'Our fan base deserves this': Cincinnati looks to end winless drought against rival Xavier
The date was Dec. 8, 2018.
Jarron Cumberland scored a game-high 19 points, Keith Williams added 16 and the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team defeated rival Xavier 62-47 in the Crosstown Shootout.
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The Bearcats held the Musketeers to just 35% (18-for-51) shooting, including 20% (5-for-25) from 3-point range. It was a masterful defensive effort for then-Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin's squad in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,513 fans inside Fifth Third Arena.
It was also the last time the Bearcats won in the rivalry series.
Cincinnati (6-3) will look to snap a three-game losing streak to its crosstown foe Xavier (6-3) when the two teams square off Saturday back at Fifth Third Arena. It will be the first time the Bearcats' arena will be packed with fans for the Crosstown Shootout since that December day four years ago. The 2020 matchup at Fifth Third had a limited crowd on hand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m excited," UC graduate guard David DeJulius said Tuesday. "I was just talking about it yesterday to someone. We played here during the COVID year, and it was barely anyone in here, and the atmosphere and the energy still felt different than the other games that year. So I’m excited to see this place packed out. For sure.”
DeJulius, who was playing for the Michigan Wolverines in December 2018, had 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in the 2020 meeting against Xavier. The Musketeers won, 77-69. DeJulius scored 12 points in last season's 83-63 loss inside Xavier's Cintas Center.
The preseason second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection said he's going to do everything in his power to secure a victory Saturday and end Cincinnati's winless drought against the team from across town.
"When I walked into practice (Monday), I said, 'Our fan base deserves this.' They deserve for us to go out there and play as hard as we can, play as smart as we can. Because all that they do for us each and every day and the support that they give us, it’s only right that we give that respect and that gratitude back, and that’s by going out there and playing as hard as we can.”
The game
Tipoff: 3 p.m. on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena
TV/Radio: ESPN2/WLW-AM (700)
Series info: Cincinnati leads the all-time series 51-38, but Xavier has won the last three meetings, including last season's 20-point victory at Cintas Center.
Scouting report
Xavier (6-3)
Coach: Sean Miller, sixth season (126-50)
Offense: 84 ppg
Defense: 73.6 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Souley Boum (G, 6'3", 16.6 ppg)
Adam Kunkel (G, 6'4", 11.4 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 15.5 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 13 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 15.2 ppg)
Cincinnati (6-3)
Coach: Wes Miller, second season (24-18)
Offense: 79.4 ppg
Defense: 69 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Mika Adams-Woods (G, 6’3”, 8.3 ppg)
David DeJulius (G, 6’0", 16.1 ppg)
Landers Nolley II (G, 6’7”, 15.3 ppg)
Jeremiah Davenport (G, 6'7", 9.8 ppg)
Viktor Lakhin (F, 6’11”, 11.4 ppg)
Players to watch
Jack Nunge
Cincinnati had no answer for Jack Nunge last season. The 7-foot graduate student came into last year's showdown averaging 11 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He had 14 points and nine boards by halftime. The Newburgh, Indiana, native finished with 31 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs. Nunge is coming off a 17-point, 14-rebound performance in a come-from-behind win over former UC coach Bob Huggins and his West Virginia team.
Jeremiah Davenport
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound senior will be the only starter in Saturday's clash from Cincinnati. While DeJulius is the engine for the Bearcats, it's Davenport who is the team's spark. He's been that his entire career. If the Bearcats are going to come away with their fourth straight win on the season Saturday, they'll need a spark from the former Moeller High School standout. This could very well be the four-year guard's final go-around against the Musketeers.
Key to the game
Slow down the Musketeers
Xavier has certainly had its struggles on the defensive end this season, but the Musketeers have one of the most offensively potent starting lineups in college basketball. All of Xavier's starters average at least 11 points per game. Their strength as a unit is getting out in transition and spreading the wealth to their multitude of weapons. Cincinnati can't let that happen.
“We understand that they’re great in transition," DeJulius said. "We’re going to have to shut that down."
Rankings
NET: Xavier (44); Cincinnati (154)
KenPom.com: Xavier (30); Cincinnati (71)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball: Bearcats to host Xavier in Crosstown Shootout
