With the 2011 brawl that marred the annual game between Cincinnati and Xavier becoming more of a distant memory, both schools are poised to battle only for bragging rights Saturday, when they meet at U.S. Bank Arena in the â??Crosstown Classicâ? . The Musketeers and Bearcats engaged in an ugly melee near the end of their matchup two years ago, causing the schools to consider ending the 80-game series. They met again last year without incident in the same venue that may become the annual gameâ??s new home.
Cincinnati, which won last seasonâ??s meeting, is coming off its first loss of the season at New Mexico after opening the season with seven straight home wins against lower-level competition. Xavier has bounced back from an 0-3 showing at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas with back-to-back difficult home victories over Bowling Green and Evansville. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 49-31 and have won 18 straight games overall at U.S. Bank Arena.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
ABOUT CINCINNATI (7-1): American Athletic Conference leading scorer Sean Kilpatrick (19.6 points) reached another milestone against New Mexico, becoming the ninth Bearcat to eclipse 1,600 career points. However, coach Mick Cronin was displeased with his teamâ??s offensive execution that led to a 29.5 percent shooting effort in a 63-54 setback. â??It’s a miracle we only got beat by nine points; we’re not going to win games playing offense like that. We’ve got to find a way to be a (crisper) team on the half court and pass the ball better,â? Cronin said.
ABOUT XAVIER (7-3): Leading scorer Semaj Christon averaged nine points over his first two games in the Bahamas while dealing with cramps but has scored no fewer than 19 over his last three contests. Matt Stainbrook has established himself as a fine inside complement to Christon and is among the Big East leaders in rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.8). The 6-10 Western Michigan transfer recorded his seventh career double-double against Evansville and set a career high with 15 rebounds â?? one less than he had over his previous three games combined.
TIP-INS
1. Cincinnati is 8-3 overall against Xavier at U.S. Bank Arena.
2. Christon is 25-for-33 from the foul line over the last two games after going 29-for-57 over his first eight contests.
3. The Bearcats have averaged 11 steals, forced 21.6 turnovers and scored 27.6 points off turnovers over the last five games.
PREDICTION: Cincinnati 70, Xavier 66
