COVID-19 has altered many things in our country and Travis Steele is hopeful that it won’t alter the annual Crosstown Shootout between Cincinnati and Xavier.
“In the city of Cincinnati, there’s Skyline Chili, the Montgomery Inn, and the Crosstown Shootout,” Steele said on Monday afternoon. “I hope we can get to play the game this year.”
Due to the current circumstances involved with scheduling in college basketball, the two programs have yet to agree on a date to play the game during the upcoming season. Steele said the game was originally slated for Dec. 5th or 6th at Fifth Third Arena.
The heated rivalry is one of the sport’s best, often exuding moments of passion on par with what is seen when Duke faces North Carolina and Kentucky faces Louisville.
Xavier won last season’s meeting 73-66, in what was John Brannen’s first Crosstown Shootout game as head coach of Cincinnati.
With both the Big East and the American Athletic Conference set to play regular season league games in December, scheduling the Crosstown Shootout has become increasingly difficult, but something that Steele feels has to happen for the city of Cincinnati.
“We’re planning to still play the game,” Steele said. “It’s huge for both universities and most importantly, it’s huge for our city.”
