The sport of college basketball is filled with rivalries that make the sport what it is. There’s nothing like the pride and desire to beat a long-time rival, whether in-state or in the conference.
The best rivalries are among programs that can’t stand each other. It’s not just the fans — it’s the players and coaches included. The history of the game is passed on from year to year, continuing the bitter rivalry. Here are the best college basketball rivalries.
Best College Basketball Rivalries, From the ACC to the Ivy League
College basketball possesses some of the best rivalries in American sports; and we’re here to rank them. While number one on the list shouldn’t be a surprise, an Ivy League matchup and a yearly meeting between an ASUN member and Missouri Valley member made the list, showing the tradition of the sport as it continues today.
We’ll start with four rivalry matchups that just missed the cut.
Just Missed
- BYU Cougars vs. Utah Utes
- Kansas Jayhawks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
- UAB Blazers vs. Memphis Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide vs Auburn Tigers
10) Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
The Sunflower Showdown begins the list, headlined by two inter-state rivals, the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats. The sixth-most played series in NCAA men’s basketball history, the two schools are separated by less than 90 miles. Although the series has been dominated by Kansas, with a 205-96 all-time record, both Allen Fieldhouse and Bramlage Coliseum bring the energy each time these teams match up.
Between 1994 and 2005, the Jayhawks famously won 31 straight games against the Wildcats — but in recent years, the competitiveness has been brought back. Raucous atmospheres in both Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas State’s Bramlage Coliseum have been must-watch.
The early 2023 matchup featured Jayhawks stars Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick and Wildcats stars Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell squaring off. The Wildcats, ranked No. 13, defeated the No. 2 Jayhawks 83-82 in overtime despite Wilson’s 38-point explosion — the game proved to be one of best of the year. While the 2024-25 season has been a down year for Kansas State, expect their two meetings with Kansas to be high-intensity, hotly-contested contests.
9) Penn Quakers vs. Princeton Tigers
Both Penn and Princeton reside in the Ivy League — where they’ve dominated across the history of the league. Between 1963 and 2007, the Quakers or Tigers won or shared the Ivy League regular season championship every year with the exception of 1986 and 1988. Each have won 26 conference championships in school history and earned 24 bids to the NCAA tournament.
Aside from similar success within the conference, their head-to-head matchups do not disappoint. Penn holds a precious 126-124 lead over Princeton in the all-time series dating back to 1903. Different from power conferences, Penn and Princeton compete for a singular postseason bid in the Ivy League, further raising the intensity.
Princeton has been dominant in the series as of late, carrying an 11-game winning streak against the Quakers into 2025. They look excellent once again this season, highlighted by a victory over Rutgers in December. Regardless of the team’s records, the matchup is a regular sell-out in two historic gyms with a capacity of under 9,000, placed only 47 miles away from each other.
8) USC Trojans vs. UCLA Bruins
A former Pac-12 turned Big Ten rivalry, the Trojans and Bruins represent the Battle of Los Angeles. A roughly 20-minute drive between the two campuses, major bragging rights are on the line each time these programs meet.
They first met in 1928, and largely due to legendary Bruin head coach John Wooden, UCLA has 149 wins to only 114 losses all-time against USC. UCLA has 31 conference championships to USC’s seven, but the competition has turned in recent years. Since 2016, the Trojans have gone 12-9 against the Bruins, including six games that came down to the final possession.
Some major performances have taken place during this rivalry. Lew Alcindor — who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — made his varsity debut against USC, in which he scored a UCLA record 56 points, beginning his reign on college basketball. USC’s DeMar DeRozan capped off his freshman season with a 21-point, 13-rebound performance, knocking UCLA out of the Pac-12 tournament semifinals in 2009, leading to a conference championship.
Both have had a rough go to begin the 2024-25 season, but expect them to be at their best when the cross-town rivals meet in late January and early March.
7) Belmont Bruins vs. Lipscomb Bisons
The so-called Battle of the Boulevard has been one of the most competitive rivalries in all of college basketball. The two schools are separated by less than two miles in Nashville, Tennessee — likely contributing to the fact that the total margin of each of the last three matchups has been a mere four points.
Neither team wants to lose to their town rival. For now, Lipscomb holds a 76-75 record over Belmont. The rivalry began as a meeting of conference foes before Belmont left the ASUN ahead of the 2012-13 season to join the Missouri Valley Conference. The rivalry as previously known looked to be lost — until the schools agreed to play in each season in a non-conference meeting.
The most recent matchup, played on November 11, 2024, featured a game-winning and-one by the Bruins. While it’s a shame they’re not conference opponents anymore, it makes it that much more special meeting only once a year.
6) Georgetown Hoyas vs. Villanova Wildcats
Don’t let the recent Villanova domination in this series district prevent you from learning about the history of these two programs. Arguably the two most prestigious Big East programs, the rivalry goes back to the 1970s and 80s.
Two legendary coaches led these programs during those times: Georgetown’s John Thompson and Villanova’s Rollie Massimino. Each are inducted in numerous Hall of Fame’s and enjoyed success while leading their teams. Many hard-fought matchups took place between the Hoyas and Wildcats, but one rose above the others.
The 1985 national championship game pitted the Big East rivals against each other. The No. 8 seeded Wildcats upset the No. 1 seeded Hoyas, 66-64, to claim the program’s first national title. Defeating their bitter rivals while doing it made it that much more sweet.
5) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Saint Mary’s Gaels
Emerging as a national power in the early 2000s, Gonzaga appeared competition-less at the top of the West Coast Conference, winning eight of 10 conference championships in the 2000s. They continued their dominance into the 2010’s before Saint Mary’s began to challenge the Bulldogs at the top.
In 2010, Saint Mary’s defeated Gonzaga in the conference championship game — two years later, the same result. Six consecutive Gonzaga conference championships followed; Saint Mary’s finished second three times. The Gaels broke through once again in 2019, defeating the Bulldogs in the championship. Four more years of Bulldogs championships followed (with three more second-place finishes for Saint Mary’s) before the Gaels defeated the Bulldogs 69-60 in 2024 to claim the conference title.
Back and forth they’ve gone in recent years, splitting the last four matchups. Saint Mary’s has joined Gonzaga as a mid-level power, with NCAA tournament appearances in four of the last five tournaments.
Each time the Gaels and Bulldogs meet, the conference — regular season title or tournament — is likely going to be in favor of the winner. It’s one of the fastest-growing rivalries in the sport, and it’s not going anywhere but up.
4) Indiana Hoosiers vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Another inter-state rival, this time between Indiana and Purdue. The state of Indiana is known for it’s die-hard love for hoops, and the two largest universities in the state make up one of the best rivalries in college basketball.
The first matchup between these teams was in 1901, with Purdue leading the all-time series 127-92. The teams have gone back and forth asserting their dominance over each other; Indiana dominated the 2000’s while Purdue has had strong years throughout the 2010’s and into the 2020’s.
Both teams recruit well in-state — adding more animosity and familiarity to the matchup. Additionally, both are excellent basketball programs, with a combined 48 regular-season conference titles. A clash of teams that don’t particularly like each other leads to more than a few memorable moments within this rivalry.
There’s Indiana’s Isiah Thomas sucker punch of Purdue’s Roosevelt Barnes, the Bob Knight chair-throwing incident in 1985, and recently, the profanities laced toward Purdue center Matt Harms by the Indiana student section. Rivalries don’t get much more fierce than when these two teams meet.
3) Xavier Musketeers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
The Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and Cincinnati has been played every year since 1946. A non-conference matchup, the location alternates home court each year.
Cincinnati leads the all-time series 52-40 after dominating from the 1950’s through 1970’s. The series went back-and-forth before Xavier began to consistently win in the 2010’s, working to even the gap in the series.
These teams really don’t like each other. The 2011 game remains in infamy, perfectly encapsulating how much the players cared about beating the other team. While Xavier dribbled out a 76-53 victory, a fight started underneath the basket. Soon, the benches were cleared and an all-out brawl had ensued. Multiple players came out bloody.
While there hasn’t been a brawl of that magnitude in the years after, the city of Cincinnati comes out every year for this rivalry, selling out the arena and watching the most important game on each of these team’s schedules.
2) Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Two-blue blood programs also doubling as in-state rivals. Another non-conference rivalry, these two teams have met every year since 1983.
Kentucky leads the all-time series 40-17, having taken control in recent years. Throughout the 2010’s, each team was perennially ranked in the top-25 and ESPN regularly featured the matchup during their Rivalry Week.
Although they’ve been hard to come by as of late, each of the last four Louisville victories have come by three points. The NBA talent on both sides adds to the skill level in the game, as Kentucky has had 46 players drafted in the first round of the NBA draft while Louisville has had 24.
Forty minutes decide 12 months of bragging rights within the state of Kentucky, with nearly everyone in the state tuning in.
1) Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
The list wouldn’t be complete without the Blue Devils and Tar Heels at the top. It’s arguably one of the most intense rivalries in all of American sports. Located only ten miles apart, Duke and UNC meet twice a year as ACC conference opponents.
There are an incredible number of memorable moments. The matchup started to gain speed when UNC’s Dean Smith and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski led their respective teams in the 1980s and 1990s. Each year, the teams seemed to battle in the ACC tournament, the pendulum swinging back and forth. Since 1997, Duke or North Carolina has won 17 of 27 ACC Championships.
The stars to have made their mark in the matchup range from Duke’s Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, J.J. Reddick, Shane Battier, and Zion Williamson, among many others. North Carolina rivals that list led by Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Tyler Hansbrough, and Jerry Stackhouse.
While the stars in this bitter rivalry came and went, the lore lives in. Multiple books have been written about this singular matchup — the best in college basketball history.
CSN has you covered with the latest from college football, basketball, baseball, and more.
