Bearcats Reach Highest Ranking Since 2014

A win against a nationally ranked Xavier team last Thursday has done wonders for Cincinnati’s reputation in the college basketball world. After crawling up the AP Top 25 for weeks, the Bearcats made a major jump this week, climbing to the No. 14 spot in the poll. The five-point in-ranking boost is the largest by the Bearcats this season. In addition, at No. 14, they are higher than they’ve been since February of 2014 when they reached as high as No. 7.

UC (19-2, 8-0 American Athletic Conference) has won 12-straight games and is undefeated in conference play. It has been ranked in 10 weeks this season, which matches the 2013-14 squad for the second-most in a single season during the Mick Cronin. The 2012-13 team is the only team to be ranked for more time, as it was in the poll for 13 weeks, reaching as high as No. 8.

The USA Today Coaches poll also released its Week 13 update today and UC is in the same spot at No. 14.

If you care to hear about Xavier’s fate after last week’s loss, you may be happy to read the Musketeers fell out of the AP poll, although it is still receiving votes (67). The Musketeers managed to cling to a ranking in the Coaches poll, and are now situated at No. 25.

As for the rest of UC’s conference, SMU remains the only team within range of the top 25. The Mustangs are more banging on the castle doors than within range, as they have the most votes of a non-ranked team in the AP poll (69) and the second-most of such teams in the Coaches poll (33).

There was a shakeup at the top of the AP and Coaches rankings, as 22-0 Gonzaga took over as the No. 1 team in both polls. The rest of the top five is made up of Baylor, Kansas, Villanova and Arizona, respectively.