BY MICHAEL PERRY
and JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It goes without saying that bragging rights in the city are on the line tonight.

But the stakes are a wee bit higher in this edition of the Crosstown Shootout between backyard rivals Cincinnati and Xavier.

The nation is watching, too.

A loss would bounce the No. 1 Bearcats from the top of the polls.

A victory would give Xavier instant national recognition.

"This could definitely be an opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves," Xavier senior Sherwin Anderson said. "I think we've got a great chance."

"We don't have to play a perfect ballgame, but we definitely have to play a great ballgame," XU junior T.J. Johnson said. "We had a rough season last year and we're just looking to prove ourselves. To get this game would definitely do that."

The 1-0 Bearcats, 17 1/2-point favorites, know what to expect.

"Xavier plays hard, and they play with emotion," UC guard Melvin Levett said. "The emotion carries them in this game. We can't come out nonchalant, or we'll get beat. We've got to play hard."

Of course, everyone wants to be David when taking on Goliath.

The Musketeers (1-0) would love to play that role in part because it's UC, and in part because it's the top-ranked team.

"We play 30 games," UC coach Bob Huggins said. "It's the biggest game of the year for 30 teams. It's like that all the time for us. There's not any more pressure than any other night."

Said XU coach Skip Prosser: "Sure, it's an opportunity. It would be a break-through game. It would catch people's eyes. But I think it's more important to our players to feel like they can compete successfully in a game of this magnitude."

Xavier had a chance to bump off a No. 1 last year when Massachusetts came to Cincinnati Gardens, only to escape with a 78-74 double overtime victory.

Will opportunity knock twice?

The odds are certainly stacked against Xavier:

• Only one XU starter -- Johnson -- and two of the top eight players have played at Shoemaker Center.

• The Musketeers have never won at Shoemaker in three tries.

• UC has won two straight and five of the last six Shootouts.

• The Bearcats start two seniors and three juniors; XU starts three sophomores and two juniors.

"The table's set for us," XU senior Kenny Harvey said. "The odds are against us, but we really believe we can win this game. We can play with those guys. Last year, I don't know if we believed that.''

UC has three local players on the roster - Damon Flint, Bobby Brannen and Ryan Fletcher - so they know how important this game is locally.

''Oh yeah, it's a big deal,'' Flint said. ''This is my last time playing
against Xavier. You don't want to go out with a loss.''

James Posey and Torraye Braggs, the Musketeers' top scorers in their opener last Saturday, will be playing in only their second Division I game. For sophomore starters Gary Lumpkin, Lenny Brown and Darnell Williams, this will be their second Shootout, but their first at Shoemaker.

''I can talk about it,'' Prosser said. ''But we tell our kids all the time there's a tree in the middle of the road, and most of the guys don't believe it until they run into the tree.

''I don't think our guys will really appreciate it until the first TV timeout.''

There are few secrets between these teams.

UC's Danny Fortson had 40 points and 17 rebounds in last year's Shootout. Naturally, he'll be a priority for the Musketeers.

The senior backcourt of Darnell Burton and Damon Flint also concerns Prosser.

''It's not knowing what they do, it's stopping it,'' Prosser said.

Said Lumpkin: ''We have to make them work for everything.''

Xavier was 0-5 against top 25 teams last season and has never beaten a team ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press.

''They're a year older, a year better,'' Huggins said. ''The new guys give them more depth.

''They're the quickest team we will play against this year. They did it before. But they do it more consistently under Skip.''

Published Nov. 26, 1996.