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'The biggest game on our schedule.' Shootout win over UC would go a long way for Xavier

shelby dermer, cincinnati enquirer
·4 min read

The Xavier men's basketball team entered Cintas Center for practice Thursday to JAY-Z's "Run This Town," in case there was any doubt of the objective this weekend in the 91st Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.

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The stakes are always sky high with bragging rights up for grabs each year for nearly a century. The rivalry is incomparable to others in college sports with the roughly three-mile proximity between the two schools, splitting up a city into two sides, with former players, coaches and alumni holding the annual face-off in such high regard.

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"It’s the biggest game on our schedule. It’s the most meaningful game to our fans, former players and students. I think you have to acknowledge that," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said Thursday in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout Party downtown.

Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller, left, speaks with Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Wes Miller after the Skyline Chili’s Crosstown Shootout Party on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at Skyline Chili in Downtown Cincinnati. The Crosstown Shootout, an iconic yearly mens basketball game in its 93rd year between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at the Cintas Center.

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Fixing Xavier's confidence problem

Miller said that in Tuesday's loss to Delaware it was the first time he felt like his team had lost confidence through nine games this season.

"That happens sometimes when you take on losses," Miller said. "You get down eight, and it not only feels bad, but it feels bad because you were down eight in the last game, too. That shot you're getting ready to take, it doesn't feel the same as it once did. Getting a defensive stop seems unnecessarily harder than it needs to be. That's part of the challenge for our coaching staff."

What better way to repair a confidence dilemma than rising to the occasion in the biggest game of the schedule that everyone elevates above all other contests? Can a win over UC help restore the faith?

Xavier Musketeers guard Quincy Olivari (8) hits a layup over Delaware Blue Hens guard Christian Ray (5) in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Delaware Blue Hens and the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.
Xavier Musketeers guard Quincy Olivari (8) hits a layup over Delaware Blue Hens guard Christian Ray (5) in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Delaware Blue Hens and the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Yes, according to Miller, but progressing to the point of a season-changing victory comes with less fanfare.

"The days that are most important are the days where you guys (media) aren't around," Miller said. "How hard we work, what we try to fix, the attention to detail, the preparation for a game like this. That's where, for us, the money lies."

Miller, Xavier not downplaying Shootout's significance

Desmond Claude had only nine Division I college basketball games under his belt when he came off the bench for nine minutes in Xavier's 80-77 win over UC last December at Fifth Third Arena. As the only player suiting up for Xavier on Saturday with Shootout experience, Claude can relay what the rivalry is like within the locker room.

Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller is silent while a video plays on the TV above him during Skyline Chili’s Crosstown Shootout Party on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at Skyline Chili in Downtown Cincinnati. The Crosstown Shootout, an iconic yearly mens basketball game in its 93rd year between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at the Cintas Center.

"The rivalry is very real," Claude said. "It was a very hostile environment. It's an amazing feeling (winning). It also makes you a little nervous. It's one of those games where you just have to go all out and play your best."

Sure, a loss on Saturday doesn't implode your season. As Miller mentioned, Xavier still has to play a daunting Big East schedule that includes 16 games against current teams ranked in the top 70 in KenPom. Cincinnati has its own challenges ahead in the Big 12. But the Shootout's importance is "part of what you sign up for," according to Miller, who is 4-2 in the rivalry. Calling it the schedule's most important game is warranted.

Xavier Musketeers guard Desmond Claude (1) saves a ball going out of bounds in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Delaware Blue Hens and the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.
Xavier Musketeers guard Desmond Claude (1) saves a ball going out of bounds in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Delaware Blue Hens and the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

"Absolutely. That's how they feel anyway. I would be lying to them if I said it any other way," Miller explained. "The truth of the matter is, the Crosstown Shootout is a big deal."

Guard Dayvion McKnight has never watched a Shootout, but says it was one of the first things mentioned when he stepped on campus for a visit in April.

"That was one of the first things they told me about," McKnight said. "Showing me videos from the past Xavier-Cincinnati games. It's a real battle between two teams and I'm just looking forward to it."

Will legends be made on Saturday?

In a game with all-out effort from both teams, typically the difference comes down to one player, etching his name in Shootout lore.

Lenny Brown's runner to beat the No. 1 Bearcats in 1996, Kevin Frey scoring the final four points of Xavier's upset of UC in 1999, UC's Joe Stiffend's 17-foot game-winner in 1987, Jamal Walker's overtime 3-pointer to beat UC in Bob Huggins' first Shootout in 1990. Make a game-changing play, become a legend in this city.

Kevin Frey's dunk helped Xavier 'shock the world' as the Musketeers upended No. 1 UC in the 1999-2000 edition of the Crosstown Shootout.
Kevin Frey's dunk helped Xavier 'shock the world' as the Musketeers upended No. 1 UC in the 1999-2000 edition of the Crosstown Shootout.

"Usually, it's individual players that rise to the challenge and single plays: shot blocks, loose balls, made free throws, that determine the outcome," Miller said. "We're getting ready."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout: Can Xavier win its 5th straight?