Coach Jerrod Calhoun’s Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball squad is gearing up for three tough exhibition games this October, but two huge question marks hang over a roster that’s pretty much all new. MJ Collins, who absolutely went off for Calhoun’s Utah State team last season averaging 17.5 points per game, hasn’t been cleared for the season by the Ohio courts for his fifth year of eligibility. And as if that wasn’t enough, Javontae Campbell, another fifth-year guy who dropped 18.7 points per game for Bowling Green, is sidelined until possibly the new year with a foot injury discovered during his physical. Talk about a gut punch before the season even starts.
New Faces and Missing Pieces: The Bearcats’ Early Season Riddle
It’s wild how much turnover this team has. Seriously, Grant Darbyshire, a walk-on, is the only player returning from last year’s squad. Everyone else? Brand new. Calhoun has 15 guys on the roster, but with Collins still waiting on the courts and Campbell out with that foot injury, it’s a huge unknown. Collins did play in the Bahamas exhibitions, and Coach Calhoun even said he’d “make a tremendous difference.” Yeah, no kidding, when you’re missing your leading scorer from your previous gig. The team’s not commenting on these guys until they’re officially cleared, which just adds to the suspense. Calhoun told the media on October 1 that they’ve been practicing since early summer and even took a trip to the Bahamas, but he’s ready for some real competition. “We need to go play somebody else,” he said. “We have a lot of things to get cleaned up. Whatever we look like next Wednesday (Oct. 7 vs. Ohio State), obviously 30 days later will be a lot better.” This team needs reps, and they need these two guys cleared fast if they want to make some noise.
The Exhibition Gauntlet: Testing the Waters Against Top Talent
Calhoun isn’t messing around when it comes to getting his new squad battle-tested. Their exhibition schedule is a straight-up gauntlet. First up, they’re taking on Ohio State at 3 p.m. on October 7 in the CareSource Invitational. Just ten days later, on October 17, they’ve got a tentative 7 p.m. tip at Fifth Third Arena against national semifinalist Illinois from the Big Ten. That’s a huge test, especially since Illinois coach Brad Underwood, like Calhoun, is a former Bob Huggins assistant. You know those guys bring the fire. They finish up the exhibition slate on October 27 at 7 p.m. at home against Oakland University, a team that’s been to the NCAA Tournament four times since 2005. It’s a smart move by Calhoun to throw them into the fire early. He’s been preaching, “We need as many reps as possible,” and he knows these three teams offer different looks. In an unconventional move, Calhoun even invited Ohio State’s staff to “live scout” his team at Fifth Third Arena, and the Buckeyes reciprocated. Calhoun’s a fan of watching other teams practice, apparently hitting up Kentucky and Alabama recently, so he’s clearly trying every angle to get this new team ready.
The early rankings are out, and NCAA.com’s Andy Katz just dropped his Power 44, which names the 44 at-large teams in the 76-team 2027 NCAA Tournament field. Illinois is sitting pretty at No. 4, and Ohio State is No. 24. Our Bearcats? They’re ranked No. 41, just ahead of Xavier at No. 44. Calhoun said it himself, “Year one is difficult, but we have the talent to be pretty good.” Coming from Utah State, where he led the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, he knows what it takes.
The Bearcats wrap up their exhibition schedule on October 27 against Oakland. It’s the last chance to iron out the kinks and figure out who they are before the real games start counting. For Calhoun, these exhibitions are “more about yourself.” It’s all about how they play, especially with the pressure of those two key players still up in the air. This new-look Bearcats squad has some real talent, but they’re going to need everyone on board to hit their stride and prove those No. 41 rankings might be a little low.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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