During the week of Big 12 Tournament play, head coach Wes Miller and the No.11 (18-13 7-11 in the Big 12) University of Cincinnati Bearcats must win out in the Big 12 tournament to clinch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

The season finale saw the Bearcats winning against West Virginia, blowing them out 92-56. However, a late season slide against a Big 12 opponents may have hurt their chances to get.

Their best win of the season came against the BYU Cougars back on January 6th.

Other key wins include a 75-72 road win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a squad that ranked inside the AP top 25. The Bearcats have also picked up some big wins over both TCU and UCF to bolster their resumes.

However, a loss to Oklahoma in overtime during the final week of the season has hurt their chances of getting into the selection. As the final stretch of the season saw losses to TCU, a top ranked University of Houston, and Oklahoma State may have hurt their bubble chances.

Cincinnati Bearcats a Longshot to NCAA Tournament

The Bearcats have to win four of their Big 12 tournament games in order to make a bid for the NCAA Tournament.

They are set to face West Virginia in a rematch on Tuesday in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

The Mountaineers have struggled this season for the most part, finishing last in the conference at 9-22 and 4-14 in conference games.

But there will be tougher competition between teams in the semifinals; either against No.6 seed Kansas Wednesday night or No.3 seed Baylor Thursday night.

The Cincinnati Bearcats last made the tournament in 2019. Now they hope to win in the Big 12 to punch their ticket in again.