TicketsCINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team hosts Minnesota in the annual Twyman-Stokes Classic presented by Impacting Tomorrow at 7 p.m. Monday at Fifth Third Arena. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast on 700 WLW and the TuneIn app.
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Bearcat Bits
- Cincinnati’s game against Minnesota Nov. 9 will mark the 2026-27 Twyman-Stokes Classic presented by Impacting Tomorrow. The game spotlights the story that transcends the city and basketball as a whole. Rising NBA star Maurice Stokes, while playing for the Cincinnati Royals, suffered a life-changing injury at the end of the 1958 season that left him paralyzed and unable to speak. His teammate, Bearcats legend Jack Twyman, became his legal guardian at 23 to give him financial and physical support. After years of grassroots fundraising nationwide, NBA stars held out at the 1964 All-Star Game to get the players’ union recognized, largely in part after seeing what Stokes had gone through. Stokes died in 1970, and when Twyman passed in 2012, the Reverend Jesse Jackson helped lead a call to the NBA to establish the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award.
- Bearcats’ first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun sits one win shy of 300 for his career. Calhoun won 124 games over five seasons at Fairmont State, 118 in seven seasons at Youngstown State, another 55 in two seasons at Utah State and two more in his first two games at Cincinnati.
- The Bearcats’ roster averages almost 60 career games played and 30 starts. MJ Collins Jr. leads the Bearcats with 136 career games played (83 starts), Amani Lyles has played in 118 games (42 starts) and Myles Colvin has appeared in 104 games (34 starts). Riley Allenspach has made 101 appearances (36 starts), while Tyler Tejada has played in 95 games (85 career starts - most of any Bearcat) and Tylen Riley has seen action in 91 contests (53 starts).
- Seven Bearcats earned all-conference honors a season ago. Trevian Carson was an All-Summit League First Team selection, Amani Lyles was an All-Mid-American Conference First Team pick, MJ Collins Jr. earned All-Mountain West Second Team laurels, Tyler Tejada is a two-time All-CAA honoree, including 2024-25 CAA Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. In addition, Tylen Riley was an All-American Conference Second Team pick, Eric Mahaffey garnered All-MAC Freshman Team honors and Riley Allenspach picked up All-Atlantic 10 Second Team honors.
- Several Bearcats have career statistical milestones within reach after their first two games in a Cincinnati uniform. At 1,374 career points, Tyler Tejada is 126 shy of 1,500 for his career. Riley Allenspach (895 points), Amani Lyles (894 points) and Tylen Riley (829 points) are all within reach of 1,000 for their career.
- The Bearcats and Golden Gophers are meeting for the 10th time Monday night at Fifth Third Arena. After Minnesota wins in the first two games of the series in 1983 and 1984, Cincinnati has won the last seven matchups, including a 76-62 home win March 21, 2006.
- Minnesota, led by second-year head coach Niko Medved, is 2-0 on the year with wins over North Dakota and St. Thomas. Guard Isaac Asuma leads Minnesota with 16.5 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds per contest. Forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson adds 15.5 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. The Golden Gophers, who are averaging 23.5 assists per game as a team, are outrebounding their opponents, 46.5-33.5.
Purchase Season Tickets
The best way to guarantee your spot at every game at Fifth Third Arena is with 2026-27 season tickets. A variety of ticket packages are on sale now at https://am.ticketmaster.com/bearcats/mbb. Need assistance? Contact the Bearcats Ticket Office at uc.tickets@uc.edu or call 513-556-2287.