Try to compose yourself as much as you can. Do not panic. Now think about it. March Madness is right around the corner! It’s once again going to be a fun-filled, thrilling month of college basketball action. The best teams in all of college basketball will go toe-to-toe as they attempt to capture the coveted national championship.
Before we get ahead of ourselves as we approach the NCAA tournament, it’s time to take a look at the incredible landscape of college basketball. There have been plenty of rivalry games that have been played since the start of the season. But which of these are grounded on long-standing traditions? Below we take a look at the top 10 rivalries of all-time in college basketball.
Relive some of the best moments to ever take in the NCAA tournament. Check out our features for the top 10 March Madness Moments and Buzzer Beaters of All-Time.
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Top 10 College Basketball Rivalries of All-Time
10. Syracuse vs. Connecticut
9. Northern Iowa vs. Wichita State
Northern Iowa and Wichita State are coming off excellent seasons. Both could shake things up in the NCAA tournament this time around. But the two will be embroiled in two big rivalry games in the Missouri Valley Conference, culminating in a potential showdown in the conference title game.
8. Kansas vs. Kansas State
The Kansas Jayhawks are a national powerhouse. The Kansas State Wildcats…not too much. The difference in their statuses hasn’t gotten in the way of a great college basketball rivalry, though. The Jayhawks may be able to cause some terror from lesser teams, but they may never be able to intimidate their in-state rivals.
There are plenty of memorable games between the two programs from Michael Beasley and Bob Huggins breaking the Jayhawks’ 24-year home losing streak to the Jayhawks to Wilt Chamberlain and his Kansas team finishing second in the conference to their rivals in 1958-59 after winning the national championship a year ago.
7. Florida vs. Kentucky
Billy Donovan lifted the Florida Gators to national prominence, including two national title runs. But the Gators’ hopes were dampened when John Calipari arrived at the University of Kentucky to put the Wildcats back on top of the SEC. Donovan now coaches in the NBA, while Calipari has shown inklings to do the same. Perhaps the two excellent coaches could spark a new rivalry should they face each other in the professional levels.
6. Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s
Gonzaga has risen up to national prominence due to their incredible run of making the NCAA tournament. The Zags have now made 18 straight appearances in the Big Dance. That doesn’t mean that Gonzaga doesn’t have any challengers in their West Coast Conference. The Saint Mary’s Gaels are the only team since 1999-2000 to win an outright league title ahead of Gonzaga.
5. Princeton vs. Penn
It’s been long understood that the Princeton Tigers vs. Penn Quakers was the only matchup of note in the Ivy League. From 1989 to 2007, there wasn’t a single NCAA tournament that didn’t feature one of these teams as the Ivy League Champion. The two teams have fallen off the standings recently with new top dogs rising in Harvard and Yale, but basketball games between them remain pretty fierce no matter the circumstances.
4. Michigan vs. Michigan State
Michigan State and Michigan have a classic rivalry. These two programs have a tradition stretching back to the likes of Cazzie Russell (Michigan 1963-1966) and Johnny Green (Michigan State 1956-1959). Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans are back to national prominence, thus posing a challenge to their rival Wolverines. It’s only a matter of time before Michigan puts up a fight in the Big Ten.
3. UCLA vs. Arizona
The UCLA Bruins have been one of the Pac-12’s top teams, rising to prominence during John Wooden’s tenure as head coach. The Arizona Wildcats became one of the Pac-12’s power house teams ever since they entered the league. The UCLA-Arizona rivalry is still seen as one of the premier matchups in the conference. The two teams have won 22 of the 30 conference titles and eight of 17 conference tournament titles.
2. Kentucky vs. Louisville
Kentucky and Louisville have long been rivals in college basketball due to sharing a home state. Their rivalry rose to national prominence after Kentucky won the 2012 national championship after beating the Cardinals twice, once in the regular season and again in the Final Four. Louisville then captured the national crown in 2013. The two teams now hold five national titles between them.
1. Duke vs. North Carolina
Duke-UNC is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, not just college basketball. Each team have rabid fanbases chomping at the bits to watch their conference rivals fall. The two programs have combined to win 10 national titles. The Blue Devils won the national championship in 2015, but North Carolina managed to upstage Duke by claiming the 2015-16 ACC regular season title.
As a testament to the popularity of this rivalry, the North Carolina vs. Duke regular season finale on March 5 was the most watched college basketball game of the 2015-16 season on TV with an average of 3,174,000 viewers.
Create a betting account now and get ready with March Madness just right around the corner.
