March Madness rivalries: Some of the most intense matchups in college basketball

It’s almost time for March Madness to begin again. It seems like just yesterday we were watching one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball when Kansas and North Carolina battled it out in the NCAA Championship game. Kansas ended up coming away with an epic comeback win, 72-69, which was exciting enough in itself, but the fact that these schools have a historic rivalry just made it that much better. Though North Carolina may be better known for its rivalry with Duke, the Jayhawks and Tar Heels have developed a rivalry over the years as well. In fact, both get attention in our list of top rivalries in college basketball.

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Top rivalries in college basketball

Duke-North Carolina

North Carolina leads series 143-116

Duke and North Carolina are one of the greatest rivalries, not just in college basketball, but of any sport. The crazy fans and the quality of play on the court year after year make these two teams some of the most exciting to watch. Between the two of them, they have 11 NCAA Championships and 39 ACC Championships. The distance between the two schools is just 10 miles along U.S. Highway 15-501, better known as Tobacco Road. These two schools send players to the pros on a regular basis and almost every year, at least one of them are serious contenders to win the Championship.

In last years’ March Madness tournament, they went head-to-head in the Final Four, with NC going on to play in the NCAA Championship game, which they would lose to Kansas.

Kansas-North Carolina

The series is tied, 6-6 overall

These two schools have a historic rivalry different from the one North Carolina has with Duke. Last year, the two met in the NCAA Championship game and Kansas recorded the biggest comeback win in the history of the NCAA men’s championship game with 16 points. That was the seventh time the team has met in the March Madness tournament and the second time they’d met in the final. The first time, North Carolina came away with a 54-53 win in overtime back in 1957 when Kansas was playing with NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain.

Kentucky-Louisville

Kentucky leads series, 38-17

This rivalry really began to heat up in 1983, when the two met in the March Madness tournament. Rick Pitino was the Kentucky Wildcats coach for most of the 90s, but moved to coach the Louisville Cardinals in 2001, further adding to the rivalry at the time. In their 2012 journey to the NCAA Championship, Kentucky beat Louisville twice in a rematch in the Final Four. Kentucky has won eight total NCAA Championships and Louisville has won two (their third in 2013 was vacated due to a sex scandal that engulfed the program).

Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s

Gonzaga leads series, 79-33

Saint Mary’s sometimes seems to be Gonzaga’s Achilles’ heel. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have appeared in the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship 27 times with 19 wins and eight losses. Besides the Zags, the Saint Mary’s Gaels are the only other NCAA team to have double-digit appearances in the championship. They are also the only team since Pepperdine in the 1999-2000 season to win a league title ahead of Gonzaga. Both teams have been in the top three in the WCC over the last 20 years and between the two of them, they have combined to win 20 of the last 24 conference championship games.

Cincinnati-Xavier

Cincinnati leads series, 18-12

This rivalry, known as the Crosstown Shootout, is marked by the fact that the two schools are just three miles apart, one of the closest in the country. In 2011, the passion between the two schools was obvious when a full-on postgame brawl broke out. Xavier had a comfortable 23-point lead with just 9.4 seconds left, but the brawl ended the game and saw three players ejected. Both teams are regulars in the March Madness tournament, Cincinnati having played in 33 and Xavier in 28, though Xavier has yet to win the championship. Cincinnati has a won it twice.

Michigan-Ohio State

Ohio State leads series, 107-82

This rivalry may be better known in the sport of football, but the men’s basketball teams have their own passionate battles going, too. They each have just one National Championship, but are consistently a threat in the Big Ten. Ohio State leads the series, but the Wolverines pulled off a big win over the Buckeyes back in 1992, a 75-71 nail biter in the NCAA March Madness tournament. In 2013, the Buckeyes ruined Michigan’s perfect undefeated record with a 56-53 victory.

Indiana-Purdue

Purdue leads series, 125-92

This Hoosier State Big Ten rivalry has been going on for over 100 years. It started in 1901 with the two teams playing each other at least once a year every year since. Purdue has won the Big Ten Conference title 25 times and Indiana has won it 22 times. Though they lead the series, Purdue has not yet won an NCAA championship, whereas Indiana has won five. The defining moment in the rivalry between these schools came in 1985, when Indiana’s then-coach Bobby Knight threw a chair ono the court in a fit of rage over what he considered a bad call. The image of Knight throwing the chair has become the symbol of the rivalry.

UCLA-Arizona

UCLA leads series, 63-47

Though these teams have been playing each other since the 1920s, the rivalry really began in 1978 when Arizona joined the Pac 10 (now the Pac 12). The UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats have won 22 of 30 conference titles and eight of 17 conference tournament titles. They haven’t met in the NCAA March Madness tournament since 1976, when Arizona won.

Georgetown vs Villanova

Villanova leads series, 48-44

Villanova and Georgetown make up part of the “Catholic Seven” schools in the conference. This Big East rivalry got really heated in the 1985 NCAA championship game, when the No. 1 Georgetown Hoyas were favored to win for the second straight year and the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats instead pulled off a 66-64 upset. Both teams have been successful in the regular season and the NCAA. They play each other at least once every year now, so the rivalry continues to be as intense as in ‘85.