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Thursday's exhibition game with Tusculum marks the first event inside newly renovated Fifth Third Arena. The 20-month, privately funded $87 million renovation began soon after Cincinnati's 65-47 home win over Houston on March 2, 2017.

A private ribbon-cutting event will take place Thursday, Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m., thanking key donors to the project. Participating in the event will be UC President Neville Pinto, UC Director of Athletics Mike Bohn and Fifth Third Bank CEO Greg Carmichael along with Bearcats men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin , women's basketball head coach Michelle Clark-Heard and women's volleyball head coach Molly Alvey .

and Fifth Third Bank CEO Greg Carmichael along with Bearcats men's basketball head coach , women's basketball head coach and women's volleyball head coach . American Athletic Conference coaches predicted a second-place league finish for the Bearcats, who received 107 points behind first-place UCF. The Knights garnered a league-best 114 points and six first-place votes to UC's three first-place votes.

UC junior guard Jarron Cumberland was named a preseason first team all-conference selection by the league's coaches at AAC Media Day in October.

was named a preseason first team all-conference selection by the league's coaches at AAC Media Day in October. Cumberland also has been named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year preseason watch list.

Cumberland (11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists a year ago), along with senior guards Justin Jenifer (4.8 points, 3.79-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) and Cane Broome (7.9 points, 2.8 assists), lead Cincinnati in 2018-19. The Bearcats are coming off back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history and look to defend their 2017-18 AAC regular-season and tournament championships. Eight other returning lettermen along with four newcomers help make up head coach Mick Cronin 's 13th squad at Cincinnati.

(4.8 points, 3.79-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) and (7.9 points, 2.8 assists), lead Cincinnati in 2018-19. The Bearcats are coming off back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history and look to defend their 2017-18 AAC regular-season and tournament championships. Eight other returning lettermen along with four newcomers help make up head coach 's 13th squad at Cincinnati. Cincinnati is one of four programs to win 30 or more games each of the past two seasons. Its 61 victories since the start of 2016-17 rank behind only Gonzaga (69), Villanova (68) and Kansas (62).

Cincinnati is one of six schools in the nation to have appeared in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and North Carolina.

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The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team returns to newly renovated Fifth Third Arena for the first time since March 2017 when Division II Tusculum visits for an exhibition contest on Thursday, Nov. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed by BEARCATS TV on GoBearcats.com.Cincinnati looks to build toward another run to the NCAA Tournament in 2018-19 after winning 61 games the past two seasons, fourth most in the nation. The defending American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Preseason Top 25 polls recently released.UC was picked to finished second in The American by the league's coaches at conference media day on Oct. 15 in Philadelphia. The Bearcats received 107 points and three first-place votes, behind only UCF's 114 points and six first-place votes.UC junior guardwas tabbed to The American's preseason first team.Like Cincinnati, Tusculum lost three starters from its 2017-18 lineup. The Pioneers posted a 6-21 overall mark and 4-16 South Atlantic Conference record.Thursday marks the first meeting in series history.The Bearcats open their 2018-19 regular season against in-state rival Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Fifth Third Arena. The contest tips at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by ESPN2 and 700 WLW.Tusculum, an NCAA Division II school located in Greenville, Tenn., is under the direction of first-year head coach James Tyler "J.T." Burton in 2018-19.Burton served as head coach for six seasons at NAIA-level St. Catherine College in Springfield, Ky., posting a 95-80 record. He later served as head coach at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn., for two campaigns, earning a 55-13 mark. He was an assistant coach at Morehead State during the 2017-18 season.The Pioneers posted a 6-21 overall record and 4-16 league record in the South Atlantic Conference a year ago.Senior guard Donovan Donaldson serves as Tusculum's leading returning scorer. He scored a team-high 382 points while averaging 14.1 points and a team-best 4.6 assists in 2017-18.After a 20-month, privately funded $87-million renovation Fifth Third Arena reopens in 2018-19.The Bearcats open the 2018-19 season playing host to in-state rival Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 7 on ESPN2 and 700 WLW.A record of more than 9,000 season tickets have been sold for the 2018-19 campaign.The last game played at Fifth Third Arena was the 2016-17 regular-season finale against Houston on March 2, 2017.The Bearcats played their 2017-18 home schedule at BB&T Arena (9,400 capacity) on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Ky. It marked the first time the Bearcats played their home games off campus since the 1988-89 season when Cincinnati Gardens served as UC's host venue.The Bearcats have registered a 385-79 record (.829 win percentage), making 21 NCAA appearances, six Sweet 16 appearances and one Final Four appearance while winning 11 conference titles, since the arena opened for the1989-90 campaign.UC recorded its fourth undefeated home season (18-0) in 2016-17 and has won its last 26 games in Fifth Third Arena.UC's last loss at Fifth Third Arena came in a 77-70 decision to Temple in the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference league opener (12/29/15).