Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Faces Utah Utes in Big 12 Tournament

UC looks to advance in the conference tournament after beating Utah earlier this season

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The Cincinnati Bearcats, seeded 9th, will face the 16th-seeded Utah Utes in the opening round of the 2026 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The Bearcats have already defeated the Utes 69-65 this season and are favored by 9.5 points. Cincinnati needs to win this game, beat UCF on Wednesday, and likely defeat No. 1 seed Arizona on Thursday to make a strong case for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Why it matters

The Bearcats are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives, as they currently hold only a 23.2% chance of making the field according to analytics. A deep run in the Big 12 Tournament is crucial for Cincinnati to secure an at-large bid.

The details

Cincinnati enters the Big 12 Tournament with a 17-14 record overall and a 14-17 mark against the spread. Utah is just 10-21 on the season and 14-17 ATS. The Bearcats will need to take care of the ball better than they did in their recent 73-63 loss to TCU, as Utah struggles to force turnovers. Cincinnati also holds a major size advantage and should dominate the glass against the Utes, who rank 240th nationally in rebound rate.

  • The game tips off at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 11, 2026.
  • If Cincinnati wins, they will face UCF at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 12, 2026.
  • A potential matchup with No. 1 seed Arizona would be on Thursday, March 13, 2026.

The players

Terrance Brown

Utah's leading scorer in conference play, averaging 18.6 points per game.

Don McHenry

Utah's second-leading scorer in conference play, averaging 16.6 points per game.

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What they’re saying

“We just got to get out of here. We've got to get home and get rest, and we've got to get ready to play on Tuesday. That's it. Like it's March time. It's win-or-go-home time.”

— Wes Miller, Cincinnati Head Coach (700 WLW)

What’s next

The winner of the Cincinnati-Utah game will face the winner of UCF and the No. 1 seed Arizona on Thursday, March 13, 2026.

The takeaway

Cincinnati must take care of business against the struggling Utah Utes to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. A deep run in the Big 12 Tournament is crucial for the Bearcats to secure an at-large bid after a challenging regular season.