CINCINNATI (AP) — A late-season surge got Cincinnati a sixth seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Bearcats won nine of their last 12 games and reached the championship game of the Big East tournament for the first time, a strong finish that earned them an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament on Sunday. They'll play Texas on Friday in Nashville, Tenn.

It's another big step in rebuilding a program that fell from prominence after coach Bob Huggins' ouster. The Bearcats reached the NCAA tournament last season for the first time in six years, and now are doing it back-to-back years.

They were on the cusp of missing out until the strong finish, which included a win over Syracuse in the Big East semifinals and a 50-44 loss to Louisville in the title game.