FORT WORTH, Texas – Well, that's it.
For the second straight year, the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team won't be participating in the NCAA Tournament. (The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The storied Bearcats, who boast 33 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 Sweet 16s, eight Elite Eights, six Final Fours and two national championships, will be shut out of college basketball's biggest show.
A season that started with such promise – and then ran into an excruciatingly turbulent stretch – came to an end on Friday.
Despite owning a 10-point lead early in the second half against top-seeded Houston in the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, Cincinnati went 5:43 without a single point and suffered a season-ending 69-56 loss.