The Cincy vs. Xavier rivalry will continue on a neutral court. Do you hear that, Tom Crean?
After last season’s Crosstown Throwdown, the UC vs. Xavier rivalry was in jeopardy of ending after the contract between the two schools expired this year. A hostile Xavier crowd and immature players on both sides led to last year’s brawl, so the two schools got together and worked out a neutral court agreement at US Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati. The game will be played for two seasons on the Cincinnati riverfront, and then the series will be re-evaluated by administrators and possibly returned to its former home-and-away format. The change of venue will create a less hostile environment and also allows each school to sell more tickets and make more money in a larger building.
Thankfully, the UK-IU game last year had no player altercations, but was an extremely unpleasant experience for anyone wearing blue in the crowd. Assembly Hall was not a pleasant experience for Kentucky fans last year, not because of the loss, but because of the taunting, trampling, foul langauge, slurs etc. Both schools in Cincinnati agreed that there needed to be a change, but Indiana has failed to acknowledge all along that the fan behavior on December 10th was unacceptable. Fan safety may have only been one of many reasons why UK wanted to switch the game to a neutral site (along with revenue, preparing for NCAA-like atmosphere), but it could very well have played a part in not wanting to return to Bloomington. It’s unfortunate that IU and UK could not have also worked out a necessary change in the format of the game as Cincinnati and Xavier were able to do.
37 Comments for The Cincy vs. Xavier rivalry will continue on a neutral court. Do you hear that, Tom Crean?
I still hate losing the North Carolina and Indiana series. Replacing them with either Notre Dame, Baylor, Cincinnati, or West Virginia will not bring the same excitement and atmosphere that was already in place. Let’s work this out and put these games back on the schedule.
IU dont deserve the time of day on ky sports radio. BBN BACK2BACK
WE DONT NEED INDIANA. INDIANA NEEDED US. LETS MOVE ON. LETS START A NEW RIVALRY WITH A DECENT FAN BASE.
God forbid teams play on their own court. Cal isn’t worried about UK’s money…he just doesn’t want to lose to them at IU.
Why is it that Crean and IU have to change? The series was going on just fine. Last seasons game may have been a loss, and granted I did not attend, but it was one of the best college basketball games of the year other than that Duke/UNC comeback buzzer beater. This just sucks for everyone involved.
4) I agree. It’s the “take my ball and go home” thing again.
4- Why did Indiana end the series then, if Cal was scared?
7- Indiana ended the series, you NUTJOB!
*6
I hated to lose the UNC game, but like #3 IU needs us more than we need them. If we replace them with UCLA, we would upgrade from IU. With that being said after Zeller leaves IU they will be back bottom feeding again. UNC is a constant force recruiting, we need to focus on teams that will be more consistant. IU will not be consistant.
i thought we already beat it to death a few weeks back.
TOMMY CREAN ENDED THE SERIES, NOT UK AND CAL! You idiots keep spinning this on Cal. Jesus Christ.
I actually had the opportunity to meet with Coach Cal (along with a handful of other folks) after the Samford game on Dec. 20 this past season. This was right on the heels of the IU game and the X/UC brawl. Cal told us all that the environment at IU was the most hostile he has ever experienced in his entire career and that considering what happened with X/UC he would not renew the IU series as a home and away. I certainly think that money and tourney prep are contributing factors, but he was clear that player safety (and keeping them out of such hostile environments) was a primary concern. I made a point to say that the hostility was from the crowd and not the players or coaches, but that it bad enough that he was a bit concerned for players’ safely.
IU walked away from the negotiations/contract not Cal you morons !! Sometimes our members of the BBN are just stupid. Who ever would argue against Cal side where both school would have made more money is beyond stupid; only an idiot (insert IU & Tom Crean Picture) would turn down the opportunity to make more money.
14- those are not UK fans or BBN members. Louisville/IU posers.
14 – Amen……they use the lamest BS, feigning altruism and spouting outdated cliches about the “college experience”.
We need to play a UNC, Duke, or maybe a Michigan St every year. I’m sorry, but Notre Dame, Baylor, Cincinnati, or West Virginia would not do anything!! They don’t have passionate fanbases, and their teams are constantly up and down. We need to play a consistently good team to keep our RPI and SOS high. We play in the SEC– If we don’t get some good non-conf games, our seed will slip.
It is a shame that the series was cancelled because this will be a gimme game for UK in a couple of years. Has anybody noticed that IU already has 4 2013 recruits committed – the highest (best) ranked of which is 88 according to Rivals? Real powerhouse Crean is building up there….
It just sucks the whole national media is siding with iu on this one. However, college rivalries belong on college campuses and BBN trying to pretend like IU is turning down a game in their backyard is ludicrous. We all know that a game in Indy would do much more for UK than IU.
Why can’t we play on our own campus????????
calipari takes memphis to final four – vacated
calipari takes umass to final four – vacated
either something funny is going on or calipari is just the unluckiest sonuvabitch in amurica
Gordo, really???
Gordo you are an idiot
Tom in Louisville has no idea what he is talking about. I was there and it was awful the way I was treated. I hope UK never goes back to Bloomington!
gordo speaks the troof
Tell us the facts around why UMass and Memphis had to vacate please!
On another more Porter’s excuse is a.cop out http://www.wtvq.com/content/localnews/story/Warrant-Reveals-Porter-Admits-Sexual-Abuse-Of-Teen/cHaF5RY_H020zMkoToiPWw.cspx
My mom said she needs her computer back now. I’ll be back in a little while, friends. Right after I play some Dungeons and Dragons.
Finally someone figures out that the horrible treatment of UK players/fans is the reason we would not go back to Bloomington! IU did not guarantee player safety and our fans were treated with absolutely no respect. There is a price to pay for being a bad host. IU is now paying it!
You all are nuts. Saying that Crean and IU ended the series is total bullshit spin. Series set to end. IU says “let’s continue”. UK says “let’s continue, but only at neutral sites”. IU says “no”. It is sort of like offer and acceptance with respect to a contract. If you make me an offer, and I come back with different terms than your offer included, then my requirement of different terms constitues a rejection of your offer.
On another note, as a Louisville fan who knows all about how “classy” UK fans are at Commonwealth when UofL visits for football, you have no moral high ground to stand on when it comes to fan behavior.
#30 – Yep, the same way I was treated at PJCS by drunken UL fans in 2008 and the reason that I will never fork over another $75 to go to that hellhole again. You are the pot calling the kettle black!
It’s not about the fans…it’s about the treatment of our players. We are a players first program and our players were treated horribly and could have been injured. Uk fans or UL fans wouldn’t hurt another teams players or degrade them incessantly. Fans will be rude to each other but Coach Cal is in charge of their futures and he will not jeopardize their health for a fan rivalry.
Johnny Red. What a loser. You actually go to another teams website and post nonsense. Wow. I host plenty of U of L fans at my tailgate every other year without incident for many years. Go post on your own message board loser.
It’s still the gangsta’s and thugs…just in a different venue.
Why do we care how we were treated on a away court?? Did the fact we lost make it a bigger deal? Who cares how the people who choose to go to a away game got treated. When I got to Vandy game I dont expect to be treated well.
Players first… Your pulling that out off your a$$… They rushed the court like a bunch of fools. That would not happen moving foward. We would be a underdog in our own building next year and I am going to guess Cal likes his home record a little too much.
Players first… Your pulling that out off your a$$… They rushed the court like a bunch of fools. That would not happen moving foward. We would be a underdog in our own building next year and I am going to guess Cal likes his home record a little too much.