The magic finally ran out for the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team on Sunday.
Following an unexpected run to their fourth straight American Athletic Conference tournament championship game, the fifth-seeded Bearcats ran into a stone wall in the second-seeded Houston Cougars.
Houston defeated Cincinnati, 91-54, avenging its losses to UC in each of the past two AAC tournament title games. Last season's AAC tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the defeat, the Bearcats (12-11) failed to advance to NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
Jeremiah Davenport (11 points) and Mamoudou Diarra (10 points) were the only players to score in double figures for Cincinnati, which suffered its second lopsided loss to the Cougars (24-3) this season.