CINCINNATI SPORTS LAST WEEK

College basketball is in full swing now. UC played Coastal Carolina on Monday and breezed to a 82-56 win. Deonta Vaughn had 17 for the Cats. UC (4-0) is having the best start to a basketball season since Bob Huggins left the program. On the down side, it appears that 7'2" John Riek, recovering from knee surgery, will not be able to play at all this year.

Meanwhile, the Muskies have lost standout freshman guard, Terrell Holloway for three to four weeks with a stress fracture of the foot. He could miss the Crosstown Shootout.

Altar High School won the State Division IV football championship on Friday afternoon. Anderson High lost a heart breaker on Friday evening and were denied their second straight division II championship. Elder got run over by St. Ignatius on Saturday evening 28-20 in the division I final.

On Friday night in Las Vegas, the undefeated Bearcat basketball team played their first 'real' opponent of the year when they met the undefeated Florida State Seminols in the Global Sports Classic. The 'Nols taught the Cats a lesson or two and brought them back to reality with a 58-47 whipping. UC is too young to compete with good teams right now - especially, on the road.

The UC football team won the Big East championship on Friday afternoon when Pittsburgh edged West Virginia. With this outcome, UC is guaranteed at least a share of the title.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cats met Syracuse who had just come off of a big win at Notre Dame. The Bearcats rolled to a 30-10 victory and the outright Big East championship. Tony Pike was again sharp, Dominic Goodman is setting all-time UC receiving records, Mardy Gilyard had another big day and the defense was impenetrable.

No. 16 Xavier had a backyard brawl with the Miami Redhawks at Cintas Center and won a low scoring affair by a 60-53 score. Derrick Brown had a career high 23 points. The Muskies may be showing the effects of losing a point guard.

The Bearcat basketball team played a consolation tournament game in Las Vegas against host school UNLV which had also lost its first game of the season on Friday. In a back and forth game that included long periods of draught and short spurts by each team, the Cats (now 5-1) prevailed 67-65 by making free throws down the stretch. Yancey Gates had 16 points and seven rebounds off of the bench.

Oh, the Bengals are still playing games. I almost forgot. They got embarrassed again. This time by a 34-3 score. Jordan Palmer threw his first NFL pass in this game. It went for a touchdown...one of the four that the Baltimore Ravens got. Ouch!

The UC football team was voted to no. 13 in the A/P poll and no. 12 in the coaches poll both released on Sunday night. Shazzam!

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