Cincinnati basketball's John Brannen talks Bearcats' Class of 2020 recruiting. Fletcher Page, fpage@enquirer..com
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Cincinnati basketball received a brief lift Friday.
Star player Jarron Cumberland returned to the starting lineup against Illinois State in the Bearcats' Paradise Jam tournament opener.
But attrition quickly mounted and the hope for a successful Caribbean trip nearly ended early.
Still, the Bearcats overcame a tough night shooting, injuries and foul trouble, beating to the Redbirds of the Missouri Valley Conference 66-65 in front of a stirred up capacity-crowd of 3,500 at the University of Virgin Islands Sports & Fitness Center.