Wes Miller And More Discuss 2026 Big 12 Season Opener Against Houston

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats dropped another rivalry match-up with Houston 67-60 on Saturday to move to 8-6 on the season as one of the worst teams in the Big 12.

UC went scoreless in the final four minutes of the game and lost the turnover battle 15-8 to continue their giveaway woes against good teams.

"They made the plays to win the game, and we didn't do anything other than that. I thought we played well," Wes Miller said after the loss. "That team played in the national championship game last year. We had a lead for the majority of the game. They came back and took the lead. We showed a lot of toughness to come back and get back, tie it again, stayed in the game. We put ourselves in a position to win. Give them credit for making the plays down the stretch, we did. They made a couple of tough shots.

"They hurt us on the offensive board. They hurt us in the pick and roll, and then we turned it over. At the end of the game, I was very, very proud of the way our guys played tonight. They fought with energy. Our crowd was awesome and lifted us, but we are definitely frustrated and angry about the result. We've got to get over it. We play West Virginia in a couple of days."

The Bearcats lost key guard Kerr Kriisa early in the game to a separated shoulder, something Miller warned the referee crew about.

"He separated his shoulder," Miller said about Kriisa. "First six minutes of the game, I said this to the official. I said, we got a guy who gets poked in the eye, takes an elbow to the eye, can't see for about three minutes. Baba, his mouth is bloody on the first play, and Kerr separates his shoulder. I said, 'Can we protect the guys a little bit tonight? You know, come on, first six minutes of the game.' But that was unfortunate, that hurt. But let me tell you, we're getting resilient with this crap. Nobody's dealt with more injury crap than Cincinnati, and we're getting resilient. And we're getting tough because of that.

"So, Tyler McKinley, Kerr Kriisa, and Jizzle (James) weren't here. I mean, Jalen Haynes, like we're a resilient dang bunch, so we're just gonna keep coming. But injuries are tough. We've had more than damn anybody in the last four years in all of college basketball, but we're gonna keep coming. This team's had its fair share, and we're still right there. So yeah, that stinks. Hope we get him back. But it was a serious matter. He came back in, he made that shot, and he couldn't even lift that left shoulder above his head. So let's hope it's not anything serious and long-term, but I'm worried about it."

UC has now lost 13 consecutive games against Houston and likely can't lose more than three other games this regular season to have any shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday has quickly become a must-win game for the Bearcats, not even halfway through the season. That action tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Check out comments from Miller and more below:

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