Commonly known as the "Crosstown Shootout" in Cincinnati, the annual matchup between the Xavier Musketeers and Cincinnati Bearcats is one of the most anticipated games for both teams because of their huge rivalry. The game was of even more importance because Xavier came into the game as the eighth ranked team in the nation and the Bearcats had nothing to lose. Cincinnati had been ranked earlier in the season before losing to Presbyterian and Marshall. Tu Holloway and the rest of the Musketeers were motivated to have a big win against UC after the comments that Cincinnati guard Sean Kilpatrick made earlier in the week. On a radio interview, Kilpatrick, a largely unknown sophomore guard, said that All-American Tu Holloway wouldn't start at UC because of the talent that the Bearcats have on their roster. He went on to say that he is better than Holloway, despite averaging three fewer points per game, four fewer assists, and two fewer assists, on a worse team I might add. Xavier was at a huge advantage by playing at their home court, the Cintas Center, and having the support of its rowdy student section.
For the majority of the first half, the game was back and forth, and it seemed to be a toss-up on who would win. With four minutes left in the first half, the score was 25-23 in favor of Xavier. However, poor shooting by the Bearcats and an air-tight Musketeers defense allowed Xavier to close the half on a 9-2 run that put them ahead 34-25 at halftime. Now, a nine point deficit at halftime is nothing in college basketball. At that point, Cincinnati was still in the game; however, that changed quickly. Xavier came out strong in the second half, with their guard trio of Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, and Dez Wells carrying the way with a combined 27 second half points.
In the closing seconds of the game, University of Cincinnati guard Dion Dixon air-balled a three point attempt and Tu Holloway and Cincinnati guard Ge'Lawn Guyn exchanged some heated words. Dez Wells ran over in support of Holloway and shoved Guyn to the ground. Unfortunately, the altercation took place right in front of the UC bench and both benches cleared onto the court. Yancy Gates then threw the basketball and Holloway as players started getting into each other's faces. The referees tried to break up the players but there was only so much that a few men can stop much bigger players from fighting. Bearcat center Yancy Gates slugged Xavier center Kenny Frease in the face, leaving Frease to crawl away from the brawl. Ge'Lawn Guyn then tried to attack Xavier guard Brad Redford, but both players were restrained by their coaches. Gates threw another punch at a Xavier player Landen Amos, while Mark Lyons and Dez Wells were going after a Bearcat player in the corner of the court. Frease walked away from the end of the skirmish with a bruised eye and blood running down his face.
Since the Crosstown Shootout turned out to be a 23-point blowout, the
main story of the game is the fight. So what are the immediate consequences of the brawl? The NCAA will have to review the film upwards of fifty times to fully understand what happened. There were too many bodies involved and fists flying to comprehend the full picture. It will be very likely that a few players threw punches but there was never a clear camera angle, so they will escape the week without punishment. However, it is guaranteed that players from both teams will be suspended, with the possibility of even harsher punishment from the NCAA or the teams themselves. University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin issued strong words in the post-game news conference, claiming that he was going to evaluate the brawl with the school president and decide if players deserve to remain on the team. I assume he is speaking specifically about Yancy Gates, but any of his players could get booted. Yancy Gates may find himself kicked off of the University of Cincinnati basketball team or minimally a ten game suspension. Ge'Lawn Guyn will be out for probably five games. Tu Holloway may get one game for provoking the entire incident, while Mark Lyons and Dez Wells will most likely get a suspension in the neighborhood of three games. And these were just the players that were clearly involved in the altercation. A few other players will probably be punished by the NCAA as well.
While the suspensions will seriously impact both teams since key players were involved, it is more important for Xavier to stay away from suspensions longer than two games. Xavier's next game is Sunday, December 18th against Oral Roberts, so the league will have lots of time to make decisions without feeling rushed. They have three non-conference games before starting A-10 play, the last of which being against #22 Gonzaga. At #8 in the nation, with the potential for an even better rank of anyone in front of them loses, it is crucial that they start conference play undefeated and beat a ranked, non-conference opponent in Gonzaga. As we saw today in the Ohio State vs. Kansas game, the loss of one important player can have a huge impact on the result of the game. While Jared Sullinger wasn't suspended, but rather out with back spasms, Ohio State was a completely different team and loss to Kansas by eleven. Holloway, Lyons, and Wells have been carrying Xavier so far this season and losing any combination of those guards against a quality opponent will not bode well for Xavier's record or ranking.
It is sad that such a historic, fierce rivalry had to come to blows and it is a disgrace to both schools. Cincinnati's basketball team will likely fall back into having the reputation of being a team full of thugs, which they earned during the Bob Huggins era. I can't imagine what the game would be like if these two teams were to meet in the tournament this season, and next year's Crosstown Shootout will be very tense in the wake of today's brawl.
