University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen and the Bearcats gathered for a socially distant pregame meal on Thursday and had every base covered but one: The food.
The chef never showed.
"First time in 25 years I went to a pregame meal with no food," Brannen said.
Despite the culinary snafu, the Bearcats snapped a five-game losing streak and captured their first American Athletic Conference win of the season by outlasting SMU 76-69 in Dallas.
The victory marked Cincinnati's eighth win in a row against the Mustangs (6-2, 2-2 AAC), who lost their second straight.