The undisputed primary and most intense rival of the Cincinnati Bearcats across athletics is the Xavier University Musketeers, with whom they contest the legendary annual "Crosstown Shootout" in men's basketball. Separated by a mere three miles in Cincinnati, this historic matchup is widely considered one of the fiercest, most passionate local rivalries in all of American college sports, drawing intense national media attention and dividing the entire metropolitan region every season.