Cincinnati Targeting Veteran Guard For Final 2026-27 Roster Spot

The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team is eyeing a veteran transfer guard to fill its final roster spot for the 2026-27 season. The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported on Saturday that the team reached out to currently eligible guard Dug McDaniel to join the roster.

A judge recently made a sweeping decision to declare all Class of 2022 players eligible, and Cincinnati is making moves to find the best fit from the full pool. It makes sense why things look to have fizzled out with Kolby King after reports he would be the final piece alongside his former Utah State teammate MJ Collins.

“Although the value of missed NIL opportunities could potentially be quantified, the lost opportunity to play NCAA Division I basketball for a fifth season results in a loss of opportunity for exposure and building his ‘personal brand,’” the court order stated. “NCAA eligibility is necessarily limited in duration. The opportunity to compete as a student-athlete, develop athletically, and pursue compensation through name, image, and likeness activities exists only during a finite period and cannot be recreated once a season has concluded.

“Plaintiffs have demonstrated that, absent injunctive relief, they will be unable to compete in the upcoming season and enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and pursue opportunities to compete during an additional season, should such opportunities become available. Once those deadlines pass and roster positions are filled, the lost opportunity cannot be restored through a later judgment or adequately compensated by monetary damage.”

Cincinnati is clearly aiming bigger than King.

McDaniel boasts career averages of 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds during a four-year run at three different schools (60 games at Michigan, 32 games at Kansas State, 32 games at Memphis).

Last season, he ranked 10th in the AAC with a 47% effective field goal rate, and he's been a solid defender throughout his career at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds (3.2% steal rate last season, fifth-best in AAC).

"Dug McDaniel has received interest from Arizona State, Stanford, Auburn, Iowa State, USC, Cincinnati, NC State, Utah, Oregon and Duquesne, his agent Scott Nichols told The Field of 68. McDaniel spent his first two seasons at Michigan, junior campaign at Kansas State, and last year at Memphis," Goodman posted on X.

Cincinnati is currently just arriving in the Bahamas for the Baha-Mar Summer Exhibition slate that had a slight tweak on Saturday. Cincinnati is now scheduled to play Calgary on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET instead of tomorrow afternoon.

The team is still playing two exhibitions in the event as they sharpen the full roster for action. The final touch continues for Jerrod Calhoun & Co.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: Tomorrow's game against Calgary has been moved to Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. pic.twitter.com/25xM2JgPCR
— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) August 1, 2026

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