The 2016-17 basketball season ended for Cincinnati the way it will for 350 other Division I basketball teams — with a loss. The Bearcats won 30 games — an accomplishment only 11 other teams can claim — and won an NCAA tournament game. It was a successful season on many fronts, but it’s hard not to be disappointed given how far an inferior team like Xavier was able to advance, and the fact that a philosophically similar South Carolina team has a chance to play in the national title game.
The good news is that as well as the Bearcats played this past season, they actually have the potential to be even better next year.