Editor’s note: With columnist Paul Daugherty retiring this month, we are revisiting some of his classic columns from his time at The Enquirer. This story on the Crosstown Shootout between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier University Musketeers basketball teams turning into a brawl appeared in print on Dec. 11, 2011.
MELTDOWN — No Crosstown Shootout was ever this ugly
A great rivalry lost its way and its meaning Saturday. It plunged from its lofty and respected perch to a bloody, mouthy, embarrassing mess. No Crosstown Shootout was ever this ugly, not even close.