Men's Basketball Prepares For The Annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout

Saturday, December 11

Cincinnati, Ohio

8:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Cincinnati

Men's Basketball Prepares For The Annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout

12.10.21 | Men's Basketball

Xavier vs. Cincinnati Notes

Standing-room only crowd expected at Cintas Center.

By: Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI --- The Xavier University Musketeers, 8-1, host the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, 7-2, on Saturday in the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.

Xavier and Cincinnati are meeting for the 89th time. UC leads the series 51-37 but XU has won six of the last eight meetings and 17 of the last 25 meetings. The Musketeers have won eight straight over the Bearcats at Cintas Center.

THE MATCHUP

RV/RV XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (8-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI BEARCATS (7-2, 0-0 AAC)
SATURDAY, DEC. 11, 2021 AT 8:30 P.M. ET
CINTAS CENTER (10,224) IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS

Television: FS1 with play by-play from Eric Collins and analysis from Dickey Simpkins.
Radio: 55KRC-AM with play-by-play from Xavier Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman ('79) and analysis from XU all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin ('88). XU broadcast is also available on Sirius (85), XM (85) and the SXM App. (85).
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.

X FACTORS

• Xavier, 8-1, is coming off its fourth straight win, a 96-50 victory over Ball State. XU is ranked 18th in the NCAA NET and 27th in the KenPom rankings as of Dec. 10.
• Xavier and Cincinnati are meeting for the 89th time. XU has won six of the last eight meetings with UC, 10 of the last 14 and 17 of the last 25 meetings.
• Xavier is 8-1 vs. UC at Cintas Center, including eight straight wins.
• Xavier's balanced lineup has four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by senior Nate Johnson at 14.6 ppg. and a fifth player at 9.0 ppg.
• Xavier senior Paul Scruggs, 2021-22 preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, is in the top 25 on Xavier's all-time scoring list with 1,349 points and the top 10 on Xavier's all-time assist leaders chart with 410.
• Xavier sophomore Colby Jones leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.5 rpg.) and leads the team in steals (tied for seventh in the BIG EAST at 1.8 spg.). He leads the BIG EAST and is fourth in the nation in offensive rebounding (4.1 rpg.). He is second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg.)and assists (3.6 apg.).
• Xavier junior Zach Freemantle, who led XU in scoring at 16.1 ppg. and rebounding at 8.9 rpg. last season, played his first minutes of the season the last three games. He broke out with 24 points on 9-11 shooting vs. Ball State on Wednesday.
• Xavier junior Jack Nunge is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 ppg. and is second on the team in rebounding at 6.7 rpg. (11th in the BIG EAST), including his collegiate career-high 14-rebound games in wins vs. Virginia Tech and Ohio State.

STEELE PRESSER