Cincinnati vs. Xavier Basketball Game

When the University of Cincinnati Bearcats gear up to face the Xavier Musketeers the city of Cincinnati takes a deep, anxious breath.

The two teams first met in 1928, when the Bearcats helped Xavier inaugurate its new, $350,000, Schmidt Field House. Xavier beat the Bearcats 29-25, and it took the teams nearly 15 years to meet again.

Since those early days, the teams have been meeting on an annual basis, making the grueling two mile trek across town to one another’s arenas to fan the fires of what has become a fierce local rivalry.

After taking the first game, Xavier’s record in the series has suffered. The Bearcats lead the series 45-26, but Xavier is clawing its way back, helping this fierce, timeless rivalry grow in notoriety. According the ESPN’s Jay Bilas, "Cincinnati and Xavier have created a rivalry that is unparalleled when it comes to outright passion and civic division."

The intensity in this series permeates the entire city.