The No. 9 Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team had a bit of a tough year, finishing the regular season with an 18-15 record. On Friday, the program decided to head in a new direction after announcing Wes Miller was fired as head coach.
After five seasons as Cincinnati's head coach, Miller will no longer hold that role, according to Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The Bearcats never reached the NCAA Tournament during his tenure.
“Sources: Cincinnati is firing coach Wes Miller, who did not reach the NCAA Tournament in five seasons there, per [Pete Thamel] and Jeff Borzello. Miller went 100-74 over five years, two in the AAC and three in the Big 12.”
The 43-year-old head coach was initially hired by Cincinnati in 2021 after he was the head coach for UNC Greensboro for 10 years. Although he is an NCAA champion as a player (North Carolina 2005), Miller was unable to find the same success with the Bearcats as a head coach.
The decision to let go of Miller comes after Cincinnati suffered a brutal 66-65 loss to No. 8 UCF Knights in the Big 12 Tournament. That loss likely eliminated the Bearcats from attending this year's NCAA Tournament. Miller's tenure in Cincinnati ends on a three-game losing streak.
Cincinnati will now search for a new coach this offseason. The program is likely to conduct a thorough search before making a final decision. There are several other programs in the same boat as the Bearcats, so there should be some competition when it comes to the hiring process.
