At 10-10, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats must win three games in the American Championship to earn the AAC's NCAA Tournament automatic bid - starting with Friday's quarterfinal matchup with SMU in Fort Worth, Texas.
At 13-8, the Xavier University Musketeers appear to be a long shot for an at-large bid after a first-round, 70-69 overtime loss to Butler on Wednesday in the Big East Tournament. Mike DeCourcy said on FS1 that XU's sixth defeat in eight games put the Muskies "in a category of needing a Tulsa miracle to get in."
It has been 36 years since the 1984-85 season, the last time neither XU nor UC made the NCAA Tournament. (The pandemic canceled last year's Big Dance.) XU - in the Midwestern City Conference at the time - was 16-13 under head coach Bob Staak that season. UC - in the Metro Conference - finished the season 17-14 under head coach Tony Yates.
The Bearcats haven't missed the NCAA Tournament - again, last year's canceled tournament aside - since the 2009-10 season, when they were in the Big East under head coach Mick Cronin. The 2018-19 Musketeers missed the Big Dance in Travis Steele's first season as head coach.
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