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Miami, UC won't play next season
With U.S. Bank Arena dropping out as host, schools couldn't come to an agreement.
COMMENT: How do you feel about the two local teams not playing?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
OXFORD — Until further notice, the 103-year-old basketball series between the Miami RedHawks and Cincinnati Bearcats is off.
"There's no way around it," Miami associate head coach Jermaine Henderson said Monday, May 12. "A final agreement couldn't be reached."
Extras
The continuation of the rivalry, which began in 1905, came into question last week when officials of U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati decided to drop out as the neutral site of the series.
UC was willing to continue the series only if all games were played on its own campus at Fifth Third Arena.
Miami continued to urge a return to the home-and-home format with games played in alternating seasons in Oxford and Cincinnati, and Henderson said the RedHawks also would have considered playing all games on the UC campus had the Bearcats offered more balanced financial terms.
"Cincinnati has a great team and coaches," he said, "but there's a point where we have to look after our own program."
Henderson rejected the idea that the Bearcats could not risk playing at Miami's Millett Hall because they have too much to lose.
"Xavier came here last season and got beat in a great game," he pointed out. "I don't think it affected their No. 3 seed (in the NCAA Tournament) at all.
"We (switched) the series to U.S. Bank hoping we could generate some energy between the two schools," Henderson said, "and that it might eventually become a home-and-home series. It's a great game with great atmosphere. People love it."
Henderson said he remains optimistic that the Miami-UC series can resume, perhaps as early as the 2009-10 season.
"We certainly hope something can be worked out," he said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.
Comments
By Peter
May 17, 2008 8:24 AM | Link to this
UC recruits athletes as a member of the Big East that Miami can’t compete for. I agree that many UC athletes would not fit in with the culture in Oxford, but it is pointless to point fingers and also denigrate those who play for UC. Big East schools don’t schedule many tiffs against MAC schools with any regularity. The financials make such alliances difficult. I was at Miami from 1974-78 and the basketball team averaged over 7,000 fans a game, if memory serves. Some games were sellouts. No more.
By riley from sommerville
May 14, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this
Miami plays Xavier, the best team in Cincinnati. What is UC anyway, but a high school with ash trays. When UC grows a pair, we will still be here.
By riley from sommerville
May 14, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this
Miami plays Xavier, the best team in Cincinnati. What is UC anyway, but a high school with ash trays. When UC grows a pair, we will still be here.
By rk
May 13, 2008 11:26 PM | Link to this
uc is a program going nowhere w/ coaches in football and basketball who could not get a job in oxford - this latest move by uc in basketball followed by coach kelly’s football scheduling comments show how out of touch they are with reailty - where did uc finish in the big east in basketball -last. check out the record of the uc-miami football games - on any given sat miami can play with any team in the country- iowa,syracuse,northwestern,vanderbilt etc all have come or will be coming to oxford -
By The Chuck
May 13, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
Notice how no UC people are posting here. Especially the thuggian nation that is UC basketball. Here’s a joke for ya! What do you get when you draw a circle on a piece of paper and draw 13 X’s in it? Give up? A drawing of a basketball signed by the UC basketball team!
By MU Alum
May 13, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this
Keep UC, their basketball team and their criminals out of Oxford. They don’t deserve to visit such a beautiful campus!
By TB
May 13, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this
Well as we always say at Miami, you can’t spell “suck” without UC.
By Bob
May 13, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this
It is a shame these two great Ohio teams can’t continue this exciting series.
By Harvey
May 13, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this
sUCks
By Chuck
May 13, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
Jeff, UD’s notable successes occurred over 40 years ago; get over it already. IMO, local teams should play each other. The competition among the Big Five in Philadelphia brings great excitement to that city every year. Kent has home-and-home series with Youngstown St. and Cleveland St. each year to generate excitement in NE Ohio. The same could happen in Daytonnati. UC has nothing to lose because they will never compete in the Big East anyway. Miami is a worthy opponent, ask Illinois and Xavier
By jeff
May 13, 2008 12:08 PM | Link to this
Chris and Drew with all due respect..at least we have had past glories (UD). Shafted? are you kidding me? They did not go for one reason…they did NOT deserve to go any where.
UC and Miami not playing…who cares
By Oakie
May 13, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
Charlie Coles gave his life for basketball. The UC players all seem to major in Criminal Justice. We don’t want those UC players in Oxford anyway.
By chris
May 13, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
These local rivalries help all teams involved. Xavier, UC, Miami, UD & WSU should all play each other each & every year on a home & away basis. It is great for local fans and for the local teams involved. UC (and UD) are living off of past glories and need to get over themselves and play ALL the local teams.
By Drew
May 13, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
And, much like UC big timing MU, UD needs to get off of their high horse and play Wright St in hoops as well. WSU got shafted with no post season invites this past season! I hope they can keep Brownell around for a while.
By Drew
May 13, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
UC really thinks alot of themselves, especially now that they are in a “BCS” conference. They have been throwing their weight around for years against Miami refusing to go to Oxford to play hoops and threatening to end the series unless they get their way. Now it looks like they get what they want. Let ‘em go MU. They are also trying to get out of playing football against Miami, despite UC’s recent modicum of success at this sport MU has dominated this series which also goes back over 100 years.
By Lew
May 13, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
I’m no mathematician, but it isn’t going to resume by the 2007-08 season.
By Rick
May 13, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
UC wants to act like they are doing Miami a favor by playing them. How many Big East titles has UC won? Get over yourselves UC.