The stage
This one is truly a backyard brawl, as both schools are just 10 minutes apart in the same city. Only Philadelphia’s Big 5 enjoys comparable inner-city hoops mania, but Philly has pro basketball and pro hockey in the winter (this year being the exception).

Not so in Cincy.

The teams didn't begin playing annually until 1946 and Cincinnati dominated, winning 34 of the first 46 meetings until the Musketeers started closing the gap in the 1980s under coach Pete Gillen. In 1986, the event was christened the Crosstown Shootout by local media, and corporate sponsorship soon followed.

Today, that’s a good indication that an event is truly big time. “It's unique,” former Xavier coach Skip Prosser said. “I can't imagine one being more intense.”

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Ex-Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins agreed, saying, “I think you have to live here to really understand it.”

Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 46-26, but Xavier has won six of last the last nine.

Great moments
In the 1963-64 game, Xavier’s Steve Thomas scored a series-high 45 points, but Cincinnati triumphed, 94-92, led by Ron Bonham’s 36 points.

But most of the drama has been in the last decade.

In late November of ’96, Cincinnati was ranked No. 1 in the country, but Xavier pulled off the upset, 71-69, on Lenny Brown’s running one-hander from the foul line at the buzzer, capping a rally from five points down with 1:28 to play.

In the 1999-2000 showdown, the Bearcats were again No. 1 and the Musketeers were again unimpressed. Xavier pulled off another shocker, 66-64, on two free throws and a breakaway layup by Kevin Frey in the final 30 seconds.

Al Behrman / AP Xavier guards Romain Sato, right, and Lionel Chalmers celebrate a 70-69 win over Cincinnati.

In 2004, it was more of the same. The Bearcats entered the game 15-2, but lost on a last-minute shot by Xavier guard Lionel Chalmers for 71-69 win. It signaled the Musketeers, who were 10-9 entering the game, as one of the nation’s hottest teams, making a run into the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.

Fanfare
Still, as good as the games have been, the rivalry is probably the most heated among any in the country. Fights have followed the game, coaches have refused to shake hands and a week-long build-up always plays into the hype.

“When you’re literally three miles from each other and with the basketball craze that surrounds this area, this game truly is about one game,” former Xavier coach Thad Matta said. “The game is about the city championship.”

Noise is always a huge factor in creating home advantages in college hoops, but how’s this?

“It was so loud, you couldn’t hear a guy standing three feet away from you,” Xavier forward David West said after the 2002 game. “Our ears were ringing, and we couldn’t hear coach on the sidelines. You couldn’t hear plays being called so you had to have signals.”

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