For God and the Alma Mater

Basketball, College Basketball

Posted by Obiora, March 12, 2008 - 3:15 pm

 

The build-up to this past Saturday’s Duke vs North Carolina tilt presented the game as possibly the greatest rivalry in all of collegiate athletics. College sports is built on the passion generated by rivalries. Fan bases are often composed of people who went to the same high schools but went to different colleges. The players grow up playing in the same high school conferences or know each other through the AAU circuit. Familiarity breeds contempt and in some parts of the country, college loyalties define (and divide) families and towns. Here is my take on the greatest rivalries in college basketball.

Two Series to Keep an Eye On

10. Southern Cal vs UCLA
Though this series has usually tilted in the Bruins’ favor, the Trojans won this year’s clash at Pauley Pavilion. USC’s Tim Floyd is making waves for the Trojans, pulling in phenom OJ Mayo with his most recent recruiting class. Although a colossal failure in the NBA, Floyd was a successful head coach at Iowa State, going 81-47 in four years so he has the chops to stick with the Bruins in the Pac-10. At USC he has won more games in his first two years than any coach in Trojans’ history, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance last year. Ben Howland now has legitimate competition for recruits in southern California and the southwest.

9. Memphis vs Tennessee
This year’s game featured the #1 vs #2 teams in the nation and did not fail to live up to the hype. With Coach Cal ensconced in Memphis and the colorful Bruce Pearl quickly building the Vols into a national power, this rivalry is quickly becoming a must-see in the Volunteer state and nation-wide.

Going Strong and Getting Better

8. Indiana vs Purdue
Though not as intense as during the Gene Keady and Bob Knight era’s, this is the biggest game in basketball crazy Indiana. IU has more championship banners but the Boilermakers lead the all-time series.

7. Xavier vs Cincinnati
One of the few major intra-city rivalries in the nation, the campuses of Xavier and Cincinnati are separated by a 10 minute drive in the Queen City. The Bearcats lead the all-time series but Sean Miller’s squad carried the day in this year’s edition.

6. Kansas vs Missouri
The Border War has usually gone in the Jayhawks’ favor but its intensity is no less despite past results. I lived in Kansas City for a year and even though Lawrence is only an hour away from the city, I knew a lot of MU fans as well as KU fans. This one decides a lot of bragging rights in the City of Fountains and fans on both sides of this game can get really nasty.

5. Philadelphia Big Five - Villanova, UPenn, Temple, St. Joseph’s, La Salle
It’s technically not a one-to-one series but no list would be complete without Philly’s Big 5. The games are played in a round robin fashion with the team with the best record crowned champion. This is one of the most unique showcases in the nation and provides a window into college basketball’s pre-conference affiliation past.

4. Marquette vs Wisconsin
This battle for bragging rights in the Badger state has really taken off since Marquette joined the Big East a few years ago. The atmosphere at Wisconsin’s Kohl Center is one of the best in the nation and Marquette certainly earned its stripes this year when it won 81-76 to break Wisconsin’s 28-game home winning streak.

3. Georgetown vs Syracuse
One of the classic ties in the Big East, this game has provided more than its share of unpredictable results over the years. This one took a brief dip during the Craig Esherick years but since the arrival of John Thompson III, it has re-taken its rightful place among the most anticipated games in the country. Just this year, then-#8 Georgetown went to the Carrier Dome and suffered a shock 77-70 defeat that wasn’t as close as the final score might indicate. Your humble narrator blithely picked the Hoyas in that game.

2. Louisville vs Kentucky
Folks in the south are simply crazy. From 1959-1983, these teams didn’t play each other because Wildcats’ coach Adolph Rupp refused to schedule the Cardinals. One of the most rabid (and impatient) fan bases in the country, Wildcats partisans have always looked down on their Bluegrass state brethren but when Denny Crum began to build up the Cardinals’ program in the early 1980’s, they had to sit up and take notice. Additional fuel was added to the fire when former Kentucky legend Rick Pitino returned to the college ranks only to make his new home in Louisville.

1. North Carolina vs Duke
You heard the mantra last week - just 8 miles along Tobacco Road separate these great rivals. This is the biggest rivalry in all of college sports, football or basketball. Nowhere else are the stakes as high as in this series. Not only does Duke/UNC usually determine the ACC champion, it often determines a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and sends the winner on a high heading into March Madness. To me, this rivalry goes beyond two great basketball programs. UNC/Duke is also a class struggle - the (often rich) blue-blood private school versus the lighter blue-blood state school.

Photo Credit: InsideCarolina.com/Jim Hawkins

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