As conference tournaments heat up across the country, several programs are seeing their seasons come to a sudden end. For the Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball, the disappointment turned into a major program decision.
Following a heartbreaking 66–65 overtime loss to the UCF Knights men’s basketball in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Cincinnati made a dramatic move on Friday afternoon—firing head coach Wes Miller. The decision comes after Miller completed five straight seasons without leading the Bearcats to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Miller, a former national champion player at University of North Carolina under legendary coach Roy Williams from 2003 to 2007, arrived in Cincinnati with high expectations. However, the Bearcats were unable to break through in the highly competitive Big 12 Conference during his tenure.
The Bearcats finished the 2025–26 season with an 18–15 overall record and a 9–9 mark in conference play. While those numbers kept Cincinnati competitive, they weren’t enough to erase the program’s growing NCAA Tournament drought. Once a consistent national presence, Cincinnati has now missed the Big Dance six consecutive seasons.
Historically, the Bearcats were a powerhouse program. Under the leadership of coaches like Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin, Cincinnati made nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a memorable Sweet 16 run in 2012. That era established a standard that the program has struggled to reach again in recent years.
The 2025–26 campaign started with promise. Cincinnati opened the season 6–2, raising hopes that Miller’s team might finally return to the NCAA Tournament picture. But momentum quickly disappeared after a loss to their bitter crosstown rival, the Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball, which began a difficult stretch for the program.
Conference play proved especially challenging. The Bearcats dropped their first three games in the Big 12 before briefly regaining momentum with back-to-back wins over Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball and then-No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball. Those victories suggested Cincinnati might still fight its way back into postseason relevance.
However, inconsistency once again became the story. The Bearcats struggled through the latter part of February before responding with a four-game winning streak, including a stunning road upset of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball. That victory briefly pushed Cincinnati back into the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Additional wins over the Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball and BYU Cougars men’s basketball kept those hopes alive, but everything ultimately came crashing down in the Big 12 Tournament loss to UCF. That defeat sealed the team’s postseason fate—and ultimately Miller’s future with the program.
Before taking over at Cincinnati, Miller built a strong reputation as a rising coach. After assistant coaching stops at Elon University, High Point University and University of North Carolina Greensboro, he landed his first head-coaching job with the UNC Greensboro Spartans men’s basketball in 2011. Miller quickly transformed the Spartans into a winning program, leading them to five straight winning seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
That success ultimately convinced Cincinnati to hire him away from his home region in 2021. While his tenure with the Bearcats did not produce the breakthrough many expected, Miller’s earlier accomplishments suggest he could still have a strong future in college basketball.
Now the question becomes: what’s next for the former Tar Heel? Some speculate Miller could eventually return to University of North Carolina in some capacity, while others believe a reunion with UNC Greensboro Spartans men’s basketball—which recently parted ways with coach Mike Jones—could make sense.
Regardless of where he lands, many around the sport believe Miller has already proven he can successfully build and lead a program. For that reason, the former Tar Heel national champion will likely receive another opportunity to run a team in the near future.
