LAS VEGAS – Almost three weeks after they last played in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship tourney in Kansas City, the Cincinnati Bearcats are playing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament.
Their opponent is the DePaul Blue Demons from the Big East coached by Chris Holtmann, formerly of Ohio State. The Blue Demons also haven't played in a while, losing to Creighton on March 13 at Madison Square Garden.
Notable firsts for UC, DePaul
The Bearcats haven't played in Las Vegas since Mick Cronin's final season when they defeated UNLV Dec. 1, 2018. You have to go back to the Cronin days for their last game vs. DePaul also which was Jan. 15, 2013 in Chicago. UC has won 35 of the 50 games they've played with DePaul's last victory coming March 10, 2009 against Cronin's 'Cats in the Big East tournament in New York City.
Holtmann was 3-0 vs. UC at Ohio State beating Cronin's last team in 2018, John Brannen's first team in 2019 and Wes Miller’s men in the 2022 Maui Invitational.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: College Basketball Crown: Live updates from for UC Bearcats vs.DePaul
