The Bearcats finished the 2016 – 17 season 31 – 5 , 16 – 2 in AAC play to win the regular season championship . They defeated SMU , Memphis , and Houston to win the AAC Tournament and received the conference 's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament . As the No. 2 seed in the West region , they defeated Georgia State in the First Round before being upset by Nevada in the Second Round
AAC Tournament
2018 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2018–19 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team