Heading into Wednesday’s American Athletic Conference opener against South Florida, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats are in better shape entering conference play than they were a year ago.
Last season, the Bearcats lost two non-conference games to mid-major schools and saw their best player, Jarron Cumberland, deal with a hip injury.
And that team still won the AAC regular-season title.
Even though UC enters AAC play for the 2020-21 regular season with a 2-2 record, the Bearcats have two wins over mid-major conference favorites and two close losses to teams that look like locks for the NCAA Tournament.