The 2026–27 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team will represent the University of Cincinnati during the 2026–27 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearcats will be led by first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, and will play their home games at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio as fourth-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

Previous season

The Bearcats finished the season 18–15 and 9–9 in Big 12 play to finish in tie for 7th place in the conference standings, thus earning the 9th seed in the 2026 Big 12 men's basketball tournament. They defeated Utah in the first round before losing to UCF in the second round. The Bearcats did not get selected to play in the NCAA tournament, and declined an invite to the College Basketball Crown.

Offseason Coaching staff changes Cincinnati announced on March 19, 2026 that Wes Miller would not return as head coach for the next season. Ohio native and UC alum Jerrod Calhoun was announced as the 29th men's basketball head coach on March 24, 2026. Calhoun's coaching staff was announced on April 07, 2026.

Departures Cincinnati Departing Players Shon Abaev G 6' 8" 195 Sophomore Fort Lauderdale, FLTransferred to Florida StateBryson BuckinghamG6' 2"180SophomoreEdmond, OKTransferred to Southern NazareneJalen CelestineG6' 7"220Graduate studentAjax, OntarioCompleted college eligibilityGrant DarbyshireG6' 2"190Graduate studentCincinnati, OHCompleted college eligibilitySencire HarrisG6' 4"175SeniorCanton, OHTransferred to Eastern MichiganJalen HaynesF6' 8"250Graduate studentFort Lauderdale, FLTransferred to DaytonJizzle JamesG6' 3"205JuniorOrlando, FL Transferred to CharlotteTyler McKinleyF6' 9"240Cincinnati, OHTransferred to CharlotteBaba MillerF6' 11"225SeniorMallorca, SpainCompleted college eligibility, declared for NBA draft; Selected 36th overall by Los Angeles ClippersJordi RodriguezG6' 6"195SophomoreBarcelona, SpainTransferred to Charlotte Moustapha Thiam C 7' 2" 235 Junior Dakar, SenegalTransferred to MichiganDay Day ThomasG6' 1"190Graduate studentColumbia, SCCompleted college eligibilityKeyshuan TilleryG6' 0"184SophomoreAlbany, NYTransferred to Charlotte Source:

Incoming transfers Cincinnati incoming transfersRiley Allenspach35C6' 11"247SeniorCharlotte, NCGeorge MasonOne yearJavontae Campbell3G6' 3"185Fifth yearMuskogee, OKBowling GreenOne yearTrevian Carson0G6' 3"200SeniorWest Des Moines, IANorth Dakota StateOne yearMJ Collins2G6' 4"195Fifth yearClover, SCUtah StateOne year Myles Colvin 6 F 6' 5" 212 Senior Indianapolis, IN Wake ForestOne year Adlan Elamin 9 F 6' 9" 185 Sophomore Fairfax, VA Utah StateThree yearsAkai Fleming5G6' 4"184SophomoreAtlanta, GAGeorgia TechThree yearsJayden Hastings22C6' 9"240Orlando, FLBoston CollegeTwo yearsDavid Iweze11C6' 10"240SophomoreRoanoke, TXUtah StateFour yearsEric Mahaffey20F6' 6"200Cincinnati, OHAkronThree yearsElijah Perryman1G6' 2"190SophomoreSan Francisco, CAUtah StateThree yearsTylen Riley10G6' 1"170SeniorLas Vegas, NVTulsaOne yearTyler Tejada8G/F6' 9"230SeniorTeaneck, NJTowsonOne yearDeshaun Vaden32F6' 11"210JuniorCleveland, OHMount Union (DIII)Two years

Recruiting classes

2026 recruiting class Preseason Cincinnati announced that they will play in the CareSource Invitational exhibition series along with Dayton, Xavier and Ohio State. This will take place on October 07, 2026, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open.

Big 12 The Big 12 preseason coaches & media poll will be released in October 2026. All awards will be voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, who can not vote for their own team or players.

Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll Big 12 CoachesPoints 1. Arizona 2.Arizona State 3.Baylor 4.BYU 5. Cincinnati 6.Colorado 7.Houston 8.Iowa State 9.Kansas 10.Kansas State 11.TCU 12.Texas Tech 13.Oklahoma State 14.UCF 15.Utah 16.West VirginiaReference: (#) first-place votes

Big 12 Preseason Media Poll Big 12 MediaPoints 1. Arizona 2.Arizona State 3.Baylor 4.BYU 5. Cincinnati 6.Colorado 7.Houston 8.Iowa State 9.Kansas 10.Kansas State 11.TCU 12.Texas Tech 13.Oklahoma State 14.UCF 15.Utah 16.West VirginiaReference:

Roster

Schedule and results

!colspan=9 style=""| Exhibition

!colspan=12 style=""| Regular season

!colspan=12 style=""|

!colspan=12 style=""|

References