University of Cincinnati head basketball coach Bob Huggins doesn't think tonight's Crosstown Shootout against Xavier University is a particularly big deal. "It's just one game," he told the Enquirer's Bill Koch this weekend. "Nobody outside of this town brings it up. We think it's more than what it really is."

2004 CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT

SPORTS • Tonight, one trend has to end • XU disputes Huggins' claims • Bobbitt is Mr. Impact • Crosstown Matchups: A position-by-position look • Coaches' oaths • Storylines to keep your eyes on • Xavier's Chalmers: We still have bragging rights NEWS • Crosstown staples: cookies, chili, rivalry EDITORIAL PAGE • Shootout more than 'just one game'

In the national scheme of things, Huggins has a point. But with all due respect, the UC-XU rivalry is a really big deal for Cincinnati-area basketball fans.

Tonight's 71st edition of the Shootout finds both teams coming off losses, and Xavier mired in last place in its league. But somehow, this always turns into a hard-fought game, if not always a close contest. The fans - students, alumni and all those proud of our area's impact on the college basketball scene - help crank up the intensity level.

As the Enquirer Shootout survey noted, the series has given us memorable games that were classics by any standard. And people outside of this town do "bring it up." The reason why this season's Shootout is in February instead of December is because ESPN wanted to showcase it among other high-intensity games during its Rivalry Week. The Shootout certainly fits in this national spotlight.

The timing is awkward. Coaches don't like interrupting their conference schedules for a game that may have no effect on their tournament chances.

But if the coaches aren't excited about the shootout, the fans certainly are - sometimes too much so, leading to over-the-top verbal abuse and hostility. Recall the obscene chants from the stands the last time the game was played at Xavier - Dec. 14, 2001. The incident led XU Athletic Director Mike Bobinski to issue a letter of apology.

"We'll be vigilant during the game and we don't want anyone treated like that in our building," Bobinski said of tonight's game. That's good. Especially after Sunday's Super Bowl halftime exhibition - not to mention some of the juvenile-humor commercials - we don't need any more crassness and tastelessness creeping into sports.

The Crosstown Shootout is more than "just one game." It is a showcase event for local pride and tradition, one that ought to bring out the best in great athletes - and good sports.