Five Candidates to Succeed Wes Miller at Cincinnati

Cincinnati has fired men's basketball coach Wes Miller, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The separation will become official on April 1, when Miller's buyout drops from $9.9 million to $4.7 million, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Miller's tenure with the Bearcats has ended after five seasons, which came and went without a single NCAA tournament appearance. Miller took the position in 2021 after a successful 10-year tenure at UNC Greensboro, but was unable to replicate the same success at Cincinnati.

The Bearcats made one final push late in the season in an attempt to reach the NCAA tournament. Cincinnati won six of its last eight games entering the Big 12 tournament, including wins over three NCAA tournament caliber teams in UCF, then-ranked No. 8 Kansas and BYU. The three victories pushed the Bearcats to the cusp of the NCAA tournament bubble, but a good week in the Big 12 tournament was needed to clinch an at-large spot. Cincinnati's season came to an end in the second round of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday in the way of a one-point loss to UCF.

Miller went 100–74 in five seasons with no conference titles and no NCAA tournament appearances.

Five candidates to watch for Cincinnati's coaching opening

Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State Aggies

It's not often that stars align for a fast-rising mid-major coach and his high-major alma mater, but that's exactly the recipe we have brewing here for Cincinnati with Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun. Calhoun is one of the most sought after mid-major coaches on the market this cycle for the job he's done with the Aggies, and the opening with the Bearcats will be his to lose. This search starts (and potentially ends) with the 44-year-old Calhoun.

John Groce, Akron Zips

Groce is one of several coaches worth a look from inside the state of Ohio. The 54-year-old Groce spent four years at Ohio University and is in his ninth year at Akron, and he appears ready to take what he learned in a failed tenure at Illinois and apply it to another high-major opportunity. Groce has turned around the Akron program and is searching for his third straight NCAA tournament appearance and fourth since taking over the Zips if he's able to guide his team to a MAC tournament title.

Travis Steele, Miami (Ohio)

Steele has been the toast of college basketball for the job that he's done at Miami (Ohio), where the RedHawks went undefeated in the regular season before an upset at the hands of UMass in the MAC tournament. Steele is another interesting candidate in the state of Ohio, but a hire that could potentially be a little awkward due to his previous failed tenure at crosstown rival Xavier. Steele has done an outstanding job with the RedHawks though, so he's a name to keep an eye on if the search goes beyond Calhoun.

Tony Skinn, George Mason

Skinn is the greenest candidate on the list, having only held a Division I coaching job for three years at George Mason. That said, Skinn has done a tremendous job building his program into a consistent A-10 winner, as exhibited by his regular season conference title a year ago with the Patriots. Skinn is 70–30 in three seasons in Fairfax, and will be a name to continue to watch.

Rob Senderoff, Kent State

Senderoff has spent 15 seasons leading Kent State, where he has built a consistent winner with the Golden Flashes basketball program as exhibited by his 10 seasons of 20 wins or more. He's a veteran coach who knows the state well, and would perform well with more resources at his disposal. Senderoff would provide Cincinnati with a very high floor given his track record. The Bearcats could certainly do worse with this hire than Senderoff.