Lance Stephenson denies calling Xavier coach Chris Mack n-word while attending Cincinnati

INDIANAPOLIS -- Lance Stephenson admits that 19-year-old Lance Stephenson probably got carried away a time or two, but he says he never got that carried away.

When the former Cincinnati Bearcat was asked if he remembers calling Xavier coach Chris Mack the n-word during a 2009-10 game -- which the coach accused him of after an NCAA game Saturday -- Stephenson denied it.

"I probably said something else negative," the Indiana Pacers forward said,"but I definitely didn’t call him that."

Why in the world would Mack bring up that interaction for the first time nearly a decade later? Let's rewind a little bit.

Mack's accusation came after a contentious game Saturday between his Xavier Musketeers and their rival Cincinnati Bearcats.

The craziness began when Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin reportedly needed to be restrained from going after Xavier player JP Macura as he screamed, "You want a piece of me, (expletive)?"

Cronin said after the game that Macura told him to "Eff off" three times during the game and that, "He wouldn't play for me."

When Mack learned what happened between his player and the Cincinnati coach, he was upset and began his postgame news conference with a rant that included a story about an exchange he had with Stephenson during a Xavier-Cincinnati game nearly a decade ago.

In that game, Mack said, Stephenson "called me the n-word three times and said, 'Eff you.' After the game guess what I did? I shook his hand. I shook his hand. That's it. There's no narrative."

On Sunday, Stephenson added: "I don’t know what made him bring me up (during the press conference) but, you know, it was a rivalry game.

"You know, heat of the moment, having fun, I probably said a couple things. I’m the type of player who tries to get under guys’ (skin), tries to get everyone frustrated, so I might have said (something), I don’t know. But I don’t think I called him that. I probably said something else negative, but I definitely didn’t call him that."

When asked what a 19-year Stephenson was like, the Pacers forward laughed before saying, "Oh man. You think I’m bad now, 19-year old Lance was crazy. I probably said something crazy, but I don’t think I said what he said I said."

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Follow IndyStar Sports reporter Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.