Fansided

25 NCAA basketball bucket list items every fan must experience before they die

By Mike Phillips

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

19. Take in the Xavier-Cincinnati rivalry

So far, the college basketball bucket list has been a bit generic. We have pointed you in the direction of arenas to visit and traditions to observe, but we haven’t guided fans to a specific matchup yet.

That changes right here with a stop at the Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and Cincinnati. The two schools are separated by just three miles in Ohio, creating the type of proximity that is necessary to fuel a long-standing feud.

Xavier and Cincinnati first met in basketball in 1927, and the series has been contested pretty much every year since. The site has alternated between the schools for most of the past three decades, but it was played at a neutral site for two seasons after a brawl in the 2011 matchup saw four players from each team get suspended.

The intense emotions in this rivalry make the contest a lot of fun, and the two schools tend to play a ton of close games. Xavier has had the upper hand of late, winning five of the past seven meetings, with Cincinnati’s two victories coming on their home floor.

Nothing makes college sports great like a good old-fashioned rivalry, and few rivalries in sports come with as much built-in hatred as the one between Cincinnati and Xavier. It doesn’t matter who is hosting because the game will be a thrill ride from start to finish.