KANSAS CITY, MO – It's the preseason of Katrina Merriweather's fourth campaign with University of Cincinnati women's basketball and the Bearcats, according to coaches, still have a long climb.
At Big 12 Basketball Media Dayat T-Mobile Arena, UC was picked to finish 14th of 16 teams. They are still young, with last year's highly ranked freshmen now sophomores.
"It does not go up in the locker room," Merriweather said. "I do think our returners understand why (the No. 14 ranking). You've got to face your reality sometimes. We did not close out games. There are no excuses in this game. The job is to show up, perform, and play well so you can win. Other
people do not define who we are or what our season is going to look like."
Is it time for Cincinnati Bearcats women's hoops to make NCAA jump?
Merriweather, who took two teams at Wright State to the NCAA Tournament, is plodding along, trying to get her alma mater into "The Dance" for the first time since 2003. Prior to UC, she had seven consecutive winning seasons at Wright State and Memphis.
A year ago, UC knocked off No. 11 Iowa State and had tight contests at Fifth Third Arena with ranked teams Texas Tech and Baylor. Will the Bearcats get over the hump in 2026-27?
"If they (players) want the perception of Cincinnati basketball to be different, we have to have different results," Merriweather said.
What about former McDonald's All-American Dee Alexander?
The Preseason Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 began last season injured and had to gradually get involved with the Bearcats. The 6-foot-2 forward had a pair of 11-point games once she returned for Big 12 play, but it wasn't a typical five-star recruit season.
Merriweather says Alexander is healthy and a team favorite.
"People respect her and her basketball IQ is incredibly high," Merriweather said. "She has evolved into a group player. You're going to see her on the floor because she has to be. She's going to stuff the stats, do the intangible things, communicate and bring this team together. She's evolving and adapting into who Dee Alexander is now."
Which of 7 UC sophomores will step up for Bearcats?
As a freshman, Caliyah DeVillasee was UC's top returning scorer at 14.5 points per game with six games over 20 points. While Alexander was getting healthy, DeVillasee made the Big 12 Freshman Team.
"I was blessed to start and I'm very prepared to be the captain and the point guard for my teammates," DeVillasee said.
She feels her sophomore teammates will also blossom: Joya Crawford, Alexander, Kali Barrett, and Paige Whitted. Guard Jade Jones joins the group after a freshman year at Houston and Naomi Benson comes from Illinois.
Merriweather thinks the 6-foot-2 Benson and guard Crawford are players to watch as the team evolves.
Reagan Jackson, Sahnya Jah UC Bearcats veteran leaders
Jackson is UC's second-leading returning scorer at 9.8 points per game and is a three-year starter. She's 167 points shy of the 1,000-point club.
"I feel experienced; old isn't the word I would use," Jackson said. "My teammates joke around and say i'm the 'auntie' or the 'grandma' of the team. I'm still me. Still young at heart."
Jah comes from SMU with previous stops at South Carolina and Arizona. She's a 6-foot guard who averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, and has unique experience that may help her with Big 12 physicality.
"I played tackle football," Jah revealed. "I was a wide receiver. Once I caught the ball, they tackled me and I made a touchdown. When the game was over, it was like, 'Whoa, you're a girl?' They didn't know that. That really did help me a lot playing tackle football."
Teammate Jackson wasn't aware of Jah's gridiron past, but said, "That makes sense."
Other names to know for UC women's team
Freshman Jaidyn Gunter was a four-star recruit out of Texas and freshman teammate Zou Garba is UC's tallest-ever women's player at 6-foot-7. 6-foot-4 Amber Bullard comes from Mount St. Mary's, 6-foot-3 Yar Tong from Tennessee-Martin and 6-foot-6 Mary Carden is back. Marta Fernández is a 5-foot-4 shooter from Spain.
Games ahead for Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, UC has an exhibition with Georgetown College at 6:30 p.m. The regular season begins Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Fifth Third Arena with East Texas A&M, also at 6:30. The women's Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout is Dec. 15 at Xavier's Cintas Center and the Bearcats start Big 12 play Dec. 20 in Fort Worth against TCU.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Can UC Bearcats women's basketball move up in Big 12 in 2026-27?
