Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Adds AAC Star Guard From Transfer Portal

The Bearcats added another likely starting candidate to their backcourt this week in Tulsa transfer guard Tylen Riley. He announced UC as the pick on CBS Sports YouTube channel Wednesday afternoon.

The Second Team All-American Conference guard just posted 15.0 points per game (second on the team), a team-high 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds. He wrapped the 2025-26 season with 31 games in double figures and led the American in made free throws with 203 (11th-most in the country on an 87.1% hit rate).

Riley has one season of eligibility left after strong shooting splits of 44.8% overall, 38% from deep, and that sparkly-good 87.1% mark from the line. He marks Cincinnati's ninth roster addition this cycle, with 3-4 more scholarship players likely to join, plus, a walk-on or two.

Transfer Impact

Nov 17, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane guard Tylen Riley (10) is guarded by Kansas State Wildcats guard David Castillo (10) during the second half at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

He joins fellow transfers like Tyler Tejada, Myles Colvin, and more as Jerrod Calhoun continues to build his first Bearcats roster with plenty of NIL resources.

Defensively, the 6-3, 190-pound junior ranked 17th in the AAC with 1.5 defensive win shares and a solid 1.9% steal rate. He's an immediate starting candidate for UC after posting the third-highest usage rate in the AAC last season to go with the 11th-best offensive rating. Volume and efficiency in one package.

“Tylen is the ultimate competitor and just an unbelievable story from the time he enrolled in college a few years back to where he is now,” Jerrod Calhoun said in a press release. “He has shown significant growth and can do a lot of things on both sides of the ball. Tylen will light up a room and is a consummate winner.”

Riley is a shifty, downhill guard who glides through the air on pull-up jumpers and has a sound jump-shooting base from almost all the shots he puts on tape. A low center of gravity helps him dictate driving angles and take those away on the defensive end.

He should translate pretty well to the Big 12 after showing no issue jumping from Cal Baptist to Tulsa last season. He's joining a hungry team led by a new head coach.

"I eat, sleep, drink, basketball; I don't golf. I'm constantly trying to evolve and learn," Calhoun said recently. "I think one of the things we'll be able to attract to Cincinnati is our style, man. We really teach guys to play green, to find, create, and keep advantages. We teach spacing. You know, it's all about reads, right? Like, you got to be able to read the game, and you guys are elite guys that have read the game for a long time, and that's what we do. We try to train their eyes.

"Man, it's a whole progression, right, from the offseason, the preseason, and a lot of this I got from (Boston Celtics head coach) Joe (Mazzula), I'll be honest, man, when I went up to Boston five, six years ago, it changed my trajectory as a coach, and who doesn't want to play in our system because we score the ball and at the end of the day. Man, it's entertainment. People want to pay money to see touchdowns, and they want to see the ball go through the basket, so we're going to sell it."

Check out highlights from the dynamite guard addition below:

Tulsa transfer Tylen Riley is receiving interest from a variety of high-major programs, @KayserHoops reports.

The 6-foot-3 guard out of Las Vegas played one season at Tulsa and averaged 15.0PPG, 4.4APG and 3.9RPG. Shot 39% from 3-point range.

(🎥@recruithoopshs) pic.twitter.com/qdYmCg561M
— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) April 12, 2026

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