BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Darnell Burton is the Bearcat that was almost a Muskie.

Burton, a UC senior, narrowed his recruiting list to Xavier and UC four years ago. He visited both.

''I liked it over there (at XU),'' he said. ''They were cool. But I just fit in better here.''

Burton has scored 1,148 points in his UC career, but he knows he would have been a bigger star across town.

''I used to think about that when I was a freshman, and we had Dontonio (Wingfield) here,'' he said. ''But it worked out. I'm happy, with winning and all the TV games.''

That had a lot to do with Burton's decision four years ago.

''I looked at the schedule and saw all those TV games,'' he said.

WHAT RIVALRY? Bobby Brannen grew up in Reading and attended Moeller, but he has no childhood memories of the XU-UC games.

''I didn't start paying attention to it until I started getting recruited,'' he said.

NOT TRUE AT ALL: Was there ever any shred of truth in the rumors that Brannen was going to transfer to XU?

''None at all,'' Brannen said. ''You couldn't do that.''

LOCAL PRESSURE: Being from Cincinnati doesn't mean you're going to have a great game in the Shootout. Brannen has not scored in his two games in the rivalry.

Damon Flint scored 19 points last year. But he was shut out as sophomore and had four points as a freshman.

WHY NOW? Look for the XU-UC game to be in December next year. That's when the teams tried to schedule it this year.

Both coaches wanted it out of the league schedule but not this early.

''We have exams different weeks,'' UC coach Bob Huggins said. ''That knocked out two weeks. This was the only date available.''

And, Huggins added: ''If people don't like it , we just won't play. That would be all right with me.''

He was kidding, sort of, but he isn't in love with the game since Skip Prosser began coaching at Xavier.

''I don't like coaching against guys I like,'' Huggins said. ''I don't enjoy the Saint Louis game or the DePaul game.''

NO NATIONAL TV: The reason the game is not on national television is it is benefits the host school's local TV package.

Published Nov. 26, 1996.