Huggins returning to Cincinnati

[Reds4Life]

I'll have to get tickets for this one.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State has signed a three-year contract with Xavier in men's basketball to play two games at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons and one at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan in 2008-09, athletic officials announced Wednesday.

"Cincinnati has been great to me," said head men's basketball coach Bob Huggins. "We are very excited to play a top-notch program as Xavier. I would like to thank Xavier and U.S. Bank Arena for giving me the opportunity to return to Cincinnati. The fans there have always supported me and it will be my honor to coach in front of them once again."

The Wildcats will make their first trip to Cincinnati since the 1996-97 season and their first of the new year on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007 in a match-up against the Musketeers. Ticket prices have not been set for the game and will go on sale on a date yet to be determined. The schools have yet to decide on dates for the contests during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

Kansas State is 2-2 all-time against Xavier, including a home-and-home series during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. The Wildcats posted a 73-67 win over the Musketeers at home on Dec. 20, 1995 before falling 95-54 in Cincinnati on Dec. 29, 1996. The teams first met in 1961 at the Kentucky Invitational, with K-State earning a 75-67 win at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. The two didn't meet again until 1990, when Xavier collected an 87-79 win in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on March 16 before a school-record 39,417 fans at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. The Wildcats have a 16-15 record against Atlantic 10 teams and are 9-9 against squads from Ohio.

The Wildcats are 0-3 all-time in the city of Cincinnati, losing to Cincinnati, 72-70, on Dec. 23, 1963, and 86-70 on Dec. 2, 1968, and to Xavier, 95-54, on Dec. 29, 1996.

Huggins has an 8-8 all-time record against Xavier with all 16 games being played during his 16-year stint as the head coach at crosstown rival Cincinnati (1989-2005).

"It is a pleasure and an honor to bring a game of this magnitude to this city," said U.S. Bank Arena Vice President of Programming and Business Development Jim Moehring. "We have worked diligently with both of the schools to get this done. We look forward to hosting a great night of basketball."

Built in 1975, U.S. Bank Arena is the largest indoor arena in Cincinnati with a capacity of 16,202. The arena has played host to a number of sporting events, including the 2005 and 2006 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championships. For more information, visit their website at www.usbankarena.com .

The balance of Kansas State's schedule will be released at a later date.