UC had a whiteout for the game vs. Kansas | University of Cincinnati Bearcats vs. University of Kansas Jayhawks | Jan. 11, 2025 Photo: Jack Garvey

A new chapter is being written in Fifth Third Arena as the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team begin year two of conference play in their new home, the Big 12. While last year was not exactly a kind introduction, with UC finishing with a 7-11 record in Big 12 play, the Bearcats are provided an incredible opportunity with this season’s opening slate of conference matchups. While the conference move was largely a football-driven decision, the basketball program has made the jump into arguably the best conference in college basketball. The Bearcats were given a great taste of that new level of competition with the opening to their conference schedule this season, facing the Arizona Wildcats at home, the Baylor Bears on the road, and hosting the historically elite Kansas Jayhawks, all in the span of a week.

Despite the fact that the results in those matchups have not been up to the new standard of Cincinnati basketball fans, there is still plenty of optimism and excitement around the program and the new level of opponents the Bearcats will face. 

Bearcats fans have been yearning for a return to prominence for the basketball program since their last era of consistent success in the 1990s. While talented coaches and players have come and gone, sometimes simply playing in a high-level conference can be one of the most important factors in finding steady victories and national recognition. Since leaving the Big East Conference in 2013, the Bearcats have not played comparatively difficult conference slates. This new league has and will continue to provide difficult tests and an opportunity to return to the national college basketball radar.

Even in spite of the 0-3 start to conference play, Fifth Third Arena had a measurable buzz on Saturday afternoon as one of the blue bloods of college basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks, came to town. Fans young and old shared a high level of anticipation for this one.

Zack Sempsrott, a local fan and multigeneration Bearcat, said that “despite the difficult start, there is still a lot of optimism amongst the fans because they see the potential this team has.” Down in the student section, current University of Cincinnati student Adam Fisher was one of the first into the arena for this clash with the Jayhawks. A lifelong fan and Cincinnati native, the college senior was excited to see his childhood team on this national stage, saying the Bearcats can “compete with anyone in the country.”

The pure talent level of the new legion of competition that Cincinnati will face this season is something else Fisher showed excitement for, explaining that “you know you’re watching NBA talent every single game you play, and the higher level of competition is super exciting to see.” The excitement to see these high-level matchups has spilled into a significant portion of the student population. “There is a line outside the door every time we get here, which is different from previous years,” Fisher said.

A more veteran fan, Cory Lykins, another Cincinnati native, explains how his roots in Cincinnati basketball date further back. “I was a ball boy in the ’90s and through some of the best eras of Cincinnati basketball,” Lykins said. “Cincinnati basketball has never lacked fan support…but obviously when you’re playing higher-level opponents, there is more tangible excitement amongst the fans,” Lykins added.

The battle against Kansas lived up to the billing for the eager Cincinnati fans — a fierce and physical war against one of the best teams and biggest brands in college basketball. Despite holding one of the best teams in the country to only eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Bearcats could not get their own offense going in response. While the game did not end the way many Cincinnati fans wanted, coach Wes Miller believes there is still plenty to play for, and this acclimation to their new league is only getting started. After the difficult loss to Kansas, Miller’s message was simply: “We need you. I thought the energy in the building was great tonight; it was great against Arizona. We need a lot of support…we’ve gone through a rough stretch, but we need people to not give up on us.”

While the results have not been there, simply getting the opportunity to play on these new stages has created incredible buzz amongst the fans of Cincinnati basketball, and the Bearcats look to right the ship as Big 12 play continues this week.

This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2025.