The reigning American Athletic Conference men's basketball champion University of Cincinnati Bearcats will play each of last season's top AAC rivals twice again in the 2018-19 season, according to conference pairings released Thursday.
The UC schedule includes home-and-away dates with Wichita State and Houston. Last season, UC went 31-5 overall (16-2 AAC) and won the league's regular-season and postseason tournament championships. Wichita State (25-8, 14-4) and Houston (27-8, 14-4) tied for second in the AAC regular season, with Houston runner-up to UC in the league's postseason tournament.
For the second consecutive season the league will feature a 12-team format, with each team playing seven of its 11 opponents twice and its four remaining opponents once each, two at home and two away.