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2018 has been a pretty great year to be a fan of the Cincinnati Bearcats. From men’s basketball winning the American Athletic Conference to the football team returning to a bowl for the first time since 2015, there were high points all season. There were also some low points (men’s basketball’s loss to Nevada in the NCAA Tournament and the firing of Jamelle Elliott as women’s basketball head coach). Below are a collection of the most-read stories at Down the Drive for the last 12 months.
The Coco Chanels of College Football: Ranking the Top 130 Uniforms in College Football Part One
During the college football offseason, we decided to tackle a subject that nobody had any strong opinions on: college football uniforms. This was the first entry, where Clayton called Maryland’s duds “consistently tacky as the psychedelic NASCAR flag that serves as the Old Line State’s standard” and I began my crusade against the color maroon. We then found out that a lot of people have strong opinions on this subject.
Geno is Right: Firing Jamelle Elliott was a Disgrace
Geno Auriemma called the firing of Jamelle Elliott “positively disgraceful.” Clayton agreed with the Huskies head coach, citing UC’s return to the postseason and their best record in 15 seasons.
Cincinnati Basketball Recruiting: LaQuill Hardnett Commits to the Bearcats
During a year when the present basketball team was winning 30 games, readers were just as focused on the future. Our breakdown of Hardnett’s commitment was a particularly popular piece.
American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview, Bracket, Schedule
Even though UConn was the heavy favorite to win, the AAC women’s tournament featured one of the best UC teams in years. The Bearcats were the No. 4 seed in a field that featured other strong foes like USF, UCF and Houston.
Finding Reasons to Be Optimistic About Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball
After the men’s basketball collapsed in the NCAA Tournament, optimism was running low, but that doesn’t mean it was non-existent. The Bearcats have rewarded those who still believed so far this season, going 11-2 through their first 13 games.
This is Jarron Cumberland’s Team Now
Perhaps the greatest reason to be hopeful was Jarron Cumberland, who became an absolute star during last year’s NCAA Tournament and has been exceptional to start the current season.
Nine Predictions for 2018-19 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball
Was Cumberland’s ascension one of the nine things we predicted for the Bearcats in 2018-19?
Assessing the Handsomeness of College Football’s 21 New Head Coaches
Ranked from least Diacoesque to most Diacoesque.
Five Up, Five Down: Ranking Would Be NBA Champions
We introduced a new offseason feature this year where we ranked the five best and five worst things in a number of categories. Reshaping history by way of alternate NBA Finals results was one topic we tackled.
With Rashawn Fredericks Commitment, Bearcats Are Building a New Kind of Team
Even after losing their three best players, the Bearcats adjusted by building a team with a lot of versatility. We’ll see over the next few years how well that pays off.