With the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles tucked neatly into their pockets, the Cincinnati Bearcats set out to tackle their next mission: the program's first Final Four since 1992.
Cincinnati's No. 2 seed in the South Region marks the school's highest seed since drawing a No. 1 in 2002. The Bearcats haven't been a No. 2 since 2000 and haven't been higher than No. 5 since the 2014 season.
Their march to San Antonio begins Friday with a first-round matchup with No. 15 seed Georgia State at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Head coach Mick Cronin was thrilled with the scheduling, saying his team needed some time to rest after a challenging run in the conference tournament, including a 56-55 nail-biting victory over Houston in the title game.