The Chatterbox Bearcats crew reacts to Jon Rothstein's low ranking and comments on the basketball team.
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Major CBB Voice Places Bearcats Among Bottom-Half of Big 12 Teams Despite Optimism Around Jerrod Calhoun
Expectations are beginning to build around the Cincinnati Bearcats entering the 2026-27 college basketball season, but not everyone is ready to buy into the hype just yet.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein recently ranked Cincinnati 12th out of the 16 teams in the Big 12, placing the Bearcats in the conference's bottom half despite the excitement surrounding first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun and an almost completely rebuilt roster.
Rothstein made his comments during Inside College Basketball Now, where he also added a lighthearted wager with Bearcats fans.
"If Cincinnati makes the NCAA Tournament in 2027, before the 27-28 season, I am going to fly to Cincinnati, and I am going to put my credit card down at that Graeter's Ice Cream in Fountain Square, and I'm buying ice cream for all Bearcats fans in downtown Cincinnati for one hour," Rothstein said.
The challenge comes with a larger point. Cincinnati hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019 and has struggled to find consistency throughout the past seven seasons. While Calhoun has energized the fan base and overhauled both the roster and coaching staff, Rothstein believes the Bearcats still need to prove they belong among the Big 12's upper tier before receiving the benefit of the doubt.
Calhoun inherited a program looking for a fresh start after another disappointing campaign. His first offseason featured one of the nation's busiest transfer portal hauls, giving Cincinnati an entirely different look heading into November. The expectation inside the program is that the roster has enough talent to immediately compete for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Rothstein acknowledged Calhoun's coaching ability and competitive nature, but stopped short of elevating the Bearcats over more established programs.
"Jerrod Calhoun, who is a brilliant offensive coach who did a great job at Utah State, is campaigning for more," Rothstein said. "I hear from him all the time. 'Why aren't we in the Rothstein 45? Why aren't we getting more respect? Why aren't we getting more attention?'"
Rothstein compared Calhoun's relentless personality to former Cincinnati coaches Mick Cronin and Bob Huggins, both of whom helped establish the program's winning identity during their tenures.
"To me, it's a match made in heaven," Rothstein said. "The DNA of Jerrod Calhoun being a fighter... much resembles that of Mick Cronin and Bob Huggins."
Still, questions surrounding Cincinnati's roster ultimately kept the Bearcats lower in his preseason rankings.
A major factor is the uncertainty surrounding transfer guard MJ Collins. His eligibility remains unresolved because of an ongoing legal situation, leaving one of Cincinnati's projected top playmakers in limbo. Rothstein admitted Collins' availability could significantly change how he views the Bearcats before the season begins.
"But I look at Cincinnati's roster, and obviously that will change if MJ Collins is eligible," Rothstein said. "I see a roster that's hard to give the benefit of the doubt to over a program that's coached by Grant McCasland, over a program that's coached by Scott Drew, or over a program like Arizona State."
Despite Rothstein's skepticism, several advanced metrics are much more optimistic about Cincinnati's chances.
Bart Torvik's preseason rankings currently project the Bearcats as the No. 40 team in the country, a position that would comfortably place them in the NCAA Tournament field. If those projections hold, Cincinnati would snap its lengthy tournament drought and validate the optimism surrounding Calhoun's first season.
The Big 12 is once again expected to be one of the nation's deepest conferences, meaning there will be little margin for error regardless of preseason expectations. Cincinnati's entirely new roster will have to develop chemistry quickly while navigating one of college basketball's toughest schedules.
Whether Rothstein's prediction proves accurate remains to be seen. But if Calhoun delivers on the expectations surrounding his first team and leads the Bearcats back to March Madness, Cincinnati fans may have more than just an NCAA Tournament appearance to celebrate.
They'll also have a free scoop of Graeter's waiting for them in Fountain Square.
