Wes Miller will not be back as the University of Cincinnati’s men’s basketball coach, two people familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Friday.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because the university has not announced the move.
Cincinnati is not expected to announce Miller’s firing until the two sides can negotiate an equitable buyout. Miller has three years remaining on his contract, but he’s owed $9.9 million if the firing happens before March 31. It drops to $4.69 million if the termination happens after April 1.
Miller went 100-74 in five seasons, including 18-15 this year. Cincinnati has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019, which was Mick Cronin’s final season before he left for UCLA.
The Bearcats were 11-12 at one point this season before winning seven of their final 10 games. Their late bid to get on the right side of the tournament bubble ended Wednesday at the Big 12 Tournament, when UCF rallied for a 66-65 victory after Cincinnati had an eight-point advantage with 2:17 remaining.
Miller’s best season was last year. Cincinnati opened 10-1 and was ranked as high as 14th in the AP Top 25. The Bearcats though faltered once conference play began and went 7-13 in the Big 12.
Miller was hired in 2021 after 10 seasons at UNC-Greensboro, where he led the Spartans to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
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