Bearcats Host 88th Annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout

SKYLINE CHILI CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT
CINCINNATI (1-0) vs. XAVIER (5-0)
Sunday, Dec. 6 // 3 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 88th meeting; Cincinnati leads 51-36 overall; Xavier leads 11-4 on its campus; 
Cincinnati leads 12-6 on its campus and 35-19 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Xavier won 73-66 at the Cintas Center on Dec. 7, 2019
STREAK: Xavier - Won 1
COACHES: John Brannen - second season at Cincinnati (1-0); sixth season overall (103-62)
Travis Steele - third season at Xavier (43-29); third season overall (43-29)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (Nov. 30): Cincinnati (--/--); Xavier (--/--)
RADIO: WKFS-FM (107.1); Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN; Jason Benetti provides play-by-play with color analyst Dan Dakich
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

GAME PREVIEW

• Cincinnati (1-0) welcomes Xavier (5-0) to Fifth Third Arena on Sunday for the 88th annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Tip time is 3 p.m. ET.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN and WKFS-FM (107.1).
• Cincinnati is coming off a 67-55 comeback win over Lipscomb on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. 
• Mika Adams-Woods posted a career-high 16 points while Chris Vogt scored eight of his 12 points inside the game's final eight minutes to help secure the season-opening victory. Colgate graduate transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas (11 points, six rebounds) and Michigan junior transfer David DeJulius  (eight points, six rebounds, four assists, zero turnovers) made their Bearcat debuts. 
• Xavier closed out its season-opening five-game homestand at a perfect 5-0 Wednesday, earning a 79-48 win over Tennessee Tech. Four Musketeers scored in double figures led by Nate Johnson's 16 points. 
• Xavier posted a 73-66 win over Cincinnati last season at the Cintas Center. Naji Marshall scored 31 points with four 3-pointers. Jaevin Cumberland led four Bearcats in double figures with 14 points. 
• UC leads the series 51-36 all-time, including a victory in the last meeting at Fifth Third Arena, 62-47, on Dec. 8, 2018. 
• UP NEXT: UC plays host to Furman on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast by ESPN+ and 700 WLW. 

CINCINNATI HEADLINES

• Cincinnati tipped off its 120th season Wednesday with a 67-55 win over visiting Lipscomb. It marked UC's latest season opener since the 1978-79 campaign (an 84-72 loss at Long Beach State 12/2/78). 
• UC was predicted to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference (behind Houston, Memphis and SMU) according to a preseason poll of the league coaches. 
• Senior guard Keith Williams earned preseason First Team All-AAC honors while senior center Chris Vogt was tabbed a Second Team All-AAC selection according to league coaches. 
• Williams enjoyed his best season as a Bearcat a year ago, starting 29 of UC's 30 games while averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Vogt posted his best numbers at the collegiate level in 2019-20, his first in a Bearcats uniform. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and shot 64.8 percent from the field.
• The Bearcats won a share of the AAC regular-season crown with Houston last season, finishing 13-5 in the league and 20-10 overall. 
• John Brannen became the first UC coach since Tay Baker (Missouri Valley Conference) in 1966 to guide the Bearcats to a regular-season league crown in his first season at the helm.
• In November, CBS Sports named Cincinnati the 10th greatest college basketball program since the advent of the NCAA Tournament in 1939. 

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• BEARCAT DEBUTS: Five UC newcomers made their Bearcat debuts Wednesday against Lipscomb (12/2), including two in the starting lineup: Colgate graduate transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas (11 points, six rebounds) and Michigan junior transfer David DeJulius  (eight points, six rebounds, four assists, zero turnovers). 
• Three freshmen Tari Eason (two points, three rebounds and two blocks), Gabe Madsen and Mike Saunders Jr. also clocked from three to eight minutes of play each.  
• CAREER HIGH FOR ADAMS-WOODS: Mika Adams-Woods posted a career-high 16 points against Lipscomb. It marked his eighth double-figure scoring effort as a Bearcat. He has started 20 of UC's last 21 games dating back to last season. 
• VOGT COMES ALIVE LATE: Chris Vogt helped the Bearcats rally late for Wednesday's victory over Lipscomb. Trailing  49-43 with 7:50 left, UC closed the game on a 24-6 run thanks in part to Vogt's eight points, four rebounds and two blocks during the span. 
• SEASON OPENERS RECAP: Cincinnati improved to 97-23 (.808) in season openers all-time, including an 86-11 (.887) mark at home and a 26-2 (.929) mark at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats have won 11 of their last 13 season openers.
• LATEST SEASON OPENER SINCE: Wednesday marked Cincinnati's latest season opener since the 1978-79 campaign (an 84-72 loss at Long Beach State 12/2/78). Each of the last two prior Bearcat season openers have marked the earliest start dates in program history: 11/7/2018 vs. Ohio State and 11/8/2019 at Ohio State. 

SCOUTING XAVIER

• Through five games of the 2020-21 campaign, Xavier has four players averaging double figures: Zach Freemantle (17.4 points, 8.4 rebounds), KyKy Tandy (14.8 points and 12 3-pointers), Paul Scruggs (12.4 points, 7.4 assists) and Nate Johnson (11.8 points and 13 3-pointers).
• Jason Carter is averaging 8.2 points and a team-high 10.6 rebounds. 
• Xavier has had a busy start to the new season, opening 2020-21 with three games in three days and will play 12 games in its first 29 days. 
• The Musketeers swept its own Xavier Invitational to start the season, defeating Oakland (101-49), Bradley (51-50) and Toledo (76-73).
• Xavier was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST according to a preseason poll of the league's coaches.