Xavier vs. Cincinnati: 2019-20 key storylines for Crosstown Shootout
By Connor Gluck
How will the coaches handle facing each other for the first time?
Both former teams esteemed coaches, Chris Mack (Xavier) and Mick Cronin (Cincinnati), who have moved on after decorated careers at their respective schools that included several entertaining match-ups against each other. In the last year, Xavier and Cincinnati have each replaced their former coaches with new blood. Travis Steele (Xavier) and John Brannen (Cincinnati) will be facing off against each other for the first time in what may be the start of a new chapter for the Crosstown Shootout.
In his second year with the Musketeers, Travis Steele will be looking to improve this year and get his squad back to the NCAA Tournament. After some struggles in his first season coaching a major program, with the added difficulty of losing Xavier’s top two players to the NBA at the start of the year, Coach Steele has his Musketeers off to a solid start to this year’s campaign. With a year of experience under his belt and more familiarity with his players, Coach Steele has a solid chance to coach in his first NCAA tournament game.
Coach Brannen is in his first season with the Bearcats, coming to the team after Mick Cronin left for the UCLA Bruins. Brannen had previously coached at Northern Kentucky for four years. While there, he led the team to two conference championships in the Horizon League and with it, two NCAA tournament appearances.
Both coaches inherited teams with plenty of tradition, pride, and expectations. The two have essentially no familiarity coaching against each other, but, will certainly get to know each other and their opposing styles very soon. This first showdown between the two young coaches could set the stage for their young seasons, and the future yearly match-ups between the two schools.