Buy Cincinnati Bearcats Tickets Now!
Stadium: Fifth Third Arena
Fifth Third Arena is a 13,176-seat multi-purpose arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, named for Fifth Third Bank. The arena opened in 1989. It is home to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team. It is located in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, which was formerly the name of the arena as well. The facility hosted the 1994 Great Midwest Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, the 1998 Conference USA men's basketball & volleyball tournamets, the 1999 NCAA Mideast Women's Basketball Regional, and the 2003 NCAA West Women's Basketball Subregional. The facility will host the 2006 Big East volleyball championship
Cincinnati has compiled a 205-27 record and a hefty .884 winning percentage since its opening in 1989-90, and an 99-9 ledger over the past seven years. In the 1999-2000 season, every Bearcat home game was sold out.
A new basketball court was installed for the 2003-2004 season. It is a similar floor to ones used in the NBA.
Team History:
While Cincinnati's men's basketball squads have been a perennial "bracket team" in the NCAA tournament, the program's record in tournament play has been inconsistent. Arguably, the most prolific era in Bearcats basketball was during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the Bearcats posted five consecutive Final Four appearances. Unanimous three-time All American guard Oscar Robertson led the nation in scoring during the 1957-58, 1958-59, and 1959-60 seasons and posted a career average of 33.8 points per game, which ranks as the third all-time best in Division I.
However, Cincinnati won its only national championships (both against Ohio State) in 1961 and 1962, which were after Robertson's graduation. The 1961 and 1962 titles were won under rookie coach Ed Jucker.
Cincinnati fell out of prominence during the early 1970s. After a brief resurgence in the mid-1970s, the program fell on hard times in the 1980s, but was revitalized under head coach Bob Huggins following his hiring in 1989. Under Huggins, the Bearcats compiled a 399-127 record in sixteen seasons, and posted fourteen straight NCAA tournament appearances. The most notable of the teams from the Huggins era was the 1991-1992 team, which lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four.
Official Site:
gobearcats.cstv.com