Tag: Cincinnati Bearcats

Remembering Colorado football’s last matchup with Cincinnati

Colorado and Cincinnati met over 50 years ago at Folsom Field

You’ll have to stretch your memory to remember the last time the Colorado Buffaloes matched up with the Cincinnati Bearcats. That will soon change, however, now that the two teams share a conference in the Big 12.

The only other time Colorado and Cincinnati met was in 1972. Colorado was coming off a 10-2 campaign in 1971 that saw the Buffs finish at No. 3 in the final AP Poll. Head coach Eddie Crowder’s team was ranked No. 2 when the Bearcats rolled into Folsom Field on Sept. 16, 1972. The Buffaloes rolled past Cincinnati that day by a final score of 56-14.

That 1972 season had its ups and downs for the Buffs as they would finish the year at 8-4. The highlight of that season came on Oct. 21 when the No. 9 Buffs upset the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners, 20-14.

Cincinnati struggled in its first Big 12 season last fall, and while I don’t expect another 56-14 score, the Buffs should be heavy favorites when they host the Bearcats on Oct. 26.

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Former Texas forward Dillon Mitchell commits to Cincinnati

Former five star forward Dillon Mitchell committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Former Texas Longhorns forward Dillon Mitchell is staying in the Big 12 after all, committing to join Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats out of the transfer portal.

Mitchell, a highly regarded prospect out of Montverde Academy in Florida, spent the past two seasons with the Longhorns.

The 6’8 forward averaged 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds last year, cementing himself as a big time athlete, defender, and rebounder while working to develop a consistent offensive game.

He will now join a roster at Cincinnati that is mostly intact from last season, getting a chance to play alongside Aziz Bandaogo, Jizzle James, Daniel Skillings, and Simas Lukosius.

Mitchell, alongside fellow transfer portal additions Arrinten Page (USC) and Connor Hickman (Bradley) will help replace John Newman (out of eligibility) and Viktor Lakhin (Clemson) for the Bearcats.

The transfer trio and bevy of key returners gives coach Miller a roster capable of leading this program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Mick Cronin was head coach back in 2019.

Oklahoma Sooners outlast Cincinnati 74-71 in overtime, secure win No. 20

Oklahoma Sooners outlast Cincinnati Bearcats 74-71.

Tuesday night was a messy affair in the Lloyd Noble Center, but the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top when the dust cleared. After a rough start, they clawed their way to a hard-earned 20th win.

Oklahoma hosted Cincinnati for what will go down as Oklahoma’s final Big 12 home game. While the game ended with a 74-71 win in overtime, it was not without its own challenges.

Before the game, it was announced that starter [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] would not be playing after injuring his shoulder during practice.

So before the game started, Oklahoma was down a starter as they got set to face a desperate Cincinnati team. The Bearcats, coached by Wes Miller, came out like the more hungry team as they played with more energy than the Sooners in the opening 20 minutes.

After falling behind 14-3 early, Oklahoma methodically worked its way back into the game. As he’s done many times this year, Rivaldo Soares paced the Sooners early with 10 points and was the only Sooner in double figures as OU put up a paltry 27 points at halftime.

The Sooners shot 40 percent from the field in the half, but the big story was the performance of sophomore Milos Uzan.

On a day when the Sooners needed him to up his contributions without McCollum in the lineup, Uzan was held scoreless in the first half. He also had two turnovers and sat a significant amount thanks to two fouls.

The Sooners entered the break down 28-27 and were fortunate to remain in the game after their poor start.

The second half was even worse offensively for the Sooners, as they shot 32% from the field. However, they shot a surprising 50% from long distance, and they cashed in on 21 of 23 free throws in the final 20 minutes.

A back-and-forth affair came down to the waning moments of the game.

While down two with 17.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Porter Moser drew up a crispy inbounds play to free Le’Tre Darthard in the corner for an open 3-pointer to give OU a one-point lead. Oklahoma fouled Darthard’s former Utah Valley teammate Aziz Bandaogo with mere seconds left, and Bandaogo hit one of two free throws to send the game to overtime.

Oklahoma found its defense in the extra period. Sam Godwin and Otega Oweh came through with clutch buckets, while Darthard went 3 of 4 from the free throw line to close things out. The Bearcats’ last attempt to tie the game clanged off the rim and Darthard secured teh rebound to seal the win for the Sooners on Senior Night.

Soares, Darthard, Godwin, and Maks Klanjscek were honored Tuesday night before the game.

Oklahoma found a way despite being without Javian McCollum and arguably the worst performance of his young career from Milos Uzan. Uzan shot 1 of 10 for 2 points and fouled out in the second half.

Le’Tre Darthard finished as the team leader in points with 18, while Soares and Jalon Moore dropped 16 a piece. Jizzle James, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, had 16 to lead the Bearcats.

It wasn’t pretty and deserved zero style points, but Oklahoma found a way.

The Sooners were a 10 seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology update before the game, and this win should solidify their case as an NCAA tournament team.

If Tuesday’s win wasn’t enough, Oklahoma will have another chance to pad their resume as they travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. They’ll have a chance for revenge in the final regular season iteration of the Red River Rivalry in the BIg 12 before both schools depart for the SEC.

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Oklahoma Sooners preparing for the size of the Cincinnati Bearcats

The Sooners gear up for their final home game of the season against one of the biggest teams in the league.

The Oklahoma Sooners are just days removed from a hard-fought loss to the No. 1 ranked team, the Houston Cougars. Now, they finish off the regular season this week starting with a game Tuesday night vs. the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag].

The Sooners defeated the Bearcats 69-65 on the road earlier in the season. That would probably be their best chance to get to 20 wins as they close the season on Saturday against a Texas Longhorns team that blew them out in Norman earlier in the year.

Porter Moser spoke about the challenges they’ll face against Cincinnati. “They are huge,” Moser said. “They can really block shots and guard. They’ve been one of the best defensive teams in the country and in our conference. They’re really physical. We just played physical guards in Houston, Iowa State, and it’s another one.”

Cincinnati’s size could play a big factor in this game. Even though Oklahoma won the first meeting, the Bearcats’ size really bothered them as they shot 41% from the field and had seven of their shots blocked. But the Sooners were able to out-rebound them, which was huge in a close back-and-forth game.

They are going to have to have that same defensive effort and effort inside if they want to come out with another win.

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Oklahoma falls to No. 1 Houston 87-85 on last second jump shot by Jamal Shead

Oklahoma comes up short 87-85 in upset bid of No.1 Houston.

Oklahoma emptied the tank on Saturday evening before a packed-out Lloyd Noble Center as they took on the nation’s number one team, the Houston Cougars.

Though the Sooners failed to knock off yet another highly-ranked Big 12 foe on Saturday evening, there’s certainly no shame in the effort they put on the court.

Jamal Shead, one of the nation’s best players, sent the Sooner faithful home in disappointed after hitting a mid-range jump shot as the seconds ticked down to give the Cougars and former Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Kelvin Sampson[/autotag] the 87-85 win.

In what many figured would be a defensive, grind-it-out affair, the Sooners and Cougars exploded offensively from the opening tip throughout the contest.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with threes raining from each side in a free-flowing game. OU was 7 of 13 from beyond the arc and 10 of 10 from the free throw line in the game’s first 20 minutes. Overall in the first half, they shot 14 of 28 from the field, while Houston shot 67% percent in the first half.

Rivaldo Soares led the way with 10 points on 3 of 3 shooting and 3 of 3 from the charity stripe. Sam Godwin added eight of his team-leading 17 points.

Houston adjusted at the break before racing out to a 56-47 lead before pushing it out to 63-51with over 13 minutes left.

The Sooners responded to fight back into the game with clutch shooting and timely stops. With the Sooners down 85-82, Sam Godwin was fouled. He made the first of two free throws, but the rebound was saved by point guard Milos Uzan. After a timeout, the Sooners scored off the ensuing inbound pass on a nifty drive to the cup by [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag].

On the Cougars’ final possession, Oklahoma got the initial stop, but Shead collected his own rebound from the scrum and hit the buzzer beater to end the Sooners’ upset bit.

The Sooners had five players finish in double figures while shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from three.

Houston will head to Orlando to take on UCF Wednesday evening.

The Sooners will host Cincinnati on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their final Big 12 home game before heading on the road to face Texas in Austin on the final day of the regular season.

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Top in-state 2025 prospect has Notre Dame football in final four

The Irish are in the top in-state prospects final group

Notre Dame football hasn’t had the greatest luck keeping the top in-state player, but the 2025 cycle might be different.

Indianapolis Ben Davis cornerback [autotag]Mark Zackery IV[/autotag] is one of the best prospects in the country, not just in Indiana. Ranking as the No. 133 overall player and 16th cornerback according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, he has narrowed down his list to Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida and the Irish.

In the 2024 cycle, the Irish missed out on the top four in-state recruits, but head coach Marcus Freeman has refocused his efforts to keep the best in Indiana from leaving like they did in 2023 when the top in-state player, linebacker Drayk Bowen signed with Notre Dame.

There is potential that this could be a two-for-one for the Irish, as Zackery IV could end up playing basketball as well.

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How to watch, key players for No. 23 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball vs. Oklahoma State Cowgirls

The ranked women’s team are back in action also in Bedlam and this is how you can watch the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners were able to bounce back after a tough loss to West Virginia with a good win on the road at Cincinnati. Now, they are also playing their final Bedlam game as conference foes but this time in Norman.

The Sooners won the first meeting in Stillwater 81-74. The Cowgirls come into this game losing three of their last five games but they did get a good win at home over the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] in their last game.

Oklahoma continues to have a hold on the conference as they have a one-game lead over Texas and [autotag]Kansas State.[/autotag] They currently lose the tie-breaker to Kansas State but win the tie-breaker over Texas who they will play again coming up.

But let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players for both teams.

How to watch, key players for No. 23 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Sooners women’s team are back in action to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats. Here is how you can watch the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ nine-game winning streak came to a heartbreaking end on Saturday as they fell at West Virginia. The Sooners had a chance to tie the game with one second left but missed the first free throw and then had a lane violation on the second one.

Now, they must bounce back as they still lead the Big 12 with four games to play. They take on a [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag] team they beat earlier in the year by 13 in Norman. But this one is on the road for the Sooners. The Bearcats are on a three-game losing streak and are 12-13 overall.

So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players to watch.

Every consensus All-American coached by Brian Kelly

Here’s every consensus All-American coached by Brian Kelly in his time as an FBS head coach.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has been an FBS head coach for 20 years now. That span includes a lot of wins and a couple of playoff appearances.

Kelly’s had plenty of talent come through his programs, putting several players in the NFL year after year.

A select few of those players have earned consensus All-American honors. Here, we’ll be looking at every consensus All-American Kelly’s worked with as a head coach.

He’s had at least one All-American at his last three stops: Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU.

Here are the 12 players to earn consensus All-American status under Kelly since he became a FBS head coach in 2004.

Trio of double-digit scorers pace Sooners as No. 16 Oklahoma holds off Cincinnati 69-65

Oklahoma outlasts Cincinnati on the road 69-65 as they put together their second straight win in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma is starting to figure some things out. After traveling to chilly Cincinnati for a date with a tough Bearcats team led by coach Wes Miller, the Sooners are back over .500 in Big 12 play with a 65-62 win Saturday afternoon. They have now won back-to-back Big 12 games after losing their previous two.

Saturday was far from easy, but in the best conference in the country, it was never going to be. After a challenging, all-around team effort to beat West Virginia, Oklahoma needed all hands on deck against a dangerous Cincinnati team. The Sooners and Bearcats exchanged buckets through the first half.

A common theme from Oklahoma’s first-half struggles during Big 12 play was foul trouble, and this was yet another first half where foul trouble plagued them.

Jalon Moore had six points but three fouls in the first half, while starting big man Sam Godwin tallied two of his own. Starting point guard Milos Uzan also fell victim to two fouls and a goose egg in the score column.

Cincinnati’s Simos Lukosis scored for the Bearcats early and often, with 10 of his team-leading 17 points in the first 20 minutes.

Javian McCollum led the way at the break for Oklahoma with 10 of his 16 points in the first frame.

The Sooners entered the break tied at 31 apiece, with Otega Oweh and Milos Uzan combining for just four points. Moser and his staff had to breathe a sigh of relief.

After the break, things changed for the Sooners, and Oklahoma, who had only led for brief stretches of the first half, began to find their footing thanks to much more inspired play from Oweh and Uzan. They performed much better in the second half. Oweh knocked down a big three to give Oklahoma a 51-46 lead early in the second half.

An Oweh putback dunk late in the game put Oklahoma ahead by seven with about two minutes remaining. The Bearcats scored the next four to pull within three after Josh Reed’s free throws with 28.7 seconds left. The Sooners played the foul game and knocked in their final four free throws to seal the deal.

Jalon Moore chipped in nine points and ten massive rebounds for Oklahoma. He’s now had back-to-back impactful games for his team.

John Hugley IV had 11 points off the bench as he was one of three double-digit scorers for Oklahoma on Saturday.

The Sooners had a balanced effort from everyone who played significant minutes, with six players chipping in at least seven points.

The win against Cincinnati also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bearcats and gave the Sooners their first win on the road since beating USC earlier in the season on a neutral court.

Oklahoma heads back home for to welcome their Red River rivals to the Lloyd Noble Center. The Texas Longhorns are coming off of a potentially season-saving win against a top-ten-ranked Baylor team on Saturday.

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