Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Guard's Playing Status Against No. 2 Iowa State Revealed

Cincinnati is hoping to get him back before the end of the month.

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Kerr Kriisa (11) takes a pass in the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the NJIT Highlanders at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. The Bearcats won 94-67. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati is shorthanded in the backcourt again on Saturday afternoon. Veteran guard Kerr Kriisa (separated shoulder) is missing his fourth consecutive game as he continues recovering from the injury he suffered early on against Houston to open Big 12 play.

Kriisa was playing nearly 25 minutes per game and had started heating up from outside against Lipscomb in the final non-conference game. He did not wear a sling on the shoulder while attending Wednesdays game. Jalen Haynes (knee) is also out again, as Wes Miller revealed on his radio show that the big man is slowly working his way back onto the floor, but has yet to participate in team drills.

"I don't have an update," Miller said about Kriisa after Wednesday's 77-68 win over Colorado. "I don't think it's months, hopefully not weeks. He hasn't practiced yet (since the injury), so that'll be exciting to get him back."

The Bearcats desperately need a Quad 1 win for the first time this season. They are 0-6 in those scenarios, and Miller has only won nine of those games to 43 losses. Cincinnati has to win 13 more conference games before the Big 12 Tournament starts, leaving them one more loss of breathing room in their NCAA Tournament longshot pursuit.

“I approach every game the same. We all do as a team, but yeah, it's going to be an exciting game to play on Saturday," UC leading scorer Baba Miller said about ISU.

The ISU contest tips off tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock.

Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Injury Report | Big 12 Conference

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