Mick Cronin, J.P. Macura Had Altercation at End of Cincinnati vs. Xavier Game

There was an altercation between Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin and Xavier guard J.P. Macura after the Musketeers' 89-76 win Saturday.

Cronin addressed the situation with reporters after the game, via Shannon Russell of WCPO.com:

Xavier head coach Chris Mack defended Macura's character in light of Cronin's comments.

"J.P.'s my guy," Mack said (via Russell). "J.P. will fight for every inch on the basketball court. He's a great kid. And I'm not going to let anybody control the narrative on who they think J.P. Macura is. I'm around him every day. He's a warrior. He's a great kid. He does things the right way. He's made mistakes just like every kid on their team and every kid on our team."

A senior, Macura scored seven points. Entering Saturday, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 14.6 points per game.

The loss was Cincinnati's first of the season. The Bearcats entered Saturday ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25. Cronin is in his 12th year at the helm of the program and has led it to seven straight NCAA tournament appearances.

No. 21 Xavier improved to 7-1. Following a 102-86 loss against Arizona State on Nov. 24, the Musketeers have bounced back with wins over No. 16 Baylor and Cincinnati.