Bearcats Defeat BYU 90-68 on Senior night

Cincinnati has officially kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive as they defeat BYU 90-68 on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena.

Wes Miller and the Bearcats have had a remarkable turnaround over the last month, as they have now won six of their last seven games and are firmly on the bubble heading into the final week of the regular season.

Cincinnati was led by Jalen Celestine, who finished with 18 points on the offensive end, but most importantly, was a crucial defender on AJ Dybantsa, who is arguably the best player in the country. Dybantsa finished the game with 23 points and six rebounds on 7-21 shooting.

Baba Miller recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds in his final game at Fifth Third Arena, while Moustapha Thiam recorded 16 points and nine rebounds.

“I appreciate everyone who made tonight a special environment.” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller stated. “The crowd gave us a special lift. The energy in the building was significant. I felt more pressure to coach more tonight than any other game in my career because of how bad I wanted to win for the seniors and Day-Day Thomas.”

Now, for BYU, they had no answer for Cincinnati as the Bearcats were disruptive on both ends of the court, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They forced 15 turnovers that resulted in 21 points on the other end, and that was the difference maker in this contest. Especially, when you look bad and see that

Cincinnati had nearly half as many turnovers compared to BYU.

“Cincinnati executed a very good game plan this evening,” BYU head coach Kevin Young told reporters. “Give Wes and his guys credit. They have had a remarkable turnaround over the last month. Cincinnati played a great game tonight, and you have to give them credit. They could be an NCAA Tournament team with how they are playing right now.”

Day-Day Thomas Senior Night
Cincinnati graduate guard Day-Day Thomas played his final game at Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday after a remarkable three-year career. Thomas came to Cincinnati back in 2023 after starting his career at the Junior College level.

Three years later, he has now become a fan favorite within the Bearcats basketball program. The veteran guard has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into this program over the years, the reason being Wes Miller.

Thomas has been very vocal in the past about how much Miller has meant to him over the last few years on and off the basketball court. Thomas was welcomed with a standing ovation for his senior night celebration in what was the first sell-out of the 2025-2026 season.

“I need to give a shoutout to the student section,” Thomas told reporters. “They brought the energy. I will miss playing here at Fifth Third Arena. This is a really special place.”

Now, for Thomas, he was able to share some unique moments with Wes Miller postgame, where he was able to briefly reflect on his time at Cincinnati.

“Playing my last home game here at Cincinnati with one of the best coaches in the country has me really emotional, Thomas said. “We have an unbreakable bond. I appreciate Wes Miller a lot for everything he’s done for me.”

Jizzle James 1,000 career points

Junior guard Jizzle James eclipsed 1,000 points on Tuesday night with a three-pointer late in the second half. James now joins teammates Baba Miller and

Day-Day Thomas as the new members of the 1,000-point club in recent weeks.

James finished with 18 points in the victory over BYU while shooting at an efficent 60% (6-10) from the field. Despite missing the first nine games of the season, James has come back and been a significant reason as why Cincinnati is still in the NCAA Tournament mix.

The Rundown

Cincinnati jumped out to an early 8-6 lead after Jalen Celestine converted on the transition three following the BYU turnover. A very physical contest over the first four minutes to say the least, as both teams started 3-7 from the field, with the Bearcats shooting 2-4 from deep to start.

T

he Bearcats extended their lead to nine after a Baba Miller and-1 with 14:30 to play in the first half. That was a 12-0 run for Cincinnati as they controlled a 15-6 lead. The Cougars silenced the run following a floater from Rob Wright.

Jizzle James and Jalen Celestine followed suit with consecutive triples as Cincinnati’s lead extended to 13 with 10:23 to play in the first half. Meanwhile, for BYU, their offense went ice cold as Cincinnati’s size and length in the frontcourt continued to be an issue for the Cougars' offense.

However, for Cincinnati, they just continued to let it fly from behind the arch after Celestine knocked down his second three of the night. Moustapha Thiam then came down and buried a triple over AJ Dybantsa to extend the lead to 12 with 8:00 to play. That would force a timeout from Kevin Young as BYU searched for some momentum here down the stretch.

BYU weathered the storm as it was able to claw away at the Bearcats’ early lead. Meanwhile, for Cincinnati, they were able to withstand AJ Dybantsa, who went just 3-11 in the first half for eight points. That was a positive sign for Cincinnati, as Dybantsa is currently slated to be the number one overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft.

Cincinnati controlled a 43-31 lead at the half, as Celestine (11 points) and Miller (10 and six rebounds) anchored the Bearcats.

The Biggest takeaway from the first half was Cincinnati’s ability to take care of the basketball. The Bearcats turned the ball over just three times, with their first coming nearly 12 minutes into the game. Meanwhile, BYU turned the ball over ten times, which resulted in 13 points for the Bearcats. That was the difference maker as Cincinnati continued to convert off the Cougars' errors.

Cincinnati finished the first half shooting 49% from the field, with a 46% clip from behind the arc, as the Bearcats converted 6 of their 13 threes on the night. Notably, Jalen Celestine also made three of those shots.

The Bearcats extended their lead to 55-42 with 15:33 to play. However, that came after a four-minute span that resulted in nine foul calls. Cincinnati was able to convert on just two field goals in that segment but continued to get to the foul line and convert.

Jizzle James converted a tough three to end a near three-minute scoring drought. Freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery followed up with a layup that would then force a BYU timeout with Cincinnati leading 66-48 with ten minutes to play.

Cincinnati continued to pour it on the Cougars as Kevin Young and company had no answer for Cincinnati down the stretch. The Bearcats went on to make six of their last eight field goal attempts, now extending their lead to 24 with six minutes to play.

Up Next

Cincinnati will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on a surging TCU squad on Saturday, with tip-off set for 2PM.