HARTFORD, Conn. – You never want a clunker, especially in March. For the Cincinnati Bearcats, such basketball disaster at least came at a relatively harmless time here Sunday.
No. 12-ranked SMU controlled the game and beat No. 15 UC 71-56 in the American Athletic Conference championship game, before 6,856 fans at the XL Center.
UC (29-5) already knew it was an assured an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Bearcats also sought the program’s first postseason league title since 2004 (Conference USA). UC was seeded No. 2 and SMU was No. 1 in this year’s AAC event.
Shortly after the game, UC drew a No.