Cincinnati Faces $4.69M Wes Miller Dilemma After Early Big 12 Exit

Analyst Jeff Goodman put Cincinnati coach Wes Miller on the hot seat after the Bearcats' Big 12 loss to the UCF Knights.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 10:39pm

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Cincinnati coach Wes Miller landed on the hot seat after his No. 9-seeded Bearcats lost a 66-65 Big 12 Tournament game to the No. 8-seeded UCF Knights. The Bearcats led 58-50 with two minutes remaining but committed three consecutive turnovers, allowing UCF to tie the game and force overtime, where the Knights closed it out. Analyst Jeff Goodman was not optimistic about Miller keeping his job after the manner in which the Bearcats lost to the Knights.

Why it matters

Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham faces a significant decision regarding Miller's future. If the Bearcats were to dismiss him now, the program would owe a buyout of $9.9 million, compared with $4.69 million on April 1. This loss could be the deciding factor in whether Miller keeps his job as the Bearcats' head coach.

The details

During Thursday's segment of the 'Field of 68' podcast, analyst Jeff Goodman was not optimistic about Miller keeping his job after the manner in which the Bearcats lost to the Knights in the Big 12 Tournament. Goodman said the Bearcats had been playing really good basketball the last month or so, but the way they lost the game was concerning, especially with Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham watching. Goodman believes Cunningham wants to keep Miller, but the fanbase may want a change.

  • On March 12, 2026, the Cincinnati Bearcats lost a 66-65 Big 12 Tournament game to the UCF Knights.
  • The Bearcats led 58-50 with two minutes remaining but committed three consecutive turnovers, allowing UCF to tie the game and force overtime, where the Knights closed it out.

The players

Wes Miller

The head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team, who is now on the hot seat after the team's early exit from the Big 12 Tournament.

John Cunningham

The athletic director of the University of Cincinnati, who hired Wes Miller and now faces a decision on whether to keep him as the Bearcats' head coach.

Jeff Goodman

An analyst who discussed Wes Miller's job security on the 'Field of 68' podcast, and was not optimistic about Miller keeping his job after the Bearcats' loss to UCF.

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What they’re saying

“It didn't help how it ended. Cincinnati has been playing really good basketball the last month or so. They were up six with a few minutes to go, and they blew it. I talked to Wes afterward, and he didn't call a timeout late in regulation. There was an absolutely botched play. With John Cunningham, their A. D watching this thing going down.”

— Jeff Goodman, Analyst (The Field of 68)

“My head's been down, just working on, again, I think we have an NCAA Tournament team. My head's been down working on getting ready for the next game. John (Cunningham) has been supportive the entire year. We're Cincinnati. We need to be in the NCAA Tournament.”

— Wes Miller, Head Coach (Postgame News Conference)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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