Cincinnati Bearcats 2026 Position Preview: Point Guard

The Cincinnati Bearcats are well under a month away from officially launching the Jerrod Calhoun era, as they are in the midst of their preseason exhibition circuit.

With American University awaiting, now is a proper time to take a detailed look at each position group, the first is the point guards. 

How Does Each Point Guard Fit?

MJ Collins: Collins is now eligible for the 2026 season; he is one of the many across the nation who are toeing the line. Although, he is more of a shooting guard than an offensive creative hub.

If he remains eligible, Collins adds an experienced guard who started his career as a gritty defender at Virginia Tech, before seeing limited minutes at Vanderbilt for one season, then landing at Utah State under Calhoun. 

In his one season as an Aggie, Collins averaged 17.5 points per game, 1.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds on a stellar 48.7% field goal rate. 

Tylen Riley: Riley broke out for Tulsa last season, starting in all 38 games and reaching a season high of 30 points against Wichita State in February. 

Riley upped his field goal rate by over seven percent from his last season at Cal Baptist to the 2025-26 campaign up to 44.8%. Riley isn’t just a scorer; last season, the senior averaged 4.4 assists per game. 

Elijah Perryman: Perryman played in 36 games for Utah State last season, starting one and averaging 13.9 minutes per game. Perryman averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 assists. 

Who Is Likely To Get The Starting Gig?

Riley will likely be one of the team’s primary scorers, if not No. 1 on the list; expect his shot volume to be high and for him to be heavily involved in getting others involved as well, which makes him the ideal point guard. 

If Collins is eligible, he would make an elite choice off the bench as a backup guard or as a potential shooting guard, even though his numbers in power-conference basketball aren’t as strong as his sole season with Calhoun was. 

Perryman will likely play reserve minutes but could serve as a crucial player for what will be a laboring season. 

Overall Grade: A