Weekly NET: Cincinnati Settling In As Big 12's Second-Worst Team In Final Non-Conference Days

CINCINNATI — The final week of non-conference play is in motion for the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team. A 7-5 start has Cincinnati profiling as the worst team of the Wes Miller era so far. UC is currently ranked a lowly 108th nationally in the NET Rankings.

They had never lost five non-conference games in his tenure and could finish 7-6 entering Big 12 play if they don't take Lipscomb seriously on Monday night, a team they are neck and neck with in the NET Rankings (Lipscomb checks in at 112th).

UC also has zero Quad 1 or Quad 2 wins entering conference play. They have an average NET win ranking of 256th overall after Miller sank to 9-42 at Cincinnati in Quad 1 games with the 68-65 loss to Clemson.

It's getting late, extremely early for a UC team that is the only Big 12 squad with five losses already. Only Utah (139th) is ranked lower among Big 12 teams in the NET Rankings. UC would have to completely flip the script to even start sniffing hope for the NCAA Tournament.

The Big 12 is projected to get eight teams in the dance as of this writing, and those eight in the mix only rank as low as 39th in the NET (Baylor). UC has to win at least 14 conference games before the Big 12 Tournament to climb that high, and even then, may need a 15-3 mark to get in.

UC is 14-24 in conference play since entering the Big 12.

"We really amped up our schedule in this non-conference," Wes Miller said about the losses on Sunday. "It's frustrating. Of the four Power Four games we've lost, we've had a chance to win every single one of them. It's frustrating we haven't won more of them. In terms of getting ready for the Big 12, that was a Big 12 game. They feel more like a Big Ten or Big 12 team than an ACC team."

Miller has to tap into a win rate he's never come close to touching in the Big 12 to have any chance of saving this season from another that has Cincinnati watching March Madness from the couch.

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