UC Hoops: Bearcats Make it to AAC Championship

Cincinnati made a run to the American Athletic Championship game before losing to Houston. In the quarterfinals, UC beat SMU 74-71. Then, Cincy upset Wichita State 60-59. The Bearcats came up short of making the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 6 Houston 91-54. Cincinnati finishes the season 12-11 (10-7 AAC). Freshman guard Jeremiah Davenport made All-AAC Tournament team.

The regular season ended with a home victory versus Tulane, home losses to Memphis and Vanderbilt, and a road win at ECU. There will be no postseason appearances for UC, for the first time since 2010.

Cincinnati Enquirer

2020-21 American Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Wichita State	—	—	16-5
Houston	—	—	24-3
Memphis	—	—	16-8
SMU	—	—	11-5
Cincinnati	—	—	12-11
UCF	—	—	11-12
Tulsa	—	—	11-12
South Florida	—	—	9-13
Temple	—	—	5-11
Tulane	—	—	10-13
East Carolina	—	—	8-11

XU Hoops: Muskies’ Season Ends with Loss to Butler

Xavier’s season ended rather abruptly. A loss to Butler, 70-69 in overtime in the first round of the Big East Tournament, ended the Musketeers’ season. Butler made two free throws late in overtime. Xavier once led the game 30-13 and enjoyed a double-digit halftime lead. Georgetown ended up winning the conference tournament. Xavier was offered a spot in the NIT, but declined the invitation. XU finishes the season 13-8, (6-9 Big East). Dwon Odom and Zach Freemantle each had 14 points for Xavier.

Xavier University Athletics

Georgetown defeated Creighton in the championship 73-48.

2020-21 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Villanova	—	—	16-6
Creighton	—	—	20-8
UConn	—	—	15-7
St. John’s	—	—	16-11
Seton Hall	—	—	14-13
Providence	—	—	13-13
Xavier	—	—	13-8
Georgetown	—	—	13-12
Marquette	—	—	13-14
Butler	—	—	10-15
DePaul	—	—	5-14

XU Hoops: Xavier on Bubble

The Xavier Musketeers are one of the last teams getting into the NCAA Tournament. This is according to many projections as of today before Xavier (13-7, 6-7) plays in the Big East Tournament. Xavier will officially know its fate on Sunday. Beating No. 17 Creighton a few weeks ago was a huge victory. Losing to Marquette and Georgetown recently has made the season much more suspenseful. While winning the tournament would give XU the automatic bid, this seems unlikely. Their next game will be against the Butler Bulldogs Wednesday at 6 p.m. This is the first round of the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden. TV: FS1

Katie Stratman- USA Today Sports

Conference tournament bracket

2020-21 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Villanova	11-4	–	16-5
Creighton	14-6	+0.5	18-7
UConn	11-6	1	14-6
St. John’s	10-9	3	16-10
Seton Hall	10-9	3	13-12
Providence	9-10	4	13-12
Xavier	6-7	4	13-7
Georgetown	7-9	4.5	9-12
Marquette	8-11	5	13-13
Butler	8-12	5.5	9-14
DePaul	2-13	9	4-13

UC Hoops: Bearcats Win at Tulsa 70-69

Cincinnati escaped Tulsa with a one-point victory, Wednesday night. A late steal by the Bearcats, and a layup by Jeremiah Davenport led the Bearcats to victory. Keith Williams scored 24 points for UC. Davenport had 14 points himself. UC will play Tulane at home Friday night. Time: 4:00 p.m. TV: ESPN+

The Bearcats’ defense sealed the win, forcing a missed layup. (John Clanton, Tulsa World)

2020-21 American Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Wichita State	9-2	–	13-4
Houston	12-3	+1	18-3
Memphis	9-3	0.5	13-6
SMU	7-4	2	11-4
Cincinnati	6-5	3	8-8
Tulsa	7-8	4	10-10
UCF	6-10	5.5	8-11
South Florida	4-7	5	8-9
Tulane	4-10	6.5	9-10
Temple	4-10	6.5	5-10
East Carolina	2-8	6.5	8-8

XU Hoops: Xavier Loses to Providence, Remains on Bubble

Xavier is making its season more interesting, to the dismay of its fans. The Musketeers lost to the Providence Friars 83-68. The road contest was an important game for XU, but Zach Freemantle’s 24 points and 12 rebounds were not enough. Paul Scruggs added 22 points for X, but the Friars were led by Noah Horchler. The loss evens the season series, as Xavier beat Providence by a point earlier in the season. The Muskies’ now face No. 13 Creighton at home on Saturday. Time: 5:00 p.m. TV: FOX

Providence’s Noah Horchler (14) shoots, with Xavier’s Paul Scruggs (1) defending. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

2020-21 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Villanova	10-2	–	15-3
Creighton	13-4	+0.5	17-5
Seton Hall	10-7	2.5	13-10
UConn	8-6	3	11-6
Xavier	5-5	4	12-5
St. John’s	8-9	4.5	14-10
Providence	8-9	4.5	12-11
Butler	7-11	6	8-13
Georgetown	5-8	5.5	7-11
Marquette	6-10	6	11-12
DePaul	2-11	8.5	4-11

UC Hoops: Bearcats Blown out in Houston

The Cincinnati Bearcats were overwhelmed Sunday at no. 6 Houston, losing 90-52. The Bearcats allowed a season-high in points. They also turned the ball over 13 times, and shot only 30% from the field. Jeremiah Davenport scored 11 points for UC. Tari Eason scored 10 points for Cincinnati. The Cats’ fall to 7-8 (5-5, AAC). UC now plays Tulsa on the road Wednesday night at 9 pm. TV: ESPNU

UC’s David DeJulius (0) attempts a layup against Houston.

2020-2021 American Athletic Conference Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Wichita State	9-2	–	13-4
Houston	12-3	+1	18-3
Memphis	8-3	1	12-6
SMU	7-4	2	11-4
Tulsa	7-7	3.5	10-9
Cincinnati	5-5	3.5	7-8
South Florida	4-6	4.5	8-8
UCF	6-10	5.5	8-11
Tulane	4-9	6	9-9
Temple	3-10	7	4-10
East Carolina	2-8	6.5	8-8

XU Hoops: Xavier Holds off Butler 63-51

The Xavier Musketeers got a much-needed win over the Butler Bulldogs Sunday, winning 63-51 at home. The Muskies’ Zach Freemantle led all scorers with 17 points and had 10 rebounds. His double-double matched Colby Jones’s one who had 13 points and 11 boards for X. The win completes a sweep versus Butler this season. Xavier improves to 12-4 (5-4, Big East) and are scheduled to play at Providence Wednesday night. Time: 9:00 p.m. TV: FS1.

Zach Freemantle (32) goes up for a shot versus Butler. (Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer).

2020-21 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Villanova	9-2	–	14-3
Creighton	12-4	+0.5	16-5
Seton Hall	10-6	1.5	13-9
Xavier	5-4	3	12-4
UConn	7-6	3	10-6
St. John’s	8-8	3.5	14-9
Providence	7-9	4.5	11-11
Georgetown	5-7	4.5	7-10
Marquette	6-10	5.5	10-12
Butler	6-11	6	7-13
DePaul	2-10	7.5	4-10

UC Hoops: Bearcats Beat Temple and UCF

The Bearcats bested Temple 70-68 on Friday. Jeremiah Davenport and Mika Adams-Woods each scored 12 points for the Cats.’ Then Cincinnati beat UCF 69-68 on Sunday. This time, Keith Williams and David DeJulius both had 14 points. UC now has a 4 game winning streak, and is above .500 in conference play. They currently are 7-7 overall. Cincy swept Temple this season, and split the series against UCF. Cincinnati will play at No. 6 Houston on Sunday at 1 pm. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Jeremiah Davenport (24) celebrates a victory over UCF. (Kareem Elgazzar, Cincinnati Enquirer)

2020-2021 AAC Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Wichita State	9-2	–	13-4
Houston	11-3	+0.5	17-3
Memphis	8-3	1	12-6
SMU	7-4	2	11-4
Cincinnati	5-4	3	7-7
Tulsa	7-7	3.5	10-9
UCF	5-10	6	7-11
Tulane	4-8	5.5	9-8
South Florida	3-6	5	7-8
Temple	3-9	6.5	4-9
East Carolina	2-8	6.5	8-8

XU Hoops: Xavier beats Butler, DePaul Game Postponed

Xavier beat Butler last week on the road, Last Saturday, Xavier knocked off Butler 68-55 in a Big East matchup. Paul Scruggs scored 24 points for the Musketeers. The Muskies’ shot 51% from the floor, including 10 of 20 from three-point range. Meanwhile, XU held Butler to 34% shooting, and 5 of 25 on three-pointers.

This game was is the only one Xavier has played in a month due to coronavirus complications. In fact, the game scheduled for Thursday versus DePaul has been postponed. While this game was postponed by DePaul, Xavier has had to postpone games itself for team members testing positive for COVID-19.

Paul Scruggs (1) was named to the Big East Honor Roll recently. (Xavier University Athletics)

2020-21 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Villanova	7-1	–	12-2
Creighton	10-4	–	14-5
Xavier	4-2	2	11-2
Seton Hall	8-5	1.5	11-8
UConn	5-4	2.5	8-4
St. John’s	7-6	2.5	13-7
Marquette	5-8	4.5	9-10
Providence	5-8	4.5	9-10
Butler	5-8	4.5	6-10
Georgetown	3-6	4.5	5-9
DePaul	1-8	6.5	3-8

UC Hoops: Cats’ Beat Tulane and Temple

Cincinnati was able to right the ship somewhat with two consecutive road wins. UC won 64-61 over Tulane on Super Bowl Sunday. They previously defeated Temple 63-60 Thursday night. These league wins were critical for the American Athletic Conference standings. The Bearcats now sit at 5-7 (3-4 AAC) and are due to play Memphis Thursday at 7pm (ESPN2/ESPNU).

The previous two games had a margin of three points. These tight contests brought out the best of David DeJulius and Keith Williams. Dejulius had a career-high 26 points at Temple. Williams scored 20 points at Tulane. Tari Eason’s offensive rebound and bucket closed out the win in New Orleans.

The outlook for the 2020-21 season is still bleak for the Bearcats, as they are not expected to make the NCAA Tournament. The NIT also seems unlikely at this time. However, the Cats’ have played a top-50 schedule (Massey Ratings) and a current winning streak may be a sign of things to come. A conference tournament championship seems like the only path for UC to made the field of 68.

Keith Williams (2) scored his 1,000th career point Sunday. (University of Cincinnati Athletics: Carl Schmid)

2020-21 AAC Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Houston	10-2	–	16-2
Wichita State	7-2	1.5	11-4
Memphis	8-3	1.5	12-6
SMU	7-4	2.5	11-4
Tulsa	6-6	4	9-8
South Florida	3-3	4	7-5
Cincinnati	3-4	4.5	5-7
Temple	3-7	6	4-7
UCF	3-8	6.5	5-9
Tulane	2-7	6.5	7-7
East Carolina	2-8	7	8-8