Xavier v. UC Game

[Michael in Raleigh]

The Cincinnati home games are controlled by ESPN, the Xavier home games are controlled by FS1. I know Mick Cronin worked hard to make sure, when on ESPN, the game would be featured on ESPN's Rivalry Week along sides the classic rivalries like UK-Florida, Duke-UNC, Syracuse-Pitt, etc..

I personally like that, this is one of the best rivalries in college basketball but it isn't treated as such due to the lack of spotlight on the game since Huggins left us.

Not to nitpick, but it's news to me that UK-Florida and Syracuse-Pitt are "classic rivalries." UK-Florida are "rivals" in that theyve been the only legitimately consistent national title contenders from the SEC since about 2000. Historically, I thought Tennessee was UK's biggest SEC rival, with Louisville and Indiana also being more heated than UF. And Syracuse does have a noteworthy history with Pitt, that one pales compared to their tradition with the Hoyas.

That said, I get it that TV-driven Rivalry Week would have those games on. Non-conference games in January and February are really difficult to schedule, so that rules out Syracuse-Georgetown, UK-Louisville/Indiana, and others. BTW, given that context, it's impressive that UC and Xavier were able to work out a fairly late season game like this. Otherwise, ESPN just wants to put on whatever drives ratings the best within those in-conference-only parameters.

[murphy]

Apparanty XU started some back channel converstions to start the series back up with UD
...UD turned them down flat

[xu1990]

Apparanty XU started some back channel converstions to start the series back up with UD
...UD turned them down flat

That's good stuff. Funny.

[xsteve1]

Apparanty XU started some back channel converstions to start the series back up with UD
...UD turned them down flat

lol

[BEX]

Apparanty XU started some back channel converstions to start the series back up with UD
...UD turned them down flat

Jimmy Carter was negotiating for UD.

[marquette]

Apparanty XU started some back channel converstions to start the series back up with UD
...UD turned them down flat

At first I was blown away by your airtight logic, then you provided impeccable sources to back up your claim. How could we possibly deny your assertions?

[Xudash]

Xavier did not approach UD about anything. Period. End of story.

Xavier is in the Big East now. Xavier is looking at round robin rivalry opportunities with its new conference mates in addition to a fully reestablished Crosstown Shootout with UC, the Prosser Classic with Wake Forest, and the upcoming match-ups in the B1G challenge series. It has Alabama on the schedule with a series starting up with Mizzou.

UD could not be further off Xavier's radar if it tried.

[robinreed]

The local division one schools in the Cincinnati - Dayton metro area should ALL play each other every year. XU, UC, Miami, UD, WSU and even NKU would make an excellent series of doubleheaders at the Bank Arena on Saturday evenings in December. True XU and UC are generally much superior to the others however the games would generate significant local interest and TV viewership.

Back in prehistoric times in the 1960's and early 1970's DePaul, Lyola, Marquette and several other Chicago area schools did exactly the same thing with much success and profit.