// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var spt_bkc_rivalries = new Array(); spt_bkc_rivalries.ID = "spt_bkc_rivalries"; spt_bkc_rivalries.ID_WB = 11657577; spt_bkc_rivalries.sPubDate = "3/2/2009 8:05:16 PM GMT"; spt_bkc_rivalries.navsectionID = "3038997" spt_bkc_rivalries.appFmt = 9; spt_bkc_rivalries.itemsPerPage = 1; spt_bkc_rivalries.appWidth = 624; spt_bkc_rivalries.appHeader = ""; spt_bkc_rivalries.appNavStyle = 4; spt_bkc_rivalries.bDhtml = 0; spt_bkc_rivalries.appLayout = 3; spt_bkc_rivalries.copyHeight = 625; spt_bkc_rivalries.copyWidth = 500; spt_bkc_rivalries.copyMargin = 9; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Intro","North Carolina's Sean May blocks a shot by Duke's Shelden Williams. The Heels-Devils rivalry is one of college basketball's all-time greats.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040305/030405_UNCDuke_vmed_9p.vmedium.jpg","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "Craig Jones", "Getty Images", "266", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "Bouncy cheerleaders, blaring bands and sold-out arenas do not make a college hoops rivalry. They add to the pomp and circumstance, but it takes much more for two teams truly to be called rivals.

It takes h-e-a-t, or its anagram h-a-t-e. Any way you spell it, a rivalry must have long-term intensity.

It needs Matt Doherty being caught on camera calling the Duke cheerleaders \"the ugliest in the ACC\" in his first game at Durham as coach of North Carolina.

Or a coach referred to by fans as \"Traitor Rick,\" even though Louisville’s Pitino is the man who restored Kentucky to national prominence in the '90s.

It's when a whole state clamors to hate you, according to an SI.com poll of Missourians who hate Kansas more than the Cubs and Raiders.

It's clear when fights have broken out after games or coaches have refused to shake hands afterwards in a city rivalry that may be more heated than any other. And of course it needs elite basketball programs so that something besides bragging rights is at stake every time the teams meet."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","DUKE VS. UNC","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","The stage","Duke's Lance Thomas has his shot blocked by North Carolina's Reyshawn Terry during a 2007 game.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070304/070304_UNC_vmed_330p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Streeter Lecka", "Getty Images", "298", "195", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
This might be the greatest rivalry in all sports, not just college basketball. As Mike Krzyzewski once said about the uniqueness of the two school's geography, “Forget the Big Ten ... we share the same dry cleaners ... There is no other area like this. It produces things, situations, feelings that you can’t talk to other people about. Because they have no understanding of it.”

TV analyst Dick Vitale often talks about why Duke-Carolina is No. 1. As he told NBCSports.com, “Because of the great tradition of both schools, the fact that they are about eight miles apart, the great basketball environment on both campuses and the fact that every game is meaningful in their own conference and on the national scene.”

Carolina holds a 128-97 advantage in the competition that has been an annual event since 1920 -- but Duke has won 17 of the past 24 games. Both teams are among the sport’s most accomplished, too. Duke has won three NCAA titles and been in 14 Final Fours. North Carolina has won four national championships and appeared in 17 Final Fours.

Like in any great rivalry, the players understand how important the game are. Former Tar Heels center Brendan Haywood remarked, “I don't want to share the ACC title with anybody — especially Duke.”

And with former Kansas coach Roy Williams — a Tar Heel graduate and former assistant — taking over UNC before the 2003-04 season, the series took on a renewed vigor with Carolina’s national resurgence. Williams' record against Duke as UNC coach is 5-5."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Great moments","North Carolina coach Roy Williams","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/z_Projects_in_progress/040224_College_hoops/040224_williams_app.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Grant Halverson", "AP", "267", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
So many games, so little cyberspace. There’s three games long-time observers usually talk about, last year's instant classic and this year's bloody finish.

In the 1984 ACC tournament semifinals, Mike Krzyzewski finally established himself as an ACC presence, guiding Duke to a 77-75 victory over a team that featured Michael Jordan, Brad Daugherty, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith and Matt Doherty.

Before that, Carolina laid claim to a double-overtime thriller, winning a ’74 regular season game, 96-92.

In 1995, Krzyzewski was out for the season with back problems and Duke struggled to a 13-18 season. But the Blue Devils pushed the Tar Heels to double overtime before falling, 102-100.

In Williams’ first rivalry game during the 2003-04 season, the Tar Heels had No. 1 Duke on the ropes, but Chris Duhon drove the length of the floor in the final seconds for an 83-81 overtime victory.

North Carolina provided a game that their fans could finally rave about after recent struggles. Ranked No. 2 in the 2004-05 ACC regular-season finale, the Heels needed to beat the Devils to clinch their first outright title since 1993. They got it once freshman Marvin Williams converted a three-point play in the final seconds of a 75-73 win.

In 2006, North Carolina swept Duke for the first time since 1995. But the second meeting provided the memorable moment with 14.5 seconds left when Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough leaped for a layup. After the ball left his hand, he was struck in the face by Gerald Henderson’s right elbow.

Hansbrough crumpled to the ground, his nose bleeding onto the floor and down his face, before he jumped to his feet menacingly and had to be restrained from Duke’s players while he was taken to the locker room. The officials reviewed the play and ejected Henderson, then later said in a joint statement that under NCAA rules he would be suspended for one game."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Fanfare","Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050205/050205_coachk_vmed.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Ellen Ozier", "Reuters", "277", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
“They hate us,” former North Carolina guard Joseph Forte once said. “Just like we hate them.”

No wonder the famed Cameron Crazies will break into chants of “Go to hell, Carolina, go to hell,” at any time. The Crazies are at their best when the Tar Heels are in the house. Among their most “creative” works: Waving tongue depressors to taunt Michael Jordan; holding signs that called Mike O’Koren, who had a skin problem, “OXY-1000 Poster Child;” wearing makeshift halos and chanting “We beg to differ,” instead of the usual two-syllable expletive, whenever they disagreed with a call. They had been asked to clean up their act for Carolina after throwing panties and condoms the week before at a Maryland player who had been accused of a sex crime.

Carolina fans are known more for being cocky and arrogant — especially during the glory years of Dean Smith — than for being boisterous or clever.
"; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","KENTUCKY VS. LOUISVILLE","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","The stage","Kentucky's Jodie Meeks shoots over Louisville's Brad Gianiny in their 2006 matchup.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/2006/061215/061216_meeks_vmed_3p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "John Sommers Ii", "Reuters", "274", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
The fine book “Blue Yonder” by Lonnie Wheeler refers to Kentucky as The United States of Basketball. Such is the passion for roundball in the Bluegrass State.

Yet the greatest thing about this rivalry is that between 1959 and 1983, the teams did not play each other once because of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. He hated Louisville and was haughty and arrogant about his own school’s border-to-border supremacy. But as Louisville, under Denny Crum, surpassed the Wildcats in the 1980s in becoming a national power, it was inevitable that the rivalry would be renewed. The NCAA Tournament seeding committee fired the first shot, setting it up so that the schools met for the first time in 24 years in 1983. The next fall, an annual contest known as the Dream Game, was staged.

And when Rick Pitino was hired at Louisville, “This rivalry will be driven up a notch,” Dick Vitale said of the coach who had guided Kentucky back to national prominence.

Kentucky leads the all-time series, 26-14."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Great moments","Kentuck coach Billy Gillispie.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/getty/gyi0056555586.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Andy Lyons", "Getty Images", "269", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Louisville won that first “reunion” in 1983, outscoring Kentucky 18-6 in overtime en route to an 80-68 victory that sent the Cards to the Final Four.

Kentucky returned the favor the next fall in the first regular-season meeting in 61 years, winning, 65-44, in Lexington. The Wildcats also won the rematch that season in the NCAA Tournament, 72-67, in the Mideast Regional.

December of ’01 marked the return of Pitino to Lexington. An easy 82-62 victory for the Wildcats eased the pain of seeing Pitino on the opposing bench for the rabid UK fans. But the Cardinals would snag some big wins, including a memorable victory that snapped Kentucky’s 27-game regular-season winning streak.

Louisville limited No. 2 Kentucky to one field goal over the final 5:47 in a 65-56, its first win at Rupp Arena since 1997-98, a season in which Kentucky won the NCAA title.

A 2004-05 meeting was just as good, but with a different result. Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks hit three free throws in the final second to cap a 60-58 victory in a game that Louisville lead 32-16 at halftime.

The 2009 matchup saw Louisville's Edgar Sosa nail a 25-foot three-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Cards a 74-71 win."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Fanfare","Louisville coach Rick Pitino.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/031226/031226_rickpitino_vmed_6p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Ed Reinke", "AP", "233", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Since returning to the Bluegrass state as Louisville's coach, Pitino has been dubbed “Traitor Rick” by the good folks in Lexington.

Among the signs at Rupp Arena: “Cardinal Sin;” “Their Coach is Still a Crum;“ and this classic: “Joann, We Never Liked You Either,” referring to Pitino's wife, who did not attend the game.

The fans also chanted, “Let's Go Celtics” late in the game, deriding Pitino's unsuccessful NBA stint in Boston. “A good-natured jest,” Pitino, ever the diplomat, said after the game. “That's what entertainment and college basketball is all about. You have to laugh and have some fun.”"; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","KANSAS VS. MISSOURI","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","The stage","Kansas guard Sherron Collins.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/090302-SherronCollins-vmed-12p%20.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Orlin Wagner", "AP", "273", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Missouri seems always to be climbing uphill in this rivalry, often known as the Border War because the two states are neighbors.

Kansas has the tradition — the game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, once coached there. Current coach Bill Self is just in his second year, but he once was a Jayhawks assistant and knows the stakes.

“There are so many bragging rights in Kansas City,” Self has said. “Not too many metropolitan areas are divided in half like that. With Illinois-Missouri you may have Chicago vs. St. Louis. But with this game it’s Kansas City vs. Kansas City.”

The Tigers have struggled in the last few years, ending with the resignation of coach Quin Snyder. Too bad, too. Snyder understood the importance of winning this rivalry.

“No one wants to beat Kansas as bad as I do,” Snyder said early in his Missouri career, quickly getting the hang of this hate thing.

Kansas holds a 167-95 edge, including 15 of last 20 games in a rivalry that is especially intense in western Missouri, where the fans are more evenly split on their allegiances. "; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Great moments","Missouri coach Mike Anderson.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070115/070115_anderson_vmed_9p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Orlin Wagner", "AP", "289", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Snyder gained instant credibility during his rookie season of 1999-2000 by belting No. 7 Kansas, 81-59.

Former Missouri coach Norm Stewart also could be relied on for a big win or two against the Jayhawks.

Sloan’s Tigers won Big 8 titles in ’90 and ’94 — which was unbeaten in league play — but a 96-94 double overtime win against Kansas was as big as it gets. The Jayhawks entered the game unbeaten (22-0) and ranked No. 1.

However, most of the highlights in this series belong to the Jayhawks, including two narrow victories over Missouri in the 1987-88 regular season that helped Kansas get into the NCAA Tournament with 11 losses. The Jayhawks eventually won the national championship under Larry Brown and led by Danny Manning.

Self got the hang of the rivalry in his first season, beating the Tigers three times, including an 84-82 nail-biter at Missouri. Freshman David Padgett hit the game-winner from the baseline with two seconds left, which Self called “... an unbelievable shot, as big a shot as I've had a freshman make.”

Missouri coach Mike Anderson took the Jayhawks down to the wire in his first appearance at Allen Fieldhouse. KU needed a career-best 23 points from freshman Sherron Collins to seal the win.
"; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Fanfare","Kansas coach Bill Self.
","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040226/040226_jayhawks_vsml_2p.vsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Nati Harnik", "AP file", "198", "140", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Kansas has one of the most renowned college fight songs — “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” — plus cheerleaders, a pep band and a large, loyal alumni following that accompanies the team on its annual March cross-country jaunts.

New Missouri coach Mike Anderson's team has a group of fanatic students known as “The Antlers,” They wear wigs and makeup, cheer with gusto — and then some — and especially like to harass Kansas players. Sometimes it’s over the top — spitting and throwing things. Sometimes it's outrageous fun — holding up huge banners with the home phone numbers of the KU players displayed for the national TV audience.

Kansas fans don’t always have the most tact, either. In 2003, when Missouri guard Ricky Clemons was accused of beating a female acquaintance, a Kansas coed showed up at a game donning a black eye and a T-shirt that read “Ricky’s Girlfriend.”

In the end, the players also get in on the act.

“We always want to beat Missouri,” Kansas forward Nick Collison said. “We hate them and they hate us. I would love to beat them 100-0, but that just isn’t going to happen. It is really fun to beat them.”"; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","CINCINNATI VS. XAVIER","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","The stage","Cincinnati's Deonta Vaughn drives against Xavier's Stanley Burrell in their 2006 matchup.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061213/061213_cincinnati_vmed_6p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Al Behrman", "AP", "252", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
This one is truly a backyard brawl, as both schools are just 10 minutes apart in the same city. It may not have the same national impact, but that doesn't mean the games aren't great.

The teams didn't begin playing annually until 1946 and Cincinnati dominated, winning 34 of the first 46 meetings until the Musketeers started closing the gap in the 1980s under coach Pete Gillen. In 1986, the event was christened the Crosstown Shootout by local media, and corporate sponsorship soon followed.

Today, that’s a good indication that an event is truly big time. “It's unique,” former Xavier coach Skip Prosser said. “I can't imagine one being more intense.”

Ex-Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins agreed, saying, \"I think you have to live here to really understand it.\"

Some worry that without Huggins, who was fired as Cincinnati coach before the 2005-06 season, the rivalry might lose some steam. But we're still fans.

Just read what Gillen told the Cincinnati Post before their 2006 showdown: \"That's ridiculous. Bob was a great coach; we banged heads a couple times, but he was a great competitor. It's the universities. It's not the coaches. It's the institutions. It's the alumni, and the students. It's still a great rivalry. It takes a little sizzle away (without Huggins), but once the ball goes up, it goes out the window.\"

Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 47-29, but Xavier has won nine of last the last 12."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Great moments","Ex-Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/z_Projects_in_progress/040224_College_hoops/040224_huggins_app.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Chuck Burton", "AP", "258", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
In the 1963-64 game, Xavier’s Steve Thomas scored a series-high 45 points, but Cincinnati triumphed, 94-92, led by Ron Bonham’s 36 points.

But most of the drama has been in the last decade.

In late November of ’96, Cincinnati was ranked No. 1 in the country, but Xavier pulled off the upset, 71-69, on Lenny Brown’s running one-hander from the foul line at the buzzer, capping a rally from five points down with 1:28 to play.

In the 1999-2000 showdown, the Bearcats were again No. 1 and the Musketeers were again unimpressed. Xavier pulled off another shocker, 66-64, on two free throws and a breakaway layup by Kevin Frey in the final 30 seconds.

During the 2003-04 season, it was more of the same. The Bearcats entered the game 15-2, but lost on a last-minute shot by Xavier guard Lionel Chalmers for 71-69 win. It signaled the Musketeers, who were 10-9 entering the game, as one of the nation’s hottest teams, making a run into the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.

And even this season's showdown, the first without Huggins, was a doozy. Xavier blew a six-point lead in regulation, then squandered a five-point lead in overtime before finally winning 73-71."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Fanfare","Xavier coach Sean Miller/","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/apmegasports/200901282108761148608-pf.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Al Behrman", "AP", "258", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
Still, as good as the games have been, the rivalry is probably the most heated among any in the country. Fights have followed the game, coaches have refused to shake hands and a week-long build-up always plays into the hype.

“When you’re literally three miles from each other and with the basketball craze that surrounds this area, this game truly is about one game,” former Xavier coach Thad Matta said. “The game is about the city championship.”

Noise is always a huge factor in creating home advantages in college hoops, but how’s this?

“It was so loud, you couldn’t hear a guy standing three feet away from you,” Xavier forward David West said after the 2002 game. “Our ears were ringing, and we couldn’t hear coach on the sidelines. You couldn’t hear plays being called so you had to have signals.”"; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","ON THE WANE","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Indiana-Purdue","Ex-Purdue coach Gene Keady.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041031/041031_keady_vmed_4p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Dave Martin", "AP", "298", "195", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
This is a basketball-mad state that was the inspiration for the movie “Hoosiers” and where John Wooden displayed his wizardry on the courts in high school and college (at Purdue) long before he became a legend at UCLA.

And for nearly 20 years, the duels featured two of the feistiest and most intense coaches in the business — Bobby Knight and Gene Keady — in the tradition-rich Big Ten conference.

The series began in 1901 and Purdue holds the overall edge. The two have combined for 40 Big Ten titles (Purdue 21 and Indiana 20, 1-2 in conference history).

So how can it be on the decline? Well, both schools have had serious donwturns.

Keady suffered through a losing season in his last year. The Boilermakers finally became a contender again in 2007-08 under former player Matt Painter. His fourth season resulted in a 25-9 mark.

Indiana reached the Final Four in 2002 under coach Mike Davis, but his teams never lived up to the standards Knight's teams set. Kelvin Sampson replaced him, but his tenure resulted in the Hoosiers landing in serious NCAA trouble. New coach Tom Crean has a young, inexperinced squad that is dead last in the Big Ten."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Georgetown-Syracuse","Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/z_Projects_in_progress/040224_College_hoops/040224_boeheim_app.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Joe Raymond", "AP", "298", "186", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
This one hasn’t been the same since John Thompson retired in 1999. Plus, Hoya fans never embraced the rivalry the way Orange fans did.

Still, it had it’s memorable moments like when Thompson grabbed a microphone and told Syracuse fans “Now, Manley Field House is officially closed,” after Georgetown staged a stunning second-half comeback in the final game at the dusty old facility that was replaced by the Carrier Dome.

Once the Carrier Dome opened, Georgetown-Syracuse would crack the 30,000 attendance barrier several times — and provide great theater, too. On Jan. 29, 1985, 32,229 fans watched Pearl Washington’s 15-footer from the foul line beat the Hoyas, 65-63. On Feb. 2, 1987, 32,602 saw Georgetown win, 72-71. On March 5, 1990, a record crowd of 33,015 enjoyed an 89-87 overtime victory over No. 7 Georgetown in a game that featured a 10-point play as three different officials called technical fouls on Thompson.

Indeed, their rivalry was an integral part to the Big East. When Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese had to realign the 14-team conference a couple of years ago and create two divisions, the first thing he did was put the Orangemen and Hoyas in the same division.

“I was committed to putting Syracuse and Georgetown together,” Tranghese said. “That’s been the defining rivalry of the league.”

The alignment, which is now a 16-team giant conference, hasn’t held up, though, reducing them to one game a season.

Syracuse, which gave coach Jim Boeheim his first national title in 2003, has maintained its status as a national powerhouse. Now that Thompson’s son, John III, has taken over at Georgetown, the rivalry might heat up again."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","ON THE RISE","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("","Connecticut vs. Pittsburgh","Connecticut's Ben Gordon drives by Pittsburgh's Julius Page.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040119/040119_vmed_gordon_6p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Bob Child", "AP", "206", "320", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_bkc_rivalries[i-1].body = "
There’s a series of rivalries that flared recently like Duke-Maryland, Florida-Kentucky and UCLA-Arizona.

And geography and burning desire makes up for the up-and-down fortunes of these schools’ rivalries: Iowa-Iowa State, Michigan-Michigan State, Stanford-California, Penn-Princeton and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State.

Philadelphia’s Big 5 — first formed in 1954 — is a rivalry unto itself and one of the most entertaining. It has renewed its round-robin series that was halted for several years because of conference affiliations and NCAA rules that caused scheduling gridlock, so recognition should be given to Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s, Penn and LaSalle.

But there’s another budding rivalry in the Big East that has provided some of best games of the past five years: Connecticut vs. Pittsburgh.

Fans and players don’t really hate each other, but the level of play in their games has thrusted this to the forefront. The 2003-04 Big East title game, which the Huskies won, 61-58 after the Panthers took the regular-season title, is a great example.

With star Emeka Okafor hobbled by back spasms, guard Ben Gordon hit the game-winner and set the Big East Tournament scoring record in the process. Oh yeah, it was the third straight time they’d played for the title. It was the fourth straight final for the Panthers and the eighth in 10 years for Connecticut.

More impressive?

Pitt joined Connecticut (1994-96) as the only team to win or share a Big East regular-season title in three straight seasons. The Big East played in divisions from 1995-98 and 2001-03 and thus didn’t have a single champion those seasons.

They haven't played in a Big East title game since, but both are among the nation's Top 10 teams again this year, which always makes for great basketball between these two."; spt_bkc_rivalries[i++] = new Array("spt_best_BKC_rivlary","VOTE: What's the best rivalry?","","","","", "lv2", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); // END editorial data