Mark Coyle.
The Bearcats’ non-conference slate is shaping up with plenty of recognizable names. Cincinnati is set to play Clemson, Xavier and Dayton, and it will also see Boston College and Georgia during its trip to Orlando for the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational.
Minnesota’s side of the matchup comes with plenty of roster turnover and a few familiar pieces. The Golden Gophers went 15-18 in 2025-26 and ranked No. 101 nationally in offensive efficiency and No. 71 in defensive efficiency. They also added Malachi Palmer from Villanova, Winters Grady from Michigan and Kyan Evans from North Carolina.
One key returnee is Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, who is back after averaging 13.4 points per game for Medved last season.
In Other News...
Bearcats Lineman Sends Strong Message About Cincinnati's New Quarterback
With Brendan Sorsby gone and a new season already taking shape under Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati has spent the spring sorting out what its offense will look like in 2026. The most important transition is at quarterback, where transfer JC French IV has stepped into the mix after arriving from Georgia Southern, and the early read from inside the building has been encouraging. Offensive lineman Evan Tengesdahl has been among the players watching that change up close, and the Bearcats are leaning on a front that returns key pieces from a group that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
For Cincinnati, the lines continuity matters almost as much as the quarterback change itself. If the Bearcats are going to keep pace with or improve on last seasons offensive production, French will need time, trust and a room full of veterans who can help him settle in quickly. Spring workouts are only part of the picture, but they have already given the Bearcats a first look at how the new quarterback fits into a unit that expects more from itself in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Eligibility Fight Could Suddenly Impact Cincinnatis Roster Plans
A Hamilton County court ruling could ripple into Cincinnatis roster planning in a hurry, as the NCAAs new five-to-play-five eligibility model faces another legal challenge from a group of basketball players in the high school Class of 2022. The dispute centers on whether athletes who have already used up eligibility under the old system should be barred from getting another year, and it has already created uncertainty for programs trying to map out their transfer options.
For the Bearcats, the timing matters because the transfer market is still taking shape and any change in who can enter it can alter the board quickly. A pretrial conference is set for August 4, and until then Cincinnati and other programs will be watching closely to see whether the case opens the door for more players to pursue one more season, or whether the NCAAs new framework holds firm. [Read more 🡒]