Well, take your pick. I feel these are the five most heated.

Cincinnati-Xavier (Cincinnati leads 49-31)
Duke-North Carolina (North Carolina leads 132-104)
Georgetown-Syracuse (Syracuse leads 49-41)
Kansas-Missouri (Kansas leads 172-95)
Kentucky-Louisville (Kentucky leads 30-15)

Michigan vs Ohio State is big.

The Bedlam game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is nothing to sneeze at.

(07-08-2013 12:31 AM)oklalittledixie Wrote:  Michigan vs Ohio State is big.

Uh - I don't think so. I live in Michigan and I can tell you that game goes by without much fanfare in most seasons. When has a UMich-OhioSt basketball game ever been the biggest basketball game in their own conference - much less the nation? I can recall no big basketball games between the two in decades.

Any meaningful biggest basketball rivalry in the Big10 would have to include Indiana - but there is no quintessential Big10 basketball rivalry, because the other meaningful team changes decade to decade. At times it was Purdue, at other times its been MichSt, at other times it was Illinois. It isn't consistent enough to rank nationally as a big rivalry.

I've been to a Cincinnati-Xavier game and it is intense - but I'll go with Kentucky-L'ville.

(07-08-2013 01:14 AM)nert Wrote:  

(07-08-2013 12:31 AM)oklalittledixie Wrote:  Michigan vs Ohio State is big.

Uh - I don't think so. I live in Michigan and I can tell you that game goes by without much fanfare in most seasons. When has a UMich-OhioSt basketball game ever been the biggest basketball game in their own conference - much less the nation? I can recall no big basketball games between the two in decades.

Any meaningful biggest basketball rivalry in the Big10 would have to include Indiana - but there is no quintessential Big10 basketball rivalry, because the other meaningful team changes decade to decade. At times it was Purdue, at other times its been MichSt, at other times it was Illinois. It isn't consistent enough to rank nationally as a big rivalry.

I've been to a Cincinnati-Xavier game and it is intense - but I'll go with Kentucky-L'ville.

You're wrong about Indiana and the B1G.

It's clearly NW v. PSU. For anyone who doesn't know, this is the most intense rivalry in sports. Every year these two basketball team get into a bareknuckle pillow fight to determine who has the honor of not being the worst team in the most boring conference this side of the Pacific Ocean.

http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/1/1...basketball
WE ARE...

EDIT: Yes, that is a link to an actual PSU fan board. I didn't make anything up about the PSU v. NW tickle fight to giggle out of the B1G's big cellar.

I don't know if it's the best "rivalry", but I would be surprised if any 2 schools hate each other more than UC and Xavier. Maybe the most unique thing about it is the geniune hate between the players. Most rivalries are fans rivalries. UC/X you have trouble with these kids in the same building and it gets passed down to each group of freshmen.

The exact same thing that makes it awesome is also the reason they took it off campus and it may not continue. They're trying everything they can to tone it down.

Admittedly bias coming from North Carolina, I think it is hands down Carolina and Duke. It will be interesting to see what people think who do not have a biased opinion.

(07-08-2013 07:23 AM)RIFRAF Wrote:  Admittedly bias coming from North Carolina, I think it is hands down Carolina and Duke. It will be interesting to see what people think who do not have a biased opinion.

I think it just depends what you like in a rivalry. UNC/Duke has 2 of the top 5 or 10 programs. The quality of play is historically better than probably anything else on this list.

I am biased as well, but it doesn't matter. It's UNC and Duke. Two all-time top 5 programs, 8 miles apart, and could potentially play each other 4 times in a given year. Kentucky and Louisville is very heated but they've only played 45 times. Kansas and Missouri is great as well, but both schools don't have the sustained excellence.

No contest.

I'm sure the partisans will vote for their respective schools, but from a neutral national perspective, the top basketball rivalry is UNC-Duke and none of the others come close.

(07-08-2013 07:32 AM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  I am biased as well, but it doesn't matter. It's UNC and Duke. Two all-time top 5 programs, 8 miles apart, and could potentially play each other 4 times in a given year. Kentucky and Louisville is very heated but they've only played 45 times. Kansas and Missouri is great as well, but both schools don't have the sustained excellence.

Agreed. Its Duke/UNC with nothing else close.

It's UNC and Duke, not even really sure why this poll is necessary. I hate it, but that's just the reality.

Georgetown vs Syracuse easy.

In regards to G'Town/Syracuse .. If this were 1985 it would make sense to have them on the list. The reality is the G'town/Syracuse game other than the occasional odd year (like last year) hasn't really meant much because G'Town has not been consistently good. The better rivalry game for the past decade plus has been UConn/Syracuse.

I will not miss playing G'town at all but will miss playing UConn.

I would have voted for SU-GU, but couldn't do so now that they are not in the same conference.

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder.

But in terms of national attention and focus, nothing else comes close to Duke/UNC.

For one year the best will be Louisville vs. Kentucky...the current Champs vs. the #1 Contender & both will start the year in the Top 2...

Duke-North Carolina has produced some classic games but in a lot of ways playing twice a year hurts the outcome of one single game which is why football rivalry games tend to have more meaning but this is as close as it gets in terms of having a classic conference rivalry.

Kentucky-Louisville is can't miss TV regardless if hate both schools. Its one of those rivalry games that you feel a real sense of dislike between the fans; however, Kentucky's one and done ways make it difficult to sense a rivalry between the players.

Cincinnati-Xavier might not be best rivalry in terms of game quality over the last few years. The national impact might not be what it used to be but the these schools do not like each other. Most players in the rivalry don't leave school early plus you factor in that they play in the same summer league which gives this game a neighborhood feel. Its a really a culture clash in terms of fans, students and alumni, Big Public Research University versus Catholic School.

Speaking from a biased perspective... I am going to say UC vs. X for the shocker. I have two reasons to root against X because I root for UD too! Unfortunately, UD and X won't play each other because of conference and UC and X might not play after this year because they can't agree on where to play the game in the future.

Despite Dookie V ruining it for the casual fan, it's Duke / UNC. Other than looking for validation I don't know the purpose of this thread, none of the others come close. I will watch a cincy/x game for instance, due to the intensity, so they can be great games. Conference realignment will basically kill a couple of these games. I can see Cal begging out of the UL game if things don't go his way in the future, didn't he already ***** out of playing IU?