CINCINNATI (WXIX) – University of Cincinnati students spent the week ahead of the Crosstown Shootout defending the statue of Oscar Robertson outside of Fifth Third Bank Arena.
FOX 19 NOW spoke with students spending the night outside on Friday. They explained that so far, they had thwarted two attempts to put a Xavier basketball jersey on the statue.
The jerseys had been “clawed” and displayed as trophies.
“We try to avoid violence,” junior Nathan Troutman explained. “We have the support of U.C. [police], so if things escalate, we’ve definitely got their backs on that.”
He explained that each night, they have held events and games for other students to take part in while waiting for sunrise.
Friday night, they held a three-on-three basketball game.
Troutman said it’s all about keeping traditions alive ahead of a big game.
“The basketball team has a lot of hype,” he said. “We feel very good about our chances tomorrow, so we’re doing everything we can to protect it.”
The game tips off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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