Cincinnati @ Xavier preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 8, 2018 ) Xavier 47, Cincinnati 62

As Cincinnati prepares for the annual Crosstown Shootout with rival Xavier on Saturday, the Bearcats aren't sure whether they'll have their best player available. Bearcats coach John Brannen listed standout Jarron Cumberland as questionable with a hip injury.

Cumberland, averaging 14.3 points, three rebounds and 2.3 assists this season, wasn't able to practice Thursday after leaving Cincinnati's victory over Vermont on Tuesday. The senior guard also missed a game with an ankle injury and another as a disciplinary measure for failing to meet practice and preparation standards. The potential absence of the reigning American Athletic Conference Player of the Year would give Xavier, which started sluggishly in a win over Green Bay on Tuesday, one less threat to deal with defensively. Xavier coach Chris Mack lamented the Musketeers' lack of transition and team defense in its latest win, saying his team will underachieve until it plays harder every time it takes the floor.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT CINCINNATI (6-2): If Cumberland is unable to play Saturday, the Bearcats have two others who played key roles in last year's win over Xavier. Keith Williams scored 16 points in that game and Trevon Scott added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Williams comes into this year's matchup after playing his best game of this season with a career-high 23 points while going 4-for-4 on 3-point shots against Vermont on Tuesday. Jaevin Cumberland can help fill the scoring void if his cousin can't play, as he did against Vermont with 21 points and 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, and 7-foot-1 center Chris Vogt adds another dimension as Cincinnati's second leading scorer (12.9 points per game) and rebounder (6.9).

ABOUT XAVIER (8-1): Playing with emotion, which the Musketeers lacked in their win over Green Bay, shouldn't be a problem when facing their biggest rival, against whom they've gone 1-2 in the past three games of the series but have won seven straight in the Cintas Center. Though Mack wasn't pleased with the effort against Green Bay, Xavier had multiple players produce, including Naji Marshall with a season-high 24 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. Tyrique Jones amassed 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Quentin Goodin finished with a season-best 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

TIP-INS

1. Jerron Cumberland has averaged 16.3 points and gone 2-1 in three previous games against Xavier, and he and Scott would have an opportunity to finish 3-1 in their four-year careers against the Musketeers, which hasn't happened for a Cincinnati player since the 1990s.

2. Xavier freshman KyKy Tandy, who scored 10 points against Green Bay in his second game of the season after returning from an injury, left Tuesday's game after contact at the rim and a hard fall left him with a bloody mouth that required stitches, but Mack said Tandy will be "ready to go for Saturday."

3. Cincinnati, which has struggled at the free throw line this season, found its touch on Tuesday's win over Vermont by making 22-of-26.

PREDICTION: Xavier 63, Cincinnati 62