CINCINNATI SPORTS LAST WEEK

On Monday night the UC Bearcats hosted the University of South Carolina Upstate on Ed Jucker court. No, I did not make that name up. They used to be USC Greensboro but they have now moved to Division 1 and wanted a new name to go with it. They haven't won yet this year. Yes, they lost to Cincinnati but they kept it closer than any of their previous five losses. The final was 69-57. Deonta Vaughn had 19 to lead the Cats.

Xavier moved into the top 25 basketball teams in the country. At number 23 they are in the elite group for the first time since early last season.

On Wednesday, the Bearcat football team accepted an invitation to play in the Papajohns.com Bowl to be played in Birmingham, Alabama on December 22 against Southern Mississippi of Conference USA. The Big East is a BCS conference but lacks good bowl affiliations at this point.

Xavier played Oakland University on Wednesday night at Cintas Center and dispatched them handily 93-68. Josh Duncan had 18 points and Stanley Burrell had 17 to lead the Muskies. XU outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies by a 43 to 25 margin.

On Friday night Anderson High School won the state division II football championship - their first in school history. They defeated Louisville High School 31-25 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

On Saturday afternoon, UC went to Birmingham to play basketball against the UAB Blazers and got smacked down by a 73-54 score. The Bearcat youngsters are just not ready for big time teams. Adam Hrycaniuk had 16 points and Marvin Gentry had 14 for the Cats.

On Saturday evening, the St. Xavier High School completed their undefeated season, won the division I state football championship and cemented their place as one of the best football teams ever in the area. They handled Mentor H.S. by a 27-0 score in Canton's Hall of Fame stadium. Darius Ashley, who is headed for Louisville next year, ran for 271 yards a state tournament record and the defense secured only the second shutout in tournament history.

On Saturday night, the Xavier University Musketeers squashed small time Belmont of the Atlantic Sun Conference by a 90-49 score. This is the same Belmont that beat UC earlier this year. Stanley Burrell had 19 for the Muskies. The outcome was never in doubt.

The Bengals lost to the Steelers on a rainy night in Pittsburgh 24-10. They started like a ball of fire and quickly fizzled. Much of what has plagued this team all year resurfaced tonight. Even with the advantage in take-aways, they couldn't take advantage on the score board. The offense stunk!