LASVEGASNOW

The shutdown of sports in March due to the coronavirus pandemic created a situation of unfinished business for Cincinnati and also resulted in more time trying to schedule games than recruiting.

Nearly nine months after securing a share of the American Athletic Conference's regular-season title, the Bearcats make their return to the floor Wednesday when they host Lipscomb.

The Bearcats were 20-10 and went 13-5 in conference games last season, earning them a share of the regular-season title with Houston and Tulsa. They were three games away from clinching an automatic NCAA Tournament bid by winning the conference tournament. But those games were postponed due to the crisis that is forcing teams to adjust schedules on the fly and announce schedules late like Cincinnati did when it released its schedule on Nov. 19 and recently met for the first time in person since March.