Thankful for Cincinnati sports

As we gather around with friends and family this Thanksgiving, football isn't the only sport in Cincinnati to be excited about. Plenty of college basketball games tip off in the Tri-State, with enough holiday cheer to go around.

Miami RedHawks -- Basketball

11/21 @ William & Mary, 7:00 p.m.
11/24 vs. James Madison, 12:00 p.m.

Xavier Musketeers -- Basketball

11/22 vs. Pacific, 11:00 a.m. PT, in Anaheim, Cal. (DirectTV Classic)

UC Bearcats -- Basketball

11/23 vs. Iowa State, 6:30 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nev. (Global Sports Invitational)

11/24 vs. Oregon or UNLV, TBA in Las Vegas, Nev. (Global Sports Invitational)

UC Bearcats -- Football

11/23 vs. South Florida, 7:00 p.m.

Miami RedHawks -- Football

11/23 vs. Ball State, 1:00 p.m.

Cincinnati Bengals

11/25 vs. Oakland Raiders, 1:00 p.m.

Weekend preview: 11/16-11/18

Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ UC Bearcats -- Football

Kickoff: 11/17, noon

UC: 7-2 (3-1 Big East), on a two-game winning streak

Rutgers: 8-1 (4-0 Big East), lost first game three weeks ago against Kent State

Game notes: With three Big East games left, Rutgers sits atop the conference and could be dethroned with a Cincinnati upset. The Bearcats currently sit in third place in the Big East behind 4-1 Louisville, who are on bye this week.

Robert Morris Colonials @ Xavier Musketeers -- Basketball

Tip-off: 11/17, 2 p.m.

Xavier: 2-0

Robert Morris: 1-2, big losses to the Rider Broncos on 11/9 and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Nov. 12, but defeated Fordham (an Atlantic 10 team, same conference as Xavier) 74-58 on 11/13.

Game notes: After handing it to Butler on Tuesday, most Muskie fans are probably overlooking this game. The Colonials got off to a rocky start, but a win against an A-10 team, even a basement A-10 team, tells Coach Chris Mack and Xavier that Robert Morris is quite capable of the upset.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs

Kickoff: 11/18, 1 p.m.

Cincinnati: 4-5 (1-3 in AFC North, 3rd place)

Kansas City: 1-8 (0-6 in AFC West, last place)

Game notes: If ever there was a should, must, have-to-for-the-sake-of-our-dignity win for Cincinnati, it's against the Chiefs this weekend. Don't get too cocky, though, as the Chiefs almost pulled off the upset against the Steelers at Heinz Field last week, showing they're a team desperate for a win. The Chiefs turn the ball over like crazy, so look for the Bengals' defense to make some big plays with Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel under center.

North Carolina A&T Aggies @ #24 UC Bearcats -- Basketball

Tip-off: 11/18, 2 p.m.

UC: 2-0

North Carolina A&T: 1-1, plays Wright State on 11/16, lost 64-55 to Utah Valley on 11/12

Game notes: Another "tune-up game" for the Bearcats, UC shouldn't struggle much against a team who lost by nine to the mighty Wolverines--the Utah Valley Wolverines, that is.

Miami RedHawks @ #2 Louisville Cardinals -- Basketball

Tip-off: 11/18, 4 p.m.

Miami: 1-1, lost to #6 North Carolina State on 11/9, then defeated Grambling State 80-54 on 11/13.

Game notes: Should be a blowout in the 'Ville, but you never know. May just be worth a watch.

Two-minute drill

Ah, November. College basketball began this week, and football is well under way. Here is the two-minute recap of sports action in the Queen City this weekend.

UC Bearcats -- Football

Cincinnati 34, Temple 10

The Bearcats travelled to Philadelphia and destroy the Owls, with red-shirt senior quarterback Brandon Kay making his first career start. Kay went 13-21 passing with 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Miami RedHawks -- Football

Kent State 48, Miami 32

Oxford experienced its first home loss of the season, but experienced Zach Dysert's 455-performance moved him to 26th on the NCAA all-time passing yards list.

Xavier Musketeers -- Basketball

Xavier 117, Farleigh Dickinson 75

The Musketeers hosted the Knights in their season opener, with sophomore guard Dee Davis setting career highs in points (22) and assists (15). Seven Xavier players finished with double-digit points.

Miami RedHawks -- Basketball

N.C. State 97, Miami 59

Traveling to Raleigh for the first game of the John Cooper era, the RedHawks fell to #6 N.C. State. Junior guard Allen Roberts led Miami in scoring with 16. 

UC Bearcats -- Basketball

Cincinnati 80, Tennessee-Martin 57

Senior guard Cashmere Wright led the Bearcats in the season opener with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati 31, New York Giants 13

In quite possibly the biggest shock of the Sunday, the Bengals took down the world champion Giants a week after Pittsburgh did the same. Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes with 199 yards, while Eli Manning threw for no touchdowns and 215 yards. The Bengals are now 4-5 and remain in third place in the AFC North.