Cincinnati has fired men’s basketball coach Wes Miller after five seasons, sources told ESPN.
The Bearcats failed to go to the NCAA tournament in any of Miller’s five seasons, ending this season with an 18-15 record.
The Bearcats had recovered from a disappointing start to the season by winning seven of nine games down the stretch to play themselves into NCAA tournament consideration. But in a must-win game against UCF in the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday, they blew an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation and ultimately lost in overtime, 66-65.
Miller was hired in 2021 to replace John Brannen after a successful 10-year run at UNC Greensboro, where he won at least 21 games in each of his final five seasons and led the Spartans to three regular-season championships and a pair of NCAA tournament appearances.
After going 18-15 in his first season at Cincinnati, Miller received a two-year contract extension just 20 months into his tenure. He went 23-13 in 2022-23 and 22-15 in 2023-24 but fell short of the NCAA tournament in both seasons.
The Bearcats entered last season with high expectations, ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP poll and rising to as high as No. 14 after a 10-1 start. But they went just 7-13 in Big 12 play and were on the wrong side of the bubble once again.
Miller still has three years left on his contract, which states that he’s owed $9.9 million if fired before March 31, 2026, and $4.69 million if fired on April 1 or later.
Miller is the son of Kenneth D. Miller, whose name is on the Wake Forest athletic facility. After starting his college career at James Madison, Miller transferred to North Carolina to play for Roy Williams and won a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2005.
