Topic: Cincinnati Bearcats shifting again to school basketball college?
Message: Faculty soccer is damaged, and I don’t see the way it will ever come again. A college just like the Bearcats goes to change into irrelevant, I’m afraid. I solely hope it doesn’t occur to school basketball.
Reply: Is UC trending towards being a basketball college once more?
It certain appears that method.
It’s one thing I’ve been fascinated with ever because the Bearcats basketball group competed properly throughout its first season within the Huge 12 and was a shock NCAA Event bubble group. What’s occurred since has solely fueled this perception.
Coach Wes Miller was capable of retain all 4 of his prime returning guards, together with Dan Skillings Jr., and Jizzle James. Miller has introduced in some big-time gamers – a prime 25 switch class (247 Sports activities) and prime 30 highschool recruiting class (Rivals). No surprise UC has sold-out season tickets for the primary time since 2019-20, the varsity introduced this week.
Bearcats basketball pleasure is constructing at a time when UC soccer is rebuilding underneath a second-year coach. Meantime, the soccer group is looking for its footing in a brand new world of faculty soccer that doesn’t favor sustained, high-level success for applications just like the Bearcats.
As I’ve beforehand written, soccer coach Scott Satterfield wants time to construct his program. However that’s an extremely troublesome process when the switch portal results in 30-40 new gamers every season and UC doesn’t have limitless NIL cash like a number of the SEC and Huge Ten colleges do.
I’ve additionally written that followers shouldn’t count on NCAA Event appearances every season − or not less than going 9 straight seasons just like the Bearcats did from 2011-2019.
However UC basketball is in a greater place to construct sustained success. For one, the Huge 12 is the very best convention in faculty basketball. (In soccer, the SEC and Huge Ten are the very best.) Couple that with UC’s storied basketball custom and a coach often called one of many nation’s greatest recruiters and and it takes fewer sources to show issues round.
Intimidate. Dominate. Have a good time. Once more. Possibly?
Let’s mood this just a little bit. Miller, getting into his fourth season at UC, has but to take the Bearcats to the NCAA Event. All indicators level towards the Bearcats being an NCAA Event-type group this upcoming season.
Nobody is saying UC can’t be often called a soccer and basketball college, although it’s uncommon for a college to maintain success in each. I’m merely suggesting issues appear to be shifting again to UC being often called a basketball college.
And I do know loads of long-time Bearcats followers can be simply positive with that.
This text initially appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats basketball soccer recognition
