I always look forward to the Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and Cincinnati as I have written about before.
Usually I am always watching it live,but with the Devils matinee' and Rachel's sudden intense interest in the Devils,I decided to tape the game and watch the Devils live.
The game was a lopsided 76-53 beatdown as the Muskies paid the Bearcats back for a twenty point defeat in last years shootout,but the eighth ranked Musketeers will have more attention paid to the final few seconds than for a dominant victory as both teams brawled in what might be the ugliest fight in college basketball since the 1972 Ohio State-Minnesota brawl and has the potential to perhaps end the rivalry after 79 games.Strong double digit scoring games from four Musketeers and a double double from center Kenny Freese will be forgotten along with an excellent 18 point 12 board game by UC's Yancy Gates in favor of punches thrown,stomps missed and a bloody Freese being led off the floor.
As an Xavier fan that does not have a true hatred for the Bearcats,I must admit that the words of Xavier's Tu Holloway afterwards does not help the program or the incident any and even if spoken out of adrenalin fueled emotion were still far from acceptable after an outburst such as this.
“That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati,” Holloway said. “We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We’re a tougher team. We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room—not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game.”
Not exactly the type of words to calm the waters,is it?
The game featured trash talking throughout,which is something else that the game of basketball could use cracking down upon,but nothing severe until the incident started.
Mick Cronin of Cincinnati seemed much more concerned about things than Xavier's Chris Mack,who did not seem to take things as seriously,although I am not saying that Mack laughed it off either.
I would wager that a handful of players will get one game suspensions with Xavier's Dez Wells getting the worst Muskie suspensions and Yancy Gates and Cheik Mbodj likely getting hammered with long suspensions for their antics.
The game truly was a black eye for the game,the city and both schools and I would wager that the schools will find a way to carry on the Shootout with high quality officials for next years game,plenty of security and lots of talks to all members of both programs to attempt to avoid issues in next year's game...
Washington D.C was the site of the upset of the day as the hometown fighter LaMont Peterson lifted the WBA and IBF Jr.Welterweight titles from heavily favored Amir Khan via a controversial split decision.
Had only one point been deducted,Khan would have escaped the Nations Capital with a draw,if neither,Khan would have won a razor close unanimous decision.
I scored the fight 113-112 for Peterson,6-6 in rounds,one point lost for Peterson,who was dropped in the first round,although I thought it was a questionable knockdown and a minus two for Khan for the point losses.
SO on my card,the points taken off did decide the winner of the bout.
Many reports of the bout have written that Khan was never warned for pushing off,but that is untrue.
I heard the referee warn Khan on several occasions,but he never made the final conclusive warning "One more time and I am taking points!".
I understand Khan's frustration,but where was it when he got the hairline decision over Marcos Maidana?
Or from Khan's trainer Freddie Roach when Roach-trained Manny Pacquiao got a worse decision than this over Juan Manuel Marquez last month?
For once,the house fighter lost a close decision,the house fighter wins about ten of these to the one that they lose,so I'll save my indignation for now.
Khan will get a deserved rematch and he will get his chance to clean the slate...
Photo Credits-Both AP Photo
No comments:
Post a Comment