NCAA Basketball: 25 best team rivalries heading into 2019-20 season
By Joey Loose
4. Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Xavier Musketeers
One of college basketball’s most heated rivalries is also one of the closest, as Cincinnati and Xavier sit only a few miles apart. Fans anxiously await their non-conference game each year, though thankfully it’s been a few seasons since sparks have flown on the basketball court.
These two schools have played annually for over 70 years, despite not being conference rivals since 1958. Cincinnati holds a 51-35 advantage in the series, though Xavier’s held the upper hand in recent years, 15-8 since 1996.
The obvious highlight in this rivalry is the brawl in 2011, with the Bearcats’ Yancy Gates highlighting the fracas in a 23-point Xavier win. That game briefly caused the rivalry to be played at a neutral court, but it’s returning to rotating between the two campuses since then.
These are two fantastic programs and they’ve certainly had their fair share of other exciting action. Back in 1966, Xavier’s Joe Pangrazio went after one of Cincinnati’s players with a crutch; there’s a lot of passion and violence in this rivalry.
The Musketeers knocked off No. 19 Cincinnati in double overtime in a back and forth affair in 2009. Just four seasons ago, the Bearcats nearly erased a 12-point Xavier lead, falling by two points after grabbing a lead in the final minute.
The rivalry seems lopsided because of Cincinnati’s dominance in the 1960s and 1970s, including their two national titles. In recent years, this has been one of college basketball’s best annual game and it certainly still has a heated impact on these two fanbases.
Cincinnati won last year’s game by 15 points, but the tide could turn again this season. We’ll have to see how this rivalry continues to grow under new head coach John Brannen and second-year coach Travis Steele.