Cincinnati’s exhibition schedule is already giving Jerrod Calhoun a clear look at where his team stands, and Saturday night’s 105-96 home loss to Illinois added another layer to that early evaluation.
The Bearcats are 1-1 through two exhibition games, with two weeks left before opening night against American. They’ll get one more tune-up on Oct. 27 at home against Oakland, another chance to keep sorting out a roster that Calhoun says is still very much under construction.
"Trying to piece practices together. Akai Fleming goes down, Elijah Perryman goes down.
Both kids will be back in probably about a week," Calhoun said. "The guy that I'm most proud of outside of Tylen Riley tonight is Eric Mahaffey.
For him to come in and fill our point guard position - never have done that ever against, I think, a potential national championship team - took a lot of courage, so yeah.
"I think all in all, we learned a ton about our group: we're not going to quit. You know, we did the same thing against Ohio State in the second half.
But there are points in games where you have to win the margins, right? And I thought when we tied it up, we were right there.
I don't know what the time was, but they beat us on a couple 50-50 balls, offensive rebounds, and great teams are going to make you pay, and they did."
Tylen Riley turned in the biggest scoring night for Cincinnati, pouring in 31 points in the loss. MJ Collins also made his way back into game action, finishing with eight points and two rebounds in 26 minutes while also picking up five fouls.
Collins is eligible for now because of Ohio Governor Mike Dewine's executive order from this week.
"Anxious," Calhoun said about Collins in the game. "When you don't play, you don't have that rhythm, right?
You're trying to impact winning; he's a wonderful kid, first and foremost. And he'll get better with game reps.
He gives us another dimension of shot-making. And tonight, he looked just a little bit slow defensively.
Typically, he's much better defensively. But I think as the season goes, he'll get better defensively."
Oakland will visit Cincinnati on the 27th, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Bearcats Get A Massive Homecoming Test With Extra Intrigue Attached
Saturdays homecoming matchup carries plenty of weight before the ball is even kicked, with Cincinnati set to welcome an unbeaten Texas Tech team in the Bearcats 100th Homecoming game. The setting alone gives the afternoon some extra shine, and the timing is even better for the program, with the UC Athletic Hall of Fame also staging its induction ceremony the day before. It should be one of those campus weekends where the game, the alumni buzz and the history all feed into one another.
There is also a layer of intrigue that goes beyond the record books, thanks to the Texas Tech roster connection to former UC quarterback Brendan Sorsby. His presence in the storyline adds a familiar face to an already compelling Big 12 test, even if circumstances will keep him from being part of the on-field drama. For Cincinnati, the assignment is straightforward enough and difficult enough at once: protect home turf on a milestone day and try to turn a celebratory weekend into a meaningful win. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Riley Gave Cincinnati Hope But Exposed An Early Bearcats Concern
Ty Riley offered Cincinnati a real jolt against Illinois, showing exactly why the Bearcats have reason to believe this group can score with more freedom than expected. He was comfortable as both a shooter and a table-setter, and coach Jerrod Calhoun had plenty to like in the way Riley stretched the floor and created for others while the roster's depth still leaves room for optimism.
The concern came at the other end, where Cincinnati had trouble controlling the glass and spent too much of the night chasing Illinois points. Giving up that many clean looks and losing the rebounding battle is the kind of early warning sign that can linger for a team still trying to sort out its identity, even with Calhoun acknowledging the defensive issues and pointing to the Bearcats' long-term potential. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Showed One Encouraging Sign And One Big Defensive Concern
An exhibition loss is rarely the kind of result that defines a season, but Cincinnati got enough of a look at Illinois to leave with a clearer sense of what still needs work. The Bearcats saw the Illini make shots from deep and control the glass, even as Illinois piled up 15 turnovers and showed some early-season sloppiness that kept the game from settling into a clean rhythm.
For Cincinnati, the more uncomfortable takeaway came on the defensive end, where Tyler Riley kept finding answers and stayed in control for long stretches. The Bearcats need that part of the tape more than the final score, because the kind of production Illinois got there is the sort of problem that can linger if it is not addressed before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]