TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men’s basketball team hosts Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on 700 WLW and the TuneIn app.
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Bearcat Bits
- The 2025-26 campaign marks the 125th season of competition for Cincinnati men’s basketball, and the Bearcats will commemorate the milestone with a year-long celebration honoring the program’s rich history, iconic players and cultural legacy. Cincinnati men’s basketball, which was named a top-10 program in college basketball history by the Associated Press, boasts 44 All-Americans, 41 conference titles, six Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championships across its history, which dates back to the 1901-02 season.
- Cincinnati, allowing just 64.2 points per game defensively, ranks third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Bearcats’ 91.7 rating sits only behind Houston at 89.4 and Michigan at 90.7. Cincinnati also ranks third in non-steal turnover percentage (12.7%), 10th in 2-point percentage (40.9%), 15th in effective field-goal percentage (42.4%) and 19th in block percentage (16.7%).
- Cincinnati has found itself playing with pace offensively and forcing its opponents to play more deliberately on the opposite end. The Bearcats sit 19th nationally in average offensive possession length at 14.7 seconds and their opponents are taking 17.1 seconds per possession on the other end, good for 202nd-fastest nationally.
- The Bearcats lead the Big 12 in opponent field goal percentage (35.9%), rank third in blocks (5.5) and defensive rebounds per game (29.30), fourth in opponent 3-point percentage (29.6%) and fifth in scoring defense (64.2 ppg).
- With just one starter and a pair of letterwinners returning from the Bearcats’ 2024-25 squad, Cincinnati retains only 13.3% of its scoring, 7l.6% of its rebounding and 17.5% of its assists from a season ago.
- Despite missing the NJIT game with an injury, senior forward Baba Miller sees himself among the best nationally and in the Big 12. Miller is tied for 15th nationally and tied for the Big 12 lead in double-doubles with three. He sits second the conference and ranks ninth nationally with 8.0 defensive rebounds per game, fourth in the conference and 30th nationally with 10.0 total rebounds per game and fifth in the conference with 2.0 blocks per game.
- Cincinnati won the only previous meeting with the Eagles, a 102-79 victory Dec. 19, 1996 in Cincinnati. Danny Fortson led five Bearcats in double figures, going for 33 points and 11 boards, while Ruben Patterson added 17 points and seven rebounds. Earl Boykins led Eastern Michigan with 23 points and four assists.
- Led by fifth-year head coach Stan Heath, Eastern Michigan is 3-3 on the season with wins over Georgia State, Detroit Mercy and Oakland, along with losses at Pittsburgh, against IU Indy and at No. 6 Louisville. Redshirt freshman forward Mohammad Habhab leads Eastern Michigan with 15 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while senior guard Carlos Hart averages 14.2 points per contest and senior forward Addison Patterson chips in with 12.7.