Basketball season is finally here for the 2026-27 Cincinnati Bearcats roster! Cincinnati is about to run through a 32-game gauntlet over the next few months as Jerrod Calhoun tries to bag an NCAA Tournament appearance during his opening season.

Cincinnati has not gone dancing this decade after maxing out at 23 wins during the final AAC season in 2022-23.

The team sprinkled in some tough tests across the non-conference slate, but as of now, should be favored to win every one of those games.

“I don’t think you’re ever fully where you need to be," Calhoun said about his team on Oct. 29. "My biggest fear is end-of-game situations after timeouts. I think that’s something coaches have to help their players with. We had a situation in the exhibition against Oakland where they fouled three or four times at the end of the half, and we didn’t have that particular play in for inbounding with under a second to play. So it’s our job over the next few days to make sure we’re very detailed with that.

"It’s something Max Bent and I will spend a ton of time on, making sure guys are aware of those situations. For the most part, your offensive and defensive systems are in, and now you just have to carry out some of those game plans leading up to your first game.”

Let's dive into both portions of the schedule and see how UC projects to finish in the 32-game 2026-27 regular season.

Non-Conference Record: 12-2

Cincinnati enters this season ranked just inside the top-40 teams on Bart Torvik and Evan Miya. I don't see them really getting tested until playing at Dayton on Nov. 14.

I have them narrowly losing that game on the road and dropping a small-margin loss to Georgia in the ESPN Events Invitational, but they should win every other game, including the 2026 Crosstown Shootout. Anything less than an 8-0 record in non-conference Quad 4 games would be a massive blow to Cincinnati's season.

Both Dayton and Georgia project as Quad 1 games right now, so it would sting a bit to enter the conference slate at 1-2 in those outings, with a win over Clemson at Heritage Bank Center. Alas, I think Cincinnati makes up for it with their first winning record in Big 12 play since entering the league.

Conference Record: 10-8

Cincinnati should have the depth to claw out a winning record in the Big 12 this time around. Calhoun's in-game coaching acumen seems to be a bit sharper than Wes Miller's and good enough to swing a couple of games the Bearcats way that haven't been there over the past few years.

The best win in this stretch could be over Kansas at home. That's a win in this projection even though they will likely be underdogs in that game. Houston at home on March 2 could be the final push to break a big losing streak in that series.

Cincinnati has lost 11 in a row to the Cougars.

Wins In Dated Order: Texas Tech home, Utah home, TCU home, Kansas State home, Kansas home, Colorado away, Arizona State home, Oklahoma State away, UCF home, Houston home

Losses In Dated Order: BYU away, West Virginia away, Arizona home, Baylor away, Iowa State away, West Virginia home, Texas Tech away, Kansas State away

Final Record: 22-10, Second Round NCAA Tournament Loss

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