CINCINNATI — Jacob Mrohs, a special education major and third-year student at the University of Cincinnati, is playing a unique role in one of men's college basketball’s biggest rivalries this week.
Mrohs serves as the Campus Spirit executive member of RallyCats, the supporter group for UC sports. He’s in charge of this year’s “Oscar Watch,” wherein UC students guard the campus statue of hoops legend Oscar Robertson overnight to ensure Xavier University students don’t toilet-paper it in the buildup to Saturday’s showdown between the intracity rivals.
Politics aside, the Queen City will be divided into rabid red and true blue again with the 90th rendition of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
This will be the first Crosstown Shootout Mrohs attends in person.
“I’ve heard a lot of fun stories about it and can’t wait to experience it this year,” Mrohs said.
What You Need To Know
- The Xavier University and University of Cincinnati men's basketball teams play the 90th rendition of the Crosstown Shootout this weekend
- There are more than 40 total watch parties taking place across the country for the game
- Due to the proximity of the two schools, fans of both programs view the annual match up as a battle for the city
- Fans for both 6-3 teams believe they have a good chance of winning
More than a highlight of the Cincinnati sports calendar, the annual showdown between the UC and Xavier men’s basketball teams is one of the most intense rivalries in the sport. That’s partly because it’s one of the closest rivalries between major Division I college basketball teams sharing a city. The campuses are just 3 miles apart.
Besides the 12,000 people packed into UC’s Fifth Third Arena, fans will show their colors not only in bars and restaurants across Greater Cincinnati but across the country at more than 40 official watch parties set up by alumni groups from both schools. They’ll take place as far away as Denver and Los Angeles.
Overall, Cincinnati holds the series lead at 51-38. But Xavier has won seven of the last nine meetings, including last season.
Regardless of the records or the rankings, fans from both schools seem confident heading into the 3 p.m. showdown. Both teams carry 6-3 records.
Mrohs expects a “back-and-forth, hard-fought battle” by both teams and predicts UC to come out on top.
He’s hoping a big game from his favorite player, Viktor Lakhin, can make that happen.
“The reason the game is so special is the people,” Mrohs added. “The atmosphere of dedicated fans cheering for their team; there’s nothing like it.”
A city divided since 1928
The Cincinnati rivalry dates back to 1928, when UC helped then-St. Xavier College dedicate the new 4,500-seat Schmidt Fieldhouse. Xavier won that first game in a low-scoring slugfest, 29-25.
Things will be different at this year’s matchup inside Fifth Third Arena, as both teams have shown the ability to put up points.
Xavier is riding a two-game winning streak, including a 10-point home victory over West Virginia and former UC head coach Bob Huggins, who was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
The Musketeers’ three losses came in close contests against three highly ranked teams — No. 14 Indiana, No. 15 Duke and No. 18 Gonzaga. Those losses were by a combined 13 points.
The Bearcats seem to have righted the ship after struggling through a three-game losing streak. It included neutral-court losses to No. 10 Arizona and No. 25 Ohio State, and a road loss to nearby Northern Kentucky University.
Since then, though, UC reeled off three straight wins by an average of more than 20 points. That includes a lopsided win over Louisville at the Maui Invitational in November.
UC is 5-0 at Fifth Third Arena this season.
“The Crosstown Shootout is always a tough battle no matter what, especially when it’s away, but I’m confident our non-conference schedule has prepared us to tackle the challenge,” said Kristy Beagle, a Xavier fan.
A Cincinnati showdown in the national spotlight
Beagle has attended eight UC-Xavier matchups, including two while a student at XU. When not at the game, Beagle usually ventures to Dana Gardens, a longtime pre- and post-game hangout for Xavier fans. Her husband, Jim Flick, just had a foot procedure and is in a walking boot, so they’ll watch at home this year, she said.
Beagle seems excited to have a “great view and actually” hear the game from her couch. But for others, watching at a pub or restaurant surrounded by fellow fans is the next best thing to being at the game.
One of the 17 official Bearcat watch parties is taking place on the second floor of Martino’s on Vine, an Italian-style bar and restaurant within walking distance to UC's campus.
Xavier chose The Filson, a new bar and restaurant at The Banks, to host its local Crosstown Shootout bash.
Shannon Cassidy-Cox, XU’s executive director of Alumni and Parent Relations, expects 400 fans to attend. But the school’s alums have 22 other such events lined up in cities across the United States. More than 100 people are expected at the watch parties in Cleveland and Indianapolis, Cassidy-Cox added.
“It’s always a big game,” said Marty Angiulli, who owns Martino’s. “I mean, the schools are 15 minutes apart. You always want to beat somebody that’s in the same city as you.”
Martino’s gets busy during most big sports matches — the Super Bowl, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and especially Pittsburgh Steelers games. But Xavier-Cincinnati has a “completely different energy” than any of those, Angiulli said.
“It’s hard to describe,” added Angiulli, a former UC football player. “As a Cincinnati fan, you always want to beat Xavier. Whether it’s here or there, it’s always a unique energy even compared to when the Steelers play the (Cincinnati) Bengals.”
Listermann Brewing Company isn’t hosting an official event for the game. But being across the street from Xavier’s campus on Dana Avenue, it’s become a go-to spot for many Musketeer fans.
The brewery serves a special beer, “All For One,” during basketball season. It’s an allusion to Xavier’s catchphrase, a reference to the book “Three Musketeers.”
Listermann gets “absolutely packed” for Xavier home games, said Jon Vollman, the brewery's general manager. He said it was “hard to move” in the 120-seat taproom for the matchup against the Hoosiers.
Saturday “won’t be like a home game,” Vollman said, but the brewery has already confirmed that “quite a few groups” plan to hang out and watch the game.
“The vibe is always really cool and we love having those fans bring that energy into our tap room,” Vollman said. “Yes, it’s a rivalry game, but it also brings people together from across the city. It’s really a celebration of Cincinnati.”
‘It’s about making a claim for the city’
Sophomore Evan Shibel was one of the handful of Xavier students to land a ticket inside Fifth Third Arena for the Crosstown Shootout. He and a few friends had to purchase tickets from a secondary seller.
While it’s most likely Shibel won’t be sitting with many Musketeer fans, he plans to be decked out in Xavier regalia, regardless. He’ll have “Xs everywhere,” the Kansas City, Kansas, native said with a laugh.
“It’s all in good fun,” he continued. “We’re friends with a lot of the students at UC. Their campus is just two exits off the highway. It just makes it a more fun atmosphere.”
Last season, Shibel and his classmates watched from the students’ section at Cintas Center as the Musketeers drubbed the Bearcats, 83-63. While he’s hoping for a repeat performance on Saturday, he knows it won’t be easy. He thinks a big part of last season’s 20-point win had to do the home-court advantage.
Shibel admitted that he’s not sure what to expect from a lot of Xavier’s older players, including KyKy Tandy and Zach Fremantle, because this is their first true road contest in the Crosstown Shootout series. The crowd at Fifth Third Arena was limited in 2020 because of pandemic-related seating restrictions.
“It wasn’t a true road atmosphere (in 2020),” he said. “I think we have a great chance, but it will be interesting.”
Sara Stuckey, a UC diehard, won’t be at the game or a local bar this year. At tipoff, she’ll be in Columbus, Ohio, at her brother’s birthday party. She made sure her family penciled in the Crosstown Shootout to the afternoon agenda.
“There’s no way we’d miss it,” she said.
Stuckey didn’t attend UC. She actually graduated from the University of Dayton. But when she moved back to the Cincinnati metro area, she decided to “get behind my hometown team and embrace that full on.”
“(The game is) about claiming the city as our own for Bearcat fans,” the Taylor Mill, Ky., resident said. “To me, UC embodies more of the spirit of the city, and I think it’s important for UC to make that claim.
“Xavier can exist here, but this is our city,” Stuckey said.