December 4, 2025 • 8 mins
Rick Broering of Musketeer Report, NKU radio broadcasts, and his awesome Facebook page, joined us to talk about the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout and the surging Norse.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The iHeartMedia Christmas Party continues. Meanwhile, we're getting closer to
the skyline Chile Crosstown shootout UC versus Xavier at the
Cintas Center. Also tonight, NKU opens up Horizon League play
with a tilt against Cleveland State. That is on Fox
Sports thirteen sixty. Here as he is every Wednesday to
talk Xavier and NKU basketball, the color analysts on Norris broadcasts,
(00:22):
and the owner improprietor of Musketeer Report dot com, Rick Browing.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hi, Rick, what's up?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Mal? I'm just getting ready for this game on Friday
night and tonight. How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Likewise, I'm equally excited for both.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Let's talk about Friday first.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I feel like back when the college basketball season began,
this was you know what, The Musketeers are starting from scratch.
Wes Miller has a team that has more talent. He's
in his fifth season. This is the year where U
see wins at the Cintas Center. I don't think anybody
feels that way anymore. They don't feel like it's a
sure thing anymore. Maybe a fifty to fifty part of
that has to do with the Bearcats. That has to
(01:00):
do with the improvement we've seen from the Musketeers, and
I feel like there's more of an identity with Richard
Patino's team right now than Wes Miller's. Speak to that
from a Xavier perspective, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Really amazing how that has turned around so quickly, Mo,
because you know, we talked before the season started and
I told you about how I felt about bagers chances
in that game, and then a few games into the
season it was even worse, especially after they had suffered
back to back nineteen point losses to Santa Clara and Iowa.
So yeah, at that point, I was I was thinking
(01:32):
that this was going to be the year that DUC
finally got it done at the Centa Center almost no
matter what, regardless of how they played, just because of
the difference in talent. But the way you see has
struggled on the offensive end, and the way Richard Patino
and his staff have kind of turned this around by
changing their playing style on offense is really impressive. And
(01:54):
so now we find ourselves, look at the Crosstown shootout going,
who knows what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
How about Big East play, because it's a league that
does far, maybe beyond Yukon. I don't think anybody's impressed
by anybody.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, I think that's fair. I've heard some people say,
you know, it might be Zavier saving grace this year
that the Big East is weak. I think most people
when they say the Big East is week, they think
about it from a top end perspective and how many
teams are going to get an nca tournament perspective. The
issue Xavier might have is there aren't the bottom feeders
(02:30):
that are really struggling this year that we've seen in
years past. You know, to Paul three years ago was
ranked outside the top three hundred. Georgetown was ranked low
two hundreds that year. Last season, Seaton Hall was outside
the top two hundred. They were, you know, only won
two games in Big East play. It felt like an
easy win.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
This year. You don't have anyone really.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Playing that way. I mean, you know, yes, Xavier is
not the lowest ranked team. You've got to Paul and
Georgetown ranked behind them in Kenpom right now, but all
like one fifteen and ken pum they're not outside the
top two hundred. So you know, it's a little bit
Vigger could be in every game in Biggi's play this
year outside of maybe the Yukon and Saint John's matchups.
(03:13):
But on the other hand, you might be looking at yourself.
Where going yet a soft conference? But everybody is pretty
similar and this Viager team is still going to struggle
to win games potentially, So I'm not sure exactly how
it's going to shake out for him, to be quite honest,
I think it's still going to be a big challenge
for them to win a lot of games in the
Big East.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
We have had with both schools.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
We have had coaches come from other places and they
get their first dose to the shootout.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
And the portal era is not new, but it was.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It was striking to me listening to Richard Patino today
thinking about having a team where literally nobody has played
in this game before. From your perspective, what's that like?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, you know, I think it's it's different. I think
they can say all they want that they understand the
importance and they understand the gravity of the game, But
at the end of the day, more they don't live
in this area for the most part. You know, Isaiah
Walker obviously has a little bit of family history with
the game. Is dad Tyrese having played in it. So
(04:11):
it's a little bit different for a guy like him maybe,
but for everybody else. They're not from this area, they
didn't grow up with the rivalry. They don't now have
storylines built in from years past to go off of.
So to try to act like these guys care about
as much about the Crosstown shootout and it means as
much to them as it has to you know, the
Yancey Gates and Too Holloway teams for instance, it is just,
(04:35):
I mean, it's crazy to think that now, can there
still be fireworks? Can it still be a competitive game?
Because they take on the personality of the fans a
little bit and they understand it means a lot of
the fans store. But I definitely think with all the
newcomers and with Richard Patino not having that built in
history that a guy like a Chris Mack or a
Travis Steeler Sean Miller did that, I think it's just
(04:57):
a little bit different. And not to say it's law,
it's luster, which I'm sure we'll see that column here
in the next day or you yeah, but I do think,
you know, it's silly to act like these players care
as much about the rivalry as players in years past.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I don't think it's lost its luster. I do think
it's fair to say that it's not quite the same.
That doesn't mean it's bad. Rick Browing, Musketeer Report dot Com,
NKU Radio. The Norris tonight against Cleveland State at seven
o'clock NKU, opening up Horizon League play. On the strength
of a five game winning streak, including a road win
a blowout road win against Central Michigan. They have won
three consecutive games at home they start Horizon League Play.
(05:35):
What have you learned about the Norris during the non
conference portion of their schedule.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, there's a couple of things that we've seen with
Darreon Horn's teams in the past, and that is one
they almost always get better on the defensive end as
the season goes, and that's partly because that style of
the matchup zone that's just kind of a so pressurized
and it relies on so much chemistry and communication that
it takes a little while to feel it out and
see how your teammates are going to play around you
(06:00):
within it. And so the fact that they're already seemingly
ahead of schedule there and playing pretty well defensively and
we know it's likely to get better because it does
every single year with Darren Horn's teams. That's a really
encouraging sign. The other is, I think we can at
this point pretty much safely say this is the most
offensive firepower Darren Horn has ever had since he's been
(06:22):
the head.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Coach at NKU.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yes, he coached the school's all time leading scorer in
Mark west Warwick, but so many times those teams were
trying to get to fifty five sixty points with Mark
west Work scoring thirty of them, and you know everything
was running through one guy. This year, you have two
guards averaging around eighteen points per game, and Dan Grezger
and Donovan Oday, and they have other weapons around them too.
(06:44):
A guy like Cale Robinson can go off for twenty
on at any given night.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
LJ.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wells is an experienced player within the league who was
picked All Horizon League and many people expect him to
be a double double threat and could have been nk's
leading school are coming into the season had the guard
not gotten off to such a great start. So I
think there's there's a lot of weapons on the offensive
end to this team too, and that's been exciting.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I'm coming at the game tonight.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, the last time I was at a game that
you were at was at a Xavier game and I
said right in front of you, and you kind of
acted like you didn't know me.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And I can't blame you. A lot of people do that.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Will the same dynamic being played tonight if I come
over and say hi, No.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That's first of all, that is a gross mixed characterization
of what I own at the Xavier game. It's not
taken into account how the media's space is set up there.
Tom iSER does a terrible job of separating us and
not making it easy to talk. So let's uh, let's
let's be careful about that. That is not how I
acted at all. That is not true.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Again, nobody could blame you, but there were others there
who are asking, like, man, you and Rick got beef,
and I said, no, it's rich a little awkward around me.
We'll see if there's a similar dynamic in play tonight.
We'll see you then, and i'll see you much later
this evening as well.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Look, I'm just trying not to annoy you with lots
of stupid things that I want to say and thoughts
I listen to your show all the time, so I
don't want to like get in person and just pepper
you with like a bunch of questions without your job.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
So that's that's all it is, all right, we'll see
it man, Thanks so much. All right, we'll talk soon,
four o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty
The iHeartMedia Christmas Party continues. Meanwhile, we're getting closer to
the skyline Chile Crosstown shootout UC versus Xavier at the
Cintas Center. Also tonight, NKU opens up Horizon League play
with a tilt against Cleveland State. That is on Fox
Sports thirteen sixty. Here as he is every Wednesday to
talk Xavier and NKU basketball, the color analysts on Norris broadcasts,
(00:22):
and the owner improprietor of Musketeer Report dot com, Rick Browing.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hi, Rick, what's up?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Mal? I'm just getting ready for this game on Friday
night and tonight. How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Likewise, I'm equally excited for both.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Let's talk about Friday first.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I feel like back when the college basketball season began,
this was you know what, The Musketeers are starting from scratch.
Wes Miller has a team that has more talent. He's
in his fifth season. This is the year where U
see wins at the Cintas Center. I don't think anybody
feels that way anymore. They don't feel like it's a
sure thing anymore. Maybe a fifty to fifty part of
that has to do with the Bearcats. That has to
(01:00):
do with the improvement we've seen from the Musketeers, and
I feel like there's more of an identity with Richard
Patino's team right now than Wes Miller's. Speak to that
from a Xavier perspective, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Really amazing how that has turned around so quickly, Mo,
because you know, we talked before the season started and
I told you about how I felt about bagers chances
in that game, and then a few games into the
season it was even worse, especially after they had suffered
back to back nineteen point losses to Santa Clara and Iowa.
So yeah, at that point, I was I was thinking
(01:32):
that this was going to be the year that DUC
finally got it done at the Centa Center almost no
matter what, regardless of how they played, just because of
the difference in talent. But the way you see has
struggled on the offensive end, and the way Richard Patino
and his staff have kind of turned this around by
changing their playing style on offense is really impressive. And
(01:54):
so now we find ourselves, look at the Crosstown shootout going,
who knows what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
How about Big East play, because it's a league that
does far, maybe beyond Yukon. I don't think anybody's impressed
by anybody.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, I think that's fair. I've heard some people say,
you know, it might be Zavier saving grace this year
that the Big East is weak. I think most people
when they say the Big East is week, they think
about it from a top end perspective and how many
teams are going to get an nca tournament perspective. The
issue Xavier might have is there aren't the bottom feeders
(02:30):
that are really struggling this year that we've seen in
years past. You know, to Paul three years ago was
ranked outside the top three hundred. Georgetown was ranked low
two hundreds that year. Last season, Seaton Hall was outside
the top two hundred. They were, you know, only won
two games in Big East play. It felt like an
easy win.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
This year. You don't have anyone really.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Playing that way. I mean, you know, yes, Xavier is
not the lowest ranked team. You've got to Paul and
Georgetown ranked behind them in Kenpom right now, but all
like one fifteen and ken pum they're not outside the
top two hundred. So you know, it's a little bit
Vigger could be in every game in Biggi's play this
year outside of maybe the Yukon and Saint John's matchups.
(03:13):
But on the other hand, you might be looking at yourself.
Where going yet a soft conference? But everybody is pretty
similar and this Viager team is still going to struggle
to win games potentially, So I'm not sure exactly how
it's going to shake out for him, to be quite honest,
I think it's still going to be a big challenge
for them to win a lot of games in the
Big East.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
We have had with both schools.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
We have had coaches come from other places and they
get their first dose to the shootout.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
And the portal era is not new, but it was.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It was striking to me listening to Richard Patino today
thinking about having a team where literally nobody has played
in this game before. From your perspective, what's that like?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, you know, I think it's it's different. I think
they can say all they want that they understand the
importance and they understand the gravity of the game, But
at the end of the day, more they don't live
in this area for the most part. You know, Isaiah
Walker obviously has a little bit of family history with
the game. Is dad Tyrese having played in it. So
(04:11):
it's a little bit different for a guy like him maybe,
but for everybody else. They're not from this area, they
didn't grow up with the rivalry. They don't now have
storylines built in from years past to go off of.
So to try to act like these guys care about
as much about the Crosstown shootout and it means as
much to them as it has to you know, the
Yancey Gates and Too Holloway teams for instance, it is just,
(04:35):
I mean, it's crazy to think that now, can there
still be fireworks? Can it still be a competitive game?
Because they take on the personality of the fans a
little bit and they understand it means a lot of
the fans store. But I definitely think with all the
newcomers and with Richard Patino not having that built in
history that a guy like a Chris Mack or a
Travis Steeler Sean Miller did that, I think it's just
(04:57):
a little bit different. And not to say it's law,
it's luster, which I'm sure we'll see that column here
in the next day or you yeah, but I do think,
you know, it's silly to act like these players care
as much about the rivalry as players in years past.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I don't think it's lost its luster. I do think
it's fair to say that it's not quite the same.
That doesn't mean it's bad. Rick Browing, Musketeer Report dot Com,
NKU Radio. The Norris tonight against Cleveland State at seven
o'clock NKU, opening up Horizon League play. On the strength
of a five game winning streak, including a road win
a blowout road win against Central Michigan. They have won
three consecutive games at home they start Horizon League Play.
(05:35):
What have you learned about the Norris during the non
conference portion of their schedule.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Well, there's a couple of things that we've seen with
Darreon Horn's teams in the past, and that is one
they almost always get better on the defensive end as
the season goes, and that's partly because that style of
the matchup zone that's just kind of a so pressurized
and it relies on so much chemistry and communication that
it takes a little while to feel it out and
see how your teammates are going to play around you
(06:00):
within it. And so the fact that they're already seemingly
ahead of schedule there and playing pretty well defensively and
we know it's likely to get better because it does
every single year with Darren Horn's teams. That's a really
encouraging sign. The other is, I think we can at
this point pretty much safely say this is the most
offensive firepower Darren Horn has ever had since he's been
(06:22):
the head.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Coach at NKU.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yes, he coached the school's all time leading scorer in
Mark west Warwick, but so many times those teams were
trying to get to fifty five sixty points with Mark
west Work scoring thirty of them, and you know everything
was running through one guy. This year, you have two
guards averaging around eighteen points per game, and Dan Grezger
and Donovan Oday, and they have other weapons around them too.
(06:44):
A guy like Cale Robinson can go off for twenty
on at any given night.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
LJ.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wells is an experienced player within the league who was
picked All Horizon League and many people expect him to
be a double double threat and could have been nk's
leading school are coming into the season had the guard
not gotten off to such a great start. So I
think there's there's a lot of weapons on the offensive
end to this team too, and that's been exciting.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I'm coming at the game tonight.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, the last time I was at a game that
you were at was at a Xavier game and I
said right in front of you, and you kind of
acted like you didn't know me.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And I can't blame you. A lot of people do that.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Will the same dynamic being played tonight if I come
over and say hi, No.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That's first of all, that is a gross mixed characterization
of what I own at the Xavier game. It's not
taken into account how the media's space is set up there.
Tom iSER does a terrible job of separating us and
not making it easy to talk. So let's uh, let's
let's be careful about that. That is not how I
acted at all. That is not true.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Again, nobody could blame you, but there were others there
who are asking, like, man, you and Rick got beef,
and I said, no, it's rich a little awkward around me.
We'll see if there's a similar dynamic in play tonight.
We'll see you then, and i'll see you much later
this evening as well.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Look, I'm just trying not to annoy you with lots
of stupid things that I want to say and thoughts
I listen to your show all the time, so I
don't want to like get in person and just pepper
you with like a bunch of questions without your job.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
So that's that's all it is, all right, we'll see
it man, Thanks so much. All right, we'll talk soon,
four o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty
Mo Egger News
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