A brawl between Cincinnati and Xavier prematurely ended Saturday's crosstown rivalry game.

With 9.4 seconds left and Xavier leading 76-53, a melee broke out.

Yancy Gates connected on a punch to Xavier's Kenny Frease and Cheikh Mbodj stepped on him. Frease was bloodied and had a black eye. Both Gates and Mbodj were ejected, along with Xavier's Dez Wells.

"I have never been this embarrassed in my entire career," Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin said.

"It's a complete embarrassment. Toughness is doing the right thing. You take your ass-whipping and go home. If my players don't act the right way, they will never play another game at Cincinnati."

Suspensions are forthcoming for many of the involved players.