Xavier’s heads bloodied but unbowed after brawl-infested victory over Cincinnati.
by Eddie Maisonet / @edthesportsfan
The No. 8 team in the country did what it was supposed to do to a team in disarray, as the Xavier Musketeers played arguably their best game of the season and dismantled the Cincinnati Bearcats 76-53 in the 2011 edition of the Crosstown Shootout. Xavier out-manned, out-flanked, and straight up ambushed Cincinnati at the Cintas Center, as the dynamic back court of Tu Holloway (17 points, 6 assists) and Mark Lyons (19 points, 4 assists) proved too tough for Mick Cronin’s team. While Yancy Gates put up 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Bearcats, his squad never had a consistent answer for Xavier’s defense and ability to get to the rim.
Of course, that’s not what folks will remember from this game, so let me get out some of the obvious stuff now.
After a full 24 hours (that we can account for) of jawing back and forth, late in the fourth quarter the brawl broke out. From what started since the tip of the game, to Mark Lyons jawing with the entire Bearcats bench towards the end of the first half during play, to the end shenanigans with the leader of the Muskies Tu Holloway squared up with Ge’Lawn Guyn, a bench player for the Bearcats.
We’ll never know the words that were exchanged between the two, and truthfully it doesn’t matter. What happened next does, when Guyn mushed Holloway in the face and chaos ensued.
You do anything harmful to an opposing team’s star player, expect some retribution to come your way. Maybe Holloway deserved it after yapping with the other team, but like in any situation where trash talk is prevalent and competition against your rival, don’t dish out what you can’t handle in return. As soon as Guyn mushed Holloway, freshman Dezmine Wells pushed Guyn off his teammate and the Xavier roster rode to defend their captain
That’s what a team is supposed to do, rally behind their captain.
So yes, some folks will point to Xavier center Kenny Frease getting chin-checked by Yancy Gates as a sign of being soft or getting some type of revenge. Hitting someone in the face while they’re trying to break-up a fight is pretty cowardly, and while having a black eye and needing a few stitches will cause temporary pain there can be a supreme sense of satisfaction knowing you caused someone to resort to throwing a punch while dealing with a 23-point loss to your rival as a senior.
Of course, one would (and should) question Xavier head coach Chris Mack for having his best players in the game with a 20+ point lead. Maybe he was allowing his seniors to relish in the victory, but as my good buddy Ken said quite eloquently, “A coach, of all the folks on the floor not named refs, has to be able to gauge the temperature of the floor. Mack didn’t.”
With a game that heated, with the magnitude of the rivalry and playing in a hostile environment, Mack has to know better.
So how do we feel about this Xavier team now? An 8-0 record with a No. 8 ranking in the national polls and a demonstrative victory over a quality Big East team should make us believe that this team is legit to make a serious run…right? You’ll hear that this game is a blemish on Tu Holloway’s legacy at Xavier, that Mark Lyons is a goon and other things that don’t really matter.
What matters is that this Xavier might have the one thing that we don’t usually expect to see from top teams from big time conferences….toughness.
“They were disrespecting us before the game. One of their guys called me out and said I couldn’t start for them. I was saying, ‘This is my city here.’ One of their guys put his hands in my face,” Holloway said. “We’re a bunch of gangsters, but we’re not thugs. We’re tough guys. We’re not gonna let someone else kick our face in.”
Yes, suspensions will be handed down. Discipline will be enforced. Chastising will occur. Coach Mack will let his team have it, but I’d bet there’s a bit of encouragement in seeing his team this unified. When things get tough you either stand tall or you stand down. Xavier stood tall against a rival who is perceived to be bigger and tougher, but not on this day. Holloway, Lyons, Wells and the rest of the Xavier squad took the bully’s best punch and will be better off for it in the long run. Even with a black eye.
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I’m really glad you pointed out that Guyn mushed Holloway and then Wells pushed Guyn.
Seems like everyone at ESPN missed that and wanted to point the finger at Wells cause they only saw the push and missed mush (did I really just type that?).
You gotta think Yancy Gates’ career at Cincy is over now. What a horrible way to end it, seems like dude has been at Cincy forever. But that was some foul stuff, sucker-punching Fries, and then some other kid stomped him out too like it was China/G Town all over again!
This should get interesting. I hope Tu Holloway won’t be disciplined too hard, as this is looking like it might be Xavier’s best season since David West was a senior there.
Xavier is not Kentucky or Duke but they’re still a top ten team and Holloway is an All-American.
I think the post game comments will cause them to be suspended even more games.
So yeah, it was a sucker punch. Followed up by a sucker kick.
I tell you what though, Lyons has got some balls.
That kid was all up in Gates’ face, fearless despite Gates being 6’9″, 260 and he’s only 6’1″, 190.
Can’t put the blame on one team or one player.
I didn’t just watch the video, I saw the whole game on tv and I knew one of the Cincy players was talking sh*t about Tu Holloway on local radio saying Holloway wouldn’t even start if he played for Cincinnati, and they were jawing all game long so it’s about a lot more than just what you see on the video.
Sh*t, have you ever been in a brawl?
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to grab your boys and separate them from other cats or jump in and get their backs?
Did you push your way through?
Or did you say some “pardon me sir, I must help and or escort my friends”?
F*ck that.
You’re gonna bumrush that sh*t, and if you’re a big guy that don’t mean you’re acting like a tough guy.
That just means people are gonna assume you think you’re a tough guy cause of your size.
Case in point ^
i can vibe with the agree to disagree, i heard about all the trash talking, but i put blame on xavier squad because they won or were winning, take the W and do it with dignity.
And with adrenaline pumping and everything happening so fast, dude was unprepared and got tagged.
I think more than the players, ultimately the Xavier coach has to take some responsibility too cause theres just no sense in keeping your best players in a game where you’re up by 20 in a hostile environment
“A bunch of gangstas”….???
“Zip them up” [in body bags]?????
Where is the coaching? the leadership? the guidance for young men who clearly don’t have the skills or experience to survive in society after basketball?
This is a disgrace, and, unfortunately,equal blame must be placed on the XU team and coaching staff. EVERYONE should be lining up to support Cronin’s statements and to encourage severe sanctions for both teams.
Also, f*ck racists.
JTaylor, I agree with you when it comes to professional sports.
I hate when people think NHL fights and bench clearing brawls in MLB are cool but then wanna label players thugs or ghetto after an NBA fight.
But when it comes to college sports I don’t think ANYONE in ANY sport has any business getting into a fight, ever.
And I think if they do they should be disciplined, maybe even kicked out of school.
I mean, if Yancy Gates was an average student who punched another dude he would’ve been arrested and possibly kicked out of school.
Instead he’ll be back playing in time for when conference play gets really good.
Also, don’t you think that destroying Gates’ college career and possible graduation (he’s a senior) is too harsh of a punishment for a petty sucker-punch? No way am I defending his actions but kicking him out of school for something that occurred on a basketball court is a little too much. I understand if the coach kicks him off the team but the man should be allowed to finish his education.
if you just look at the punch its easy to take out of context, Frease was entering the fray blindly, I dont think he was expecting any resistance, Gates was already in a defensive posture (hands balled up in a attacking stance) maybe Frease shoulda been aware of his surroundings, pushing forward into enemy territory by yourself is never a good idea. I think the biggest suspension should go to the player that kicked him while he was down, and the two xavier guards that showed no remorse or contrition after the events. I’m the first one to argue against racist comments, look at my track record…. but if you want people to stop perpetuating stereotypes; stop acting like said stereotypes. he called his own team a bunch of thugs btw
JTaylor has finnalt lost it.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror going “I’m not crazy, you’re crazy!” LOL
How this writer comes to the conclusion that Mack will view this scuffle as a sign of unified behavior on his team is beyond comprehension.
my thoughts exactly.
“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 got a whole bunch of gangstas in the locker room, not thugs but tough guys on the court. We went out there and zipped ‘em up at the end of the game.” Choice of words could have been thought out better, but I’m pretty sure every coach in America wants his players to be “tough.” You’re not going to win many college basketball games if you’re not tough.
Maybe, if he had said warriors instead of gangstas, he might not have offended the easily offended. I’m not up on the latest in youth slang and don’t know how prevalent the use of “gangstas” is, but I think I can easily extract his meaning without getting my panties in a bunch, especially since he immediately clarified what he meant by it!
Now, as a combat veteran, I don’t particularly appreciate the zipping ‘em up comment if, indeed, it’s referring to body bags.
I mean, if somebody hits you from behind, yeah, that’s cowardly.
But, if you’re facing each other, and you decide to look away or whatever and get tagged. Or if somebody just punches you without warning while y’all are facing each other, why is that considered cowardly.
Are you required to announce your punches? Doesn’t that seem like a good way to lose the fight?
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