Crosstown Shootout
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The Crosstown Shootout is an annual men's college basketball game played between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier University Musketeers. The two schools are separated by 3 miles (4.8 km) in Cincinnati, making the archrivalry one of the closest major rivalries in the country. The game was first played in 1927, and has been played every year since 1946. In recent years, the game has been sponsored by Skyline Chili.
Throughout its history, the game has been played at six different venues including the Armory Fieldhouse and Fifth Third Arena on the UC campus; and the Schmidt Field House and Cintas Center on the Xavier campus. However, the majority of the games have been played at two other sites—Cincinnati Gardens and Heritage Bank Center. The Gardens has served as the regular home court for both schools at different times, and was even shared by both teams from 1987 to 1989. Heritage Bank Center was UC's home court from 1976 to 1987 when it was known as Riverfront Coliseum.
From 1989 to 2011, the game alternated between the schools' on-campus arenas. After the 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl at the Cintas Center, the series was moved to Heritage Bank Center as a neutral site for two seasons before resuming as an on-campus series.
History
The history of the Crosstown Shootout dates back to 1928, when the University of Cincinnati helped St. Xavier College dedicate its brand new, $350,000 Schmidt Fieldhouse, which had a capacity of 4,500. Xavier won the game, 29–25, and the two teams didn't meet again until the 1942–43 season. The teams began playing on an annual basis starting in 1945–46, and from 1948 to 1958, they played each other twice a year.
One unique aspect is player and coach Tay Baker, who was a player and longtime assistant at Cincinnati before taking over as Head Coach from 1965 to 1972. After resigning from UC with a 125–60 record, Baker moved across town where he coached Xavier from 1973 to 1979.
The rivalry between Cincinnati and Xavier is regarded as one of the best in the game. The two schools' short distance apart has distinguished it as a proximity rivalry. From 1990 through 2011 and again since 2015, the game alternates between Xavier's and Cincinnati's campus arenas on a yearly basis. ESPN's Jay Bilas was quoted as saying, "Cincinnati and Xavier have created a rivalry that is unparalleled when it comes to outright passion and civic division."
In 1990 a local TV station refused to interrupt their coverage of the Cincinnati–Xavier game for the 1990 State of the Union address.
The game is widely regarded as one of the hottest tickets in Cincinnati every year. The game is also regularly attended by local legends and sports icons Pete Rose and basketball great and former Bearcat Oscar Robertson.
2011 brawl and changes
The 2011 game, a 76–53 Xavier victory, was disrupted at the end by a bench-clearing brawl. As a result of this brawl, Cincinnati and Xavier suspended 4 players each for a various number of games. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on May 22, 2012, that due to the brawl, the game would be held at U.S. Bank Arena for the next two seasons. The continuation of the series beyond the 2013–14 season would depend on the behavior of the players and fans. On June 14, 2012, both schools held a joint press conference at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announcing that the annual rivalry will now be called "Skyline Chili Crosstown Classic."
On May 13, 2014, after a two-year series at Heritage Bank Center, the two rivals announced at a joint press conference that they would return to playing their annual men's basketball game on-campus, ditching the moniker of Classic in the process and returning the series to its previous name of the Skyline Crosstown Shootout. The agreement for the alternating home-and-home series was for ten years. The first game of the resumed series was held on February 18, 2015, during ESPN's Rivalry Week when Xavier hosted Cincinnati on December 12, 2015, at the Cintas Center.
Crosstown "Tipoff"
In 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic fans competed to leave bigger tips for restaurant workers in a "Crosstown tipoff", a nod to the annual shootout, starting with a tip of $1000 on a $54 carryout order at Zip's Cafe in early January 2021 and accompanied by a note reading "Go Xavier!" UC fans responded with tips of increasing size, and fans of both teams bid up the largest tips; by early February $2000 tips were received at a downtown Skyline Chili and an Oakley pub and a $2500 tip was left at a Loveland tavern, all in support of UC. WKRC estimated that by early February there had been more than $25,000 in tips over $1000, along with many tips over $100, in support of both teams.
Notable games
| Cincinnati | Xavier | |
|---|---|---|
| First Season | 1901 | 1920 |
| NCAA Championships | 2 | 0 |
| NCAA Final Fours | 6 | 0 |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | 33 | 28 |
| Conference Championships | 29 | 18 |
| Conference Tournament Championships | 12 | 10 |
| All-Americans | 44 | 20 |
| Consensus 1st Team All-Americans | 8 | 1 |
| Player of the Year | 3 | 1 |
| Conference Player of the Year | 10 | 9 |
February 27, 1946: Despite two prior meetings, this matchup marked the "official" start to the annualized series that would take the city by storm. The Bearcats would emerge victorious, 53–39.
March 1, 1962: The reigning NCAA champion Bearcats came into the game at the Cincinnati Gardens confident against the Musketeers. Cincinnati would hold a series of leads, but Xavier would continue to fight back led by Billy Kirvin. With an eleven-point lead and 2:06 remaining, the Bearcats gave up nine points to Xavier, but time prevented the upset and Cincinnati won 61–58.
February 26, 1963: After the No. 1 Bearcats defeated Xavier 72–61, Bearcat center George Wilson was hit with a thrown cowbell while exiting the court.
March 4, 1964: A series-high 45 points were scored by Xavier's Steve Thomas in a losing effort as Cincinnati defeated Xavier 94–92.
March 3, 1967: The 1966 overtime contest—the last of 12 straight Cincinnati wins—resulted in 57 fouls and saw Musketeer Joe Pangrazio grab a crutch from a fan in the stands so he could throw it at Bearcat Raleigh Wynn.
January 23, 1986: In what was a typically close and heated contest, Xavier would win 80–76. During the game Cincinnati player Myron Hughes punched Xavier's Eddie Johnson, knocking him to the ground. However, the punch was away from the action and no foul was called.
January 29, 1992: Cincinnati's Terry Nelson proclaimed that the Bearcats would win a "blowout", making newspaper headlines. Anthony Buford and the Final Four bound Cincinnati proved Nelson's words winning 93–75.
January 19, 1994: After a hard-fought 82–76 overtime win for Xavier, Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins refused to shake his XU counterpart Pete Gillen's hand post-game and instead verbally confronted him, causing much controversy. This was to be Gillen's final Crosstown Shootout as he left Xavier after the season to take the head coaching job at Providence.
November 26, 1996: The Cincinnati Bearcats were ranked #1 in the country and were largely considered frontrunners for the national championship by several media outlets, including Sports Illustrated. Xavier's Lenny Brown made a running one-hander at the buzzer to propel Xavier to a 71–69 win.
December 18, 1999: Again the Bearcats were ranked #1 in the country. And again Xavier defeated Cincinnati 66–64 in the final moments of the game.
February 3, 2004: Xavier came into the game a huge underdog against #10 Cincinnati, but pulled off the upset over the Bearcats 71–69 at the Cintas Center. This would lead Xavier on a 16-2 stretch the rest of the season, culminating in the program's first ever appearance in the Elite 8.
December 10, 2011: Xavier, ranked #8 in the country, handily beat the Bearcats 76–53, but the focus of the game was the bench-clearing brawl that resulted in the game ending with 9.4 seconds left and the subsequent suspensions of four Bearcat players and four Musketeer players.
December 19, 2012: The newly renamed "Crosstown Classic" was played at Heritage Bank Center for the first time since the brawl in 2011. After a back and forth 1st half, the #11 Bearcats dominated in the second half, soundly defeating Xavier 60–45 to improve to 11–0.
January 26, 2017: Xavier came to Fifth Third Arena searching for a record 4th straight win in the series. Trevon Bluiett would contribute 40 points, but No. 19 Cincinnati and 21 points from Jacob Evans would outlast No. 24 Xavier 86–78.
Results
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936–present)
| Cincinnati victories | Xavier victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.DateLocationWinnerScore1March 7, 1928Schmidt Field HouseXavier29–252March 3, 1943Schmidt Field HouseXavier51–373February 27, 1946Schmidt Field HouseCincinnati53–394February 26, 1947Schmidt Field HouseCincinnati76–515March 3, 1948Schmidt Field HouseCincinnati52–456February 5, 1949Schmidt Field HouseXavier71–647March 9, 1949Cincinnati GardensCincinnati57–468March 9, 1950Cincinnati GardensXavier54–539March 18, 1950Cincinnati GardensCincinnati59–4810December 28, 1950Cincinnati GardensNo. 17 Cincinnati83–7011March 8, 1951Cincinnati GardensNo. 17 Cincinnati81–6612December 29, 1951Cincinnati GardensXavier77–7013February 13, 1952Cincinnati GardensCincinnati68–6314January 6, 1953Cincinnati GardensXavier81–7815February 10, 1953Cincinnati GardensXavier70–6816January 6, 1954Cincinnati GardensCincinnati77–5817February 10, 1954Cincinnati GardensCincinnati81–7618January 6, 1955Cincinnati GardensXavier67–6419February 9, 1955Armory FieldhouseNo. 17 Cincinnati70–6920January 17, 1956Cincinnati GardensCincinnati71–6621February 8, 1956Armory FieldhouseXavier79–72OT22January 9, 1957Cincinnati GardensXavier88–6223February 13, 1957Armory FieldhouseCincinnati69–5724December 14, 1957Armory FieldhouseNo. 19 Cincinnati79–6825March 8, 1958Cincinnati GardensNo. 3 Cincinnati80–6826January 24, 1959Cincinnati GardensNo. 6 Cincinnati92–6627March 8, 1960Cincinnati GardensNo. 1 Cincinnati85–6828March 2, 1961Cincinnati GardensNo. 3 Cincinnati89–5329March 1, 1962Cincinnati GardensNo. 2 Cincinnati61–5830February 26, 1963Cincinnati GardensNo. 1 Cincinnati72–6131March 4, 1964Cincinnati GardensCincinnati94–9232March 3, 1965Cincinnati GardensCincinnati102–7233March 3, 1966Cincinnati GardensNo. 10 Cincinnati67–6234March 3, 1967Cincinnati GardensCincinnati79–69OT35March 5, 1968Cincinnati GardensXavier72–7136January 8, 1969Cincinnati GardensNo. 19 Cincinnati52–5037February 17, 1970Cincinnati GardensCincinnati85–7238February 17, 1971Cincinnati GardensXavier66–6539February 16, 1972Cincinnati GardensCincinnati76–7140February 21, 1973Cincinnati GardensCincinnati78–6841February 20, 1974Cincinnati GardensCincinnati78–6842February 26, 1975Cincinnati GardensCincinnati66–5743February 18, 1976Riverfront ColiseumNo. 13 Cincinnati81–7444February 16, 1977Riverfront ColiseumNo. 10 Cincinnati77–6845February 13, 1978Riverfront ColiseumCincinnati59–5446February 12, 1979Riverfront ColiseumCincinnati60–5847February 4, 1980Riverfront ColiseumXavier77–69No.DateLocationWinnerScore48February 18, 1981Riverfront ColiseumCincinnati79–7249January 27, 1982Riverfront ColiseumXavier53–5150January 26, 1983Riverfront ColiseumCincinnati73–5851January 26, 1984Cincinnati GardensXavier72–6352January 30, 1985Riverfront ColiseumXavier55–5253January 23, 1986Cincinnati GardensXavier80–7654January 29, 1987Riverfront ColiseumCincinnati75–7355January 12, 1988Cincinnati GardensXavier98–8056February 1, 1989Cincinnati GardensCincinnati86–7657January 31, 1990Cincinnati GardensNo. 23 Xavier90–88OT58January 30, 1991Shoemaker CenterCincinnati69–5659January 29, 1992Cincinnati GardensCincinnati93–7560January 27, 1993Shoemaker CenterNo. 4 Cincinnati78–6761January 19, 1994Cincinnati GardensNo. 22 Xavier82–76OT62January 9, 1995Shoemaker CenterCincinnati87–8063January 17, 1996Cincinnati GardensNo. 3 Cincinnati99–9064November 26, 1996Shoemaker CenterXavier71–6965December 13, 1997Cincinnati GardensNo. 7 Xavier88–6866January 28, 1999Shoemaker CenterNo. 5 Cincinnati87–7767December 18, 1999Cincinnati GardensXavier66–6468December 14, 2000Shoemaker CenterXavier69–6769December 14, 2001Cintas CenterCincinnati75–5570December 7, 2002Shoemaker CenterNo. 16 Xavier50–4471February 3, 2004Cintas CenterXavier71–6972February 10, 2005Shoemaker CenterNo. 21 Cincinnati65–5473January 19, 2006Cintas CenterXavier73–71OT74December 13, 2006Fifth Third ArenaCincinnati67–5575December 12, 2007Cintas CenterNo. 17 Xavier64–5976December 13, 2008Fifth Third ArenaNo. 10 Xavier76–6677December 13, 2009Cintas CenterXavier83–792OT78January 6, 2011Fifth Third ArenaNo. 24 Cincinnati66–4679December 10, 2011Cintas CenterNo. 8 Xavier76–5380December 19, 2012U.S. Bank ArenaNo. 11 Cincinnati60–4581December 14, 2013U.S. Bank ArenaXavier64–4782February 18, 2015Fifth Third ArenaXavier59–5783December 12, 2015Cintas CenterNo. 12 Xavier65–5584January 26, 2017Fifth Third ArenaNo. 19 Cincinnati86–7885December 2, 2017Cintas CenterNo. 21 Xavier89–7686December 8, 2018Fifth Third ArenaCincinnati62–4787December 7, 2019Cintas CenterXavier73–6688December 6, 2020Fifth Third ArenaXavier77–6989December 11, 2021Cintas CenterXavier83–6390December 10, 2022Fifth Third ArenaXavier80–7791December 9, 2023Cintas CenterXavier84–7992December 14, 2024Fifth Third ArenaNo. 22 Cincinnati68–6593December 5, 2025Cintas CenterXavier79–74Series: Cincinnati leads 52–41 | ||||
| 1 | March 7, 1928 | Schmidt Field House | Xavier | 29–25 |
| 2 | March 3, 1943 | Schmidt Field House | Xavier | 51–37 |
| 3 | February 27, 1946 | Schmidt Field House | Cincinnati | 53–39 |
| 4 | February 26, 1947 | Schmidt Field House | Cincinnati | 76–51 |
| 5 | March 3, 1948 | Schmidt Field House | Cincinnati | 52–45 |
| 6 | February 5, 1949 | Schmidt Field House | Xavier | 71–64 |
| 7 | March 9, 1949 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 57–46 |
| 8 | March 9, 1950 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 54–53 |
| 9 | March 18, 1950 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 59–48 |
| 10 | December 28, 1950 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 17 Cincinnati | 83–70 |
| 11 | March 8, 1951 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 17 Cincinnati | 81–66 |
| 12 | December 29, 1951 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 77–70 |
| 13 | February 13, 1952 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 68–63 |
| 14 | January 6, 1953 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 81–78 |
| 15 | February 10, 1953 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 70–68 |
| 16 | January 6, 1954 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 77–58 |
| 17 | February 10, 1954 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 81–76 |
| 18 | January 6, 1955 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 67–64 |
| 19 | February 9, 1955 | Armory Fieldhouse | No. 17 Cincinnati | 70–69 |
| 20 | January 17, 1956 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 71–66 |
| 21 | February 8, 1956 | Armory Fieldhouse | Xavier | 79–72OT |
| 22 | January 9, 1957 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 88–62 |
| 23 | February 13, 1957 | Armory Fieldhouse | Cincinnati | 69–57 |
| 24 | December 14, 1957 | Armory Fieldhouse | No. 19 Cincinnati | 79–68 |
| 25 | March 8, 1958 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 3 Cincinnati | 80–68 |
| 26 | January 24, 1959 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 6 Cincinnati | 92–66 |
| 27 | March 8, 1960 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 1 Cincinnati | 85–68 |
| 28 | March 2, 1961 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 3 Cincinnati | 89–53 |
| 29 | March 1, 1962 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 2 Cincinnati | 61–58 |
| 30 | February 26, 1963 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 1 Cincinnati | 72–61 |
| 31 | March 4, 1964 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 94–92 |
| 32 | March 3, 1965 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 102–72 |
| 33 | March 3, 1966 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 10 Cincinnati | 67–62 |
| 34 | March 3, 1967 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 79–69OT |
| 35 | March 5, 1968 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 72–71 |
| 36 | January 8, 1969 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 19 Cincinnati | 52–50 |
| 37 | February 17, 1970 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 85–72 |
| 38 | February 17, 1971 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 66–65 |
| 39 | February 16, 1972 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 76–71 |
| 40 | February 21, 1973 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 78–68 |
| 41 | February 20, 1974 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 78–68 |
| 42 | February 26, 1975 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 66–57 |
| 43 | February 18, 1976 | Riverfront Coliseum | No. 13 Cincinnati | 81–74 |
| 44 | February 16, 1977 | Riverfront Coliseum | No. 10 Cincinnati | 77–68 |
| 45 | February 13, 1978 | Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 59–54 |
| 46 | February 12, 1979 | Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 60–58 |
| 47 | February 4, 1980 | Riverfront Coliseum | Xavier | 77–69 |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 48 | February 18, 1981 | Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 79–72 |
| 49 | January 27, 1982 | Riverfront Coliseum | Xavier | 53–51 |
| 50 | January 26, 1983 | Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 73–58 |
| 51 | January 26, 1984 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 72–63 |
| 52 | January 30, 1985 | Riverfront Coliseum | Xavier | 55–52 |
| 53 | January 23, 1986 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 80–76 |
| 54 | January 29, 1987 | Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 75–73 |
| 55 | January 12, 1988 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 98–80 |
| 56 | February 1, 1989 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 86–76 |
| 57 | January 31, 1990 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 23 Xavier | 90–88OT |
| 58 | January 30, 1991 | Shoemaker Center | Cincinnati | 69–56 |
| 59 | January 29, 1992 | Cincinnati Gardens | Cincinnati | 93–75 |
| 60 | January 27, 1993 | Shoemaker Center | No. 4 Cincinnati | 78–67 |
| 61 | January 19, 1994 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 22 Xavier | 82–76OT |
| 62 | January 9, 1995 | Shoemaker Center | Cincinnati | 87–80 |
| 63 | January 17, 1996 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 3 Cincinnati | 99–90 |
| 64 | November 26, 1996 | Shoemaker Center | Xavier | 71–69 |
| 65 | December 13, 1997 | Cincinnati Gardens | No. 7 Xavier | 88–68 |
| 66 | January 28, 1999 | Shoemaker Center | No. 5 Cincinnati | 87–77 |
| 67 | December 18, 1999 | Cincinnati Gardens | Xavier | 66–64 |
| 68 | December 14, 2000 | Shoemaker Center | Xavier | 69–67 |
| 69 | December 14, 2001 | Cintas Center | Cincinnati | 75–55 |
| 70 | December 7, 2002 | Shoemaker Center | No. 16 Xavier | 50–44 |
| 71 | February 3, 2004 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 71–69 |
| 72 | February 10, 2005 | Shoemaker Center | No. 21 Cincinnati | 65–54 |
| 73 | January 19, 2006 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 73–71OT |
| 74 | December 13, 2006 | Fifth Third Arena | Cincinnati | 67–55 |
| 75 | December 12, 2007 | Cintas Center | No. 17 Xavier | 64–59 |
| 76 | December 13, 2008 | Fifth Third Arena | No. 10 Xavier | 76–66 |
| 77 | December 13, 2009 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 83–792OT |
| 78 | January 6, 2011 | Fifth Third Arena | No. 24 Cincinnati | 66–46 |
| 79 | December 10, 2011 | Cintas Center | No. 8 Xavier | 76–53 |
| 80 | December 19, 2012 | U.S. Bank Arena | No. 11 Cincinnati | 60–45 |
| 81 | December 14, 2013 | U.S. Bank Arena | Xavier | 64–47 |
| 82 | February 18, 2015 | Fifth Third Arena | Xavier | 59–57 |
| 83 | December 12, 2015 | Cintas Center | No. 12 Xavier | 65–55 |
| 84 | January 26, 2017 | Fifth Third Arena | No. 19 Cincinnati | 86–78 |
| 85 | December 2, 2017 | Cintas Center | No. 21 Xavier | 89–76 |
| 86 | December 8, 2018 | Fifth Third Arena | Cincinnati | 62–47 |
| 87 | December 7, 2019 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 73–66 |
| 88 | December 6, 2020 | Fifth Third Arena | Xavier | 77–69 |
| 89 | December 11, 2021 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 83–63 |
| 90 | December 10, 2022 | Fifth Third Arena | Xavier | 80–77 |
| 91 | December 9, 2023 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 84–79 |
| 92 | December 14, 2024 | Fifth Third Arena | No. 22 Cincinnati | 68–65 |
| 93 | December 5, 2025 | Cintas Center | Xavier | 79–74 |
| Series: Cincinnati leads 52–41 |
Source
Wins by venue
| Category | Cincinnati | Xavier |
|---|---|---|
| Schmidt Field House | 3 | 3 |
| Cincinnati Gardens | 28 | 15 |
| Armory Fieldhouse | 3 | 1 |
| Riverfront Coliseum US Bank Arena | 8 | 4 |
| Shoemaker Center Fifth Third Arena | 10 | 7 |
| Cintas Center | 1 | 11 |