Two heated local rivals face off on Saturday in Cincinnati and Xavier. Can the Bearcats get revenge for last year’s 20-point blowout defeat?
TV schedule: Saturday, December 10th, 3:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio
One of the few true rivalries that’s ongoing in college basketball is Xavier and Cincinnati, who have had some heated exchanges on the court in recent years. The Musketeers have a new head coach Sean Miller, looking to make it three straight wins overall, coming off its big home win over West Virginia,
The final score was 84-74, led by 23 points and seven assists from Souley Boum. He was one of four players in double figures, with forward Jack Nunge going for 17 points and 14 rebounds. During the season, Xavier (6-3) has five players in double figures, including when sharpshooter Adam Kunkel is healthy and available. Boum and Colby Jones have played well and lead the team in scoring, while both Nunge and Zach Freemantle continue to be an effective frontcourt duo.
Cincinnati (6-3) has the same record but not the same quality of wins, with lowly Louisville as the only power conference victory to this point. The team played better in the past couple of weeks, including three straight wins. The latest was a 97-71 victory over a depleted Bryant squad, led by 16 points and 14 rebounds from Viktor Lakhin, one of six players in double figures.
The Bearcats are led by its backcourt duo of David Dejulius and Landers Nolley, who are averaging 16.3 and 15.1 ppg respectively. They’re a solid shooting team outside of the free throw line and as long as Lakhin avoids foul trouble, will have the bodies needed to compete with the Musketeers.
After last season’s blowout, Cincinnati has the chance to pull off the upset at home and has the scorers to keep up. But there’s a lot of pressure on the sophomore big man to avoid foul trouble and offset what Nunge and Freemantle will do. Right now, I’d go with Xavier in a tight one.
Prediction: Xavier 85, Cincinnati 76