UC will review allegations related to men’s basketball program

Bearcats finished 12-11 in John Brannen’s second season

One week after six men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal in a three-day stretch, the University of Cincinnati announced it will begin a review of allegations related to the program.

“The University has always put the welfare of its student-athletes first, said Director of Athletics John Cunningham in a statement. “We feel this is an essential step to ensure that all of our athletic programs meet the highest standards.”

Mason Madson, Tari Eason, Mamoudou Diarra, Zach Harvey, Mike Saunders Jr. and Gabe Madsen all put their name in the transfer portal days after Cincinnati’s season ended with a 91-54 loss to Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Cincinnati finished 12-11 in John Brannen’s second season.

According to a report by Justin Williams, of The Athletic, the players’ departures were related to problems with Brannen, who was hired in 2019 when Mick Cronin left to take the head coaching job at UCLA. Cincinnati made the NCAA tournament in Cronin’s final nine seasons and was 20-10 in Brannen’s first season.

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