WATCH: The Enquirer previews Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout
UC beat reporter Scott Springer and Xavier beat reporter Shelby Dermer preview the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout from Cintas Center.
The 2025 Crosstown Shootout has finally arrived. The Xavier Musketeers play host to the Cincinnati Bearcats tonight at the Cintas Center for one of college basketball’s most iconic rivalries.
Xavier (6-3) enters the game on a three-game winning streak after a win over St. Francis, while Cincinnati (6-2) got a bounce-back win over Tarleton State in its last outing.
When the game tips off at 7:30 p.m., Cincinnati will be looking for its first win at the Cintas Center since 2001. Musketeers coach Richard Pitino, on the other hand, hopes to pick up a Shootout win in his first season at the helm.
Follow along for live updates and breaking news from the Cintas Center as The Enquirer brings you the 93rd Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. After the game goes final, stick around for recaps and breakdowns of the rivalry matchup.
Refresh the page for the latest updates.
Cincinnati’s defense ramped up, generating two steals that resulted in a brief one-point lead as Jalen Celestine knocked down a 3-pointer off another offensive rebound. Filip Borovicanin quickly responded with a deep-ball of his own to reclaim the lead. The Cintas Center is packed to the gills and ready to explode.
Another Kerr Kriisa 3-pointer cut the Musketeers lead to just two points, but Tre Carroll decided that was close enough. He took it himself for a difficult turnaround post shot, then got fouled on a spin-move as he put the ball in the basket. Carroll has 26 points for the game, leading all scorers.
The Bearcats have seven offensive rebounds in the second half, including their latest after a missed free throw turned into a Kerr Kriisa triple to make it a one-possession game. Fans at Cintas Center are currently displeased with the officiating as Cincinnati heads back to the charity stripe.
The Bearcats are making adjustments defensively to try and claw back into the lead, throwing out a zone look that led to a nearly three-minute scoring drought for Xavier. The last two possessions have seen full-court pressure applied.
Day Day Thomas scored five quick points and Jalen Celestine cashed in a 3-pointer to close the Xavier lead to just six.
A pair of back-to-back triples from Jovan Milicevic and Roddie Anderson III opened a 13-point advantage and forced Bearcats coach Wes Miller to take a timeout to regroup. Xavier has made eight of its last 10 shots, while Cincinnati has gone 1-of-10. Xavier has looked inspired in the second half through eight minutes.
Tre Carroll is on fire to start the half. He’s gone 5-of-6 from the field, scoring 10 points as Xavier opened up a lead as large as 11.
Cincinnati is really struggling on offense, making just one of their first eight shots.
An alley-oop dunk is usually a sure-fire way to get a team started, but after Moustapha Thiam flushed a Kerr Kriisa assist Tre Carroll took the game over. He scored eight points in a row to push the Musketeers lead to six. Jovan Milicevic capped a 10-0 run with a make through contact, and he’ll have a free throw when play resumes.
It’s been a tightly-contested defensive battle in the first half at the Cintas Center. Both Xavier and Cincinnati are shooting below 40% from the field, though the Bearcats hold a slight edge from deep with six 3-pointers on 33% shooting.
Tre Carroll leads the Musketeers in scoring with 11 points on 5-11 shooting, and Shon Abaev matched that output for the Bearcats with 11 points with three triples.
Day Day Thomas and Baba Miller both got into a bit of foul trouble early, which led Wes Miller to adjust the Cincinnati rotation. Now it’s time for halftime adjustments on both sides.
Neither team has been able to secure a clear advantage in the Crosstown Shootout thus far. A Jovan Milicevic 3-pointer threatened to blow the roof off the Cintas Center, but Kerr Kriisa was fouled on a 3-pointer to quiet the crowd. He hit went 2-3 from the charity stripe, leaving UC with a 1-point deficit.
Bearcats freshman Shon Abaev is trying to jumpstart the UC offense, knocking down triples on consecutive trips down the floor. He’s got 11 points, a team high.
Neither team has come out of the gates locked in from long range. Cincinnati is just 3-13, while Xavier is just 2-8. Xavier maintaining its lead.
Both Roddie Anderson III and Pape N’Diaye finished through contact and converted the ensuing free throw as the Musketeers opened up a 6-point advantage. The Bearcats are just 3-of-12 from 3-point range.
Xavier has taken the lead back after briefly ceding it, with Tre Carrol scoring on a driving layup and Roddie Anderson III making two free throws. UC has not shot well at only 22%, but four offensive rebounds have helped the Bearcats hang around.
After a nearly three-minute scoring drought for the Bearcats, a Baba Miller and-1 followed by a Sencire Harris free throw and Jalen Celestine second-chance bucket put UC on top.
Xavier is off to a hot start, hitting five of their last seven shots including back-to-back three pointers from Filip Borovicanin and Tre Carroll. Energy is off the charts in Cintas Center.
Day Day Thomas splashed a 3-pointer to start the game, but Xavier responded with a pair of two pointers from Filip Borovicanin and All Wright. A 1-of-2 trip to the line by Baba Miller has us knotted at 4.
Xavier’s starting lineup: Malik Messina-Moore, All Wright, Filip Borovicanin, Tre Carroll, Jovan Milicevic.
Cincinnati’s starting lineup: Day Day Thomas, Shon Abaev, Kerr Kriisa, Baba Miller, and Moustapha Thiam.
With a dozen international players appearing on the Cincinnati and Xavier rosters, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout has has truly gone global. For the Bearcats, expect to see a lot of Kerr Kriisa (Estonia), Moustapha Thiam (Senegal), and Baba Miller (Spain). Xavier will get significant contributions from Jovan Milicevic (Canada) and Filip Borovicanin (Serbia). See what these players and more had to say about their first Crosstown Shootout.
Cincinnati and Xavier come into the 2025 Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout without much separation in the key metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
At KenPom, a site which uses predictive metrics, the Bearcats slot in at No. 72 nationally with the Musketeers close behind at No. 81. The current NET rankings, an NCAA evaluation tool, have Xavier ahead at No. 109 and Cincinnati at No. 134.
Ahead of the 93rd Crosstown Shootout, both teams are thinking about 3-pointers. Xavier will need to be wary of a UC squad that shoots the 26th most threes in the country. The Bearcats will have to get out beyond the arc to stymie a Musketeers team that shoots over 38% from deep.
The Crosstown Shootout will be broadcast on TNT, with a scheduled tipoff of 7:30 p.m. Brian Anderson will handle play-by-play duties with Robbie Hummel in the analyst seat. Lauren Jbara will be the sideline reporter.
Shon Abaev got onto the court early to warm up for the Bearcats. Abaev has averaged 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds through Cincinnati’s first eight games.
Richard Pitino is leading the Musketeers into the Shootout for the first time in 2025, and he’s hoping to overcome historical difficulties for first-year coaches. First-year Xavier head coaches have gone just 6-10 against Cincinnati. Chris Mack is the only first-year coach to win the rivalry for Xavier since 1986, pulling of an 83-79 double-overtime win in 2009.
Since becoming the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats, Wes Miller has gone just 1-3 in the Crosstown Shootout. He picked up his first win last season with a 68-65 win at Fifth Third Arena. That victory snapped a five-game Xavier win streak in the series. At the time, Cincinnati was ranked No. 22 in the nation.
The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout marks the first true road game of the season for the Bearcats. In the lone neutral site game played away from home, Cincinnati came up short against then No. 6 Louisville, 74-64.
Over two hours from tipoff, the Xavier student section is already rocking. Cincinnati’s media team got a chilly reception as the entered the Cintas Center.
Xavier is 5-1 at home early in the 2025-2026 season. The Musketeers picked up two wins against Maris and Le Moyne to start the season before losing to Santa Clara. Since that defeat, Xavier has picked up two blowout wins against Old Dominion and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Bearcats have struggled throughout the history of the Cintas Center. Cincinnati last beat Xavier at the Cintas Center in 2001, the first season the Shootout was played in this arena. Since that loss, the Musketeers have won 10 consecutive home games against the Bearcats.
2025 marks the 93rd meeting between the Musketeers and Bearcats. Cincinnati holds a 52-40 lead in the series, but Xavier has won five of the last six meetings. The two foes first met in 1928, played next in 1943, then began the annual rivalry in 1946.
Xavier vs. Cincinnati odds
The Musketeers are favored by 1.5 points and the over/under point total is 148.5, according to BetMGM.
How to watch the 2025 Crosstown Shootout
The Crosstown Shootout is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff and will be broadcast on TNT.
Will Jizzle James play for the Cincinnati Bearcats?
Jizzle James is enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, but is currently not with the basketball team