Men’s college basketball’s 100 greatest rivalries: No. 100-76, with Memphis vs. Tennessee
Some warnings before starting.
First, this list is limited to basketball rivalries for men in division I. If you want to read on Calvin University against Hope College or Ferris State against Grand Valley State, it will not be the place.
Second, this list has been proven by mathematics and sciences as a 100%excite. There is no place for the discussion. There is no room for the debate. This is the list.
Let’s go.
100. North Carolina Central against North Carolina A&T
Once the determining rivalry of the Meac, the series took a safe blow when the North Carolina A&T boulon for the CAA in 2021. The two hated the rivals now play only one competition – the “Eagle Aggie Classic” – each season.
99. UCSB against Cal Poly
The “blue-green rivalry” is probably better known for male football, but the two Big West programs do not care about each other in basketball. The Gauchos have dominated in recent years, winning 15 of the last 16 competitions.
98. Army against the navy
The first of several rivalries on this list which are much better known for their importance in football, the army and the navy also have a stormy rivalry of the Patriot League on hardwood. Aspirants aspiring direct the series of all time, 85-56. The Sadly Black Knights are one of the four original division I programs that have never made the NCAA tournament.
97. Portland against Portland state
The absence of a rich story of basketball will not keep a heated rivalry from this list. The pilots and the Vikings, despite different conferences, despise themselves and have played extremely competitive matches in the past two decades. This is enough to justify a place in the top 100.
96. Uconn against St. John’s
A rivalry too cool to be higher on this list, St. John’s vs Uconn has a chance to be the greatest thing in the Big East during the decade that awaits us. Two of the most high-end head coaches in sport, Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley are too animated for these games do not give us more memorable moments (such as Hurley’s fiery interaction with “Red Blazer Guy”) over the coming years.
95. Southeast state of Missouri against the University of South Illinois Edwardsville
Look at any match at any time between Semo and Siue, and the disdain that the two programs have for the other will be impossible to miss. Semo has historically dominated the series, but Siue is the side with the current boastful rights after eliminating their arc rivals in the Ohio Valley tournament match last year to hit their first post for the NCAA tournament.
94. Illinois vs Northwestern
The rivalry dates back to 1908, but cannot be classified higher on this list because of how the Illini dominated. While the two teams have divided their season series in each of the last three years, Illinois still holds the count of all time by a huge total of 144 victories at 46.
93. UAB against Memphis
Memphis dominated the “battle for the bones” while the couple were both members of Conference USA, and resumed since the UAB joined the American in 2023. Although the two played classics over the years, the Tigers directed the series of all time 40-12.
92. Houston against Texas Tech
Houston had no trouble having high level enemies since he joined the Big 12, and Texas Tech is at the top of this list. The two teams played a pair of fantastic matches last season and divided the eight games they played every time. This has the potential to be one of the best Big 12 rivalries in the coming years.
91. North Florida against Jacksonville
Atlantic Sun’s crosstown rivals play a pair of matches every season known as “River City Rumble”. Jacksonville won the first 11 games in the history of the series, but the Ospreys resumed to claim an advantage from 23 to 22 to 22 to 22 years.
90. The citadel against VMI
One of the most fun and competitive rivalries of all mid-majeur basketball, the two Socon military schools played for the first time in 1920 (a VMI 71-8 victory), and played almost every year since 1953. VMI has been leading the series of all time by the narrowest margins, 63-62.
89. Virginie-Western against Marshall
It is the first of a handful of rivalries on this list which are currently defined by one side refusing to play the other. Despite a lot of protest from the Marshall team, the Virginia-Western refused to play its rivals in the state in a match scheduled since the 2015-2016 season. This resulted in a spicy match of the NCAA tournament in 2018 which was won by the Mountaineers.
88. Byu against Gonzaga
Another trend on this list will once will be hot rivalries that have been considerably cooled thanks to the realignment of the conference. The pair played fantastic matches, including three conference tournament title games, during the passage of Byu in the Big West, but they have not square since the cougars bounded for the Big 12.
87. Georgetown against Villanova
This rivalry does not fully concern the 1985 national championship match … But it is largely the 1985 national championship match. Despite Georgetown’s difficulties as a program in the last decade and the recent domination of Villanova in the series, the Hoyas still have an advantage of 51-46.
86. Murray state against Belmont
The two programs dominated the Ohio Valley conference during their coexistence in the League, then left together for the Missouri Valley in 2022. They have not yet found the same level of success in the MVC, but their rivalry has persisted.
85. Charlotte against Davidson
North Carolina’s rivals play each year for “the Nest Hornet trophy”. Charlotte leads the series of all time, 31-20, but after a victory last year, Davidson has now won nine from the last 12 games.
84. Stephen F. Austin against Sam Houston
Although the basketball series is not as cool as that of football – “Battle of the Piney Woods” – it is even more steeped in history. The two programs have played several times a year since 1956, Stephen F. Austin winning 74 times and Sam Houston winning 61 victories.
83. Wofford against Furman
The “i-85” rivalry is one of the biggest highlights of any season of the socon. It is particularly remarkable given the success of the two programs, the burrows and the paladins being the only active members of the conference who won a match in the NCAA tournament this century. Wofford has the ultimate boastful rights at the time after eliminating Furman during the Socon championship match last March.
82. Drexel against Penn
Although the couple has not played as many times as you have if you have one thing, “the battle of the 33rd street” is always remarkable to be the geographic rivalry closest to the athletics of division I, school campuses sharing a physical border and their land at home located at houses. The rivalry received a boost in 2023 when Drexel was officially added to the famous Philadelphia “Big 5.”
81. Baylor against Houston
Although Houston dominated the series of all time (40-16), the teams of Kelvin Sampson and Scott Drew played absolute bangers since the cougars joined the Big 12. The two games are automatic circles on the Big 12 sports calendar at this stage.
80. Dayton against Saint Louis
There seem to be fans on both sides here who deny the existence of this rivalry (especially on the UD side), but it is quite clearly one thing. The programs are two of the biggest brands in Atlantic 10 and play for the “Arch Baron Cup” each season. Dayton is currently heading the series of all time, 43-30.
79. Oakland against Detroit-mercy
The only two schools in Division I of the Detroit region, the two Horizon League programs meet twice a year in the “Metro Series”. While Oakland, winners of 12 of the last 13 games, checked the series, the level of outrage which is present whenever the two teams share the court which always makes an appointment.
78. Miami (Ohio) against Ohio
Dating from 1908, the “Battle of the Bricks” is one of the oldest and most played rivalries throughout university basketball. Miami leads the series of all time by a count of 121-96, but the Ohio won 10 of the last 12.
77. Canisius against Niagara
The oldest rivalry of Maac, Canisius and Niagara met for the first time on hardwood in 1904. The two programs are competing for all sports each year in what is called “Battle of the Bridge”, a reference to the Pont de Grand Island, which the two teams must cross to reach the campus of the other. Whatever the program that has the most total victories at the end of the sporting year receives the “Canal Cup”. Niagara heads the male basketball series of all time, 112-84.
76. Memphis vs tennessee
This is one of the strangest rivalries on the list. When he burned, he burned about as brilliantly as any rivalry in university basketball. In fact, you might say that excessive heat is the deep cause of the two teams that do not play more than they have done over the years. This century saw the teams playing a confrontation n ° 1 against n ° 2 in 2008, then a sequence of absolutely ridiculous events in 2018 and 2019 which led the two parties (or at least the part of Tennessee) by choosing not to continue the series. Hatred is still there. We just need to recover the games.
Come back soon for the next episode of this series.
