UC Anticipated To Be Among Top 10 Schools In The Country In Cost Of Attendance Payments To Student Athletes

UC Anticipated To Be Among Top 10 Schools In The Country In Cost Of Attendance Payments To Student Athletes by Chris Bains

Yesterday, I speculated that the Cincinnati Bearcats’ full basketball schedule would be forthcoming any day now. It turns out that less than 24 hours later, UC has announced its full slate of non-conference games for 2015-16. No word yet from The American Conference about dates for conference games, but as season ticket renewals kick off, at least Bearcat fans (at least kind of) know what they’re renewing at this point.

Here are the highlights:

3 true road games : Xavier (Dec. 12), Virginia Commonwealth (Dec. 19), and Bowling Green (Nov. 18) – Yes, Bowling Green. I’m guessing that one is part of a larger agreement to bring the Falcons to Clifton on a return trip. True road games are great for boosting your RPI, but they also give the coaching staff an early look at how the team will handle adversity. There have been years past in which UC hasn’t played any true road games, so I like having a three on the books. Especially since two of them are against marquee opponents.

: (Dec. 12), (Dec. 19), and (Nov. 18) – Yes, Bowling Green. I’m guessing that one is part of a larger agreement to bring the Falcons to Clifton on a return trip. True road games are great for boosting your RPI, but they also give the coaching staff an early look at how the team will handle adversity. There have been years past in which UC hasn’t played any true road games, so I like having a three on the books. Especially since two of them are against marquee opponents. The Barclays Center Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend – This will give UC even more opportunities to chalk up RPI and resume boosting “good” wins against the likes of Tennessee , Nebraska , and/or George Washington . Plus it gives Mick Cronin a chance to visit one of his favorite (and one of the best) recruiting grounds in the nation: New York, New York (Sean Kilpatrick, Lance Stephenson, Rashad Bishop, Shaq Thomas, and Jermaine Sanders all came from the greater NYC area, just to name a few). So did Jesus Shuttlesworth, even though he ended up signing with Big State.

over Thanksgiving Weekend – This will give UC even more opportunities to chalk up RPI and resume boosting “good” wins against the likes of , , and/or . Plus it gives Mick Cronin a chance to visit one of his favorite (and one of the best) recruiting grounds in the nation: New York, New York (Sean Kilpatrick, Lance Stephenson, Rashad Bishop, Shaq Thomas, and Jermaine Sanders all came from the greater NYC area, just to name a few). So did Jesus Shuttlesworth, even though he ended up signing with Big State. Big time home games versus Butler (Dec. 2) and Iowa State (Dec. 22) – These games are not only RPI boosters, but also ticket sellers. UC has done a terrific job bringing big names to Fifth-Third Arena in non-league play the past few years. The excitement of the closely contested games against San Diego State and Xavier last season made it feel like the Huggins days again in The Shoe, if only for a few hours. Bringing in a two-time national runner up in Butler and a team that may be ranked in the top-10 in Iowa State is a fabulous job by Cronin and AD Mike Bohn.

Here’s the full schedule below: