A year ago, Cincinnati was literally bussing over to Dickies Arena, to play in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament. The team was informed of the decision to cancel the tournament due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's one of those moments in time that you'll never forget, but you can't quite remember," coach John Brannen said.

This time, the pandemic is still in full swing. But the Bearcats are set to play as a No. 5 seed, against No. 4 seed SMU at 3 pm ET Friday at Dickies Arena in the quarterfinals. There will be only a smattering of fans in the stands, but Cincinnati will be set to play, barring any late positive COVID-19 tests.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Brannen spoke to members of the media Thursday morning.