Watch Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Xavier Musketeers: TV channel, live stream info, start time

How to watch Cincinnati vs. Xavier basketball game

By Scout Staff

Dec 14, 2024 at 9:00 am ET • 2 min read

Who's Playing

Xavier Musketeers @ Cincinnati Bearcats

Current Records: Xavier 8-2, Cincinnati 7-1

How To Watch

When: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Fifth Third Arena -- Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPN Plus
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $90.00

What to Know

Xavier is 7-2 against Cincinnati since December of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Xavier Musketeers will challenge the Cincinnati Bearcats at 2:00 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Arena. The Musketeers have been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Xavier is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 119-58 victory over Morgan State. The Musketeers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 25 points or more this season.

Among those leading the charge was Zach Freemantle, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds. Marcus Foster was another key player, going 7 for 11 en route to 18 points plus five rebounds.

Xavier smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cincinnati, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 84-67 win over Howard on Sunday.

Cincinnati's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Simas Lukosius led the charge by going 7 for 10 en route to 18 points plus three steals. Lukosius had some trouble finding his footing against Villanova last Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Aziz Bandaogo, who went 8 for 10 en route to 17 points plus six rebounds.

Xavier pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. As for Cincinnati, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.

Saturday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Xavier has been crazy accurate this season, having made 47.6% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Cincinnati (currently ranked third) struggles in that department as they've nailed 51.7% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Xavier is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Xavier is playing on the road, but their 0-1 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.