NCAA Basketball: Top 10 historical rivalries up through 2018-19

From Tobacco Road to the west coast, I’m examining the best rivalries in NCAA Basketball history. Which are the top 10 at this time?

NCAA Basketball is one of America’s favorite past times. From dominant teams like Ewing’s Georgetown or Hakeem’s Houston, to the Cinderella stories of NC State and Villanova, college basketball is truly for everyone. What makes NCAA basketball so special is the natural dramatics that are involved year in and year out. UMBC beating Virginia by 20, or NC State making the almost impossible 1983 championship run are events that the most talented film screenwriters couldn’t come up with.

When you think of rivalries in NCAA basketball, you probably immediately think of Duke and North Carolina. Without a doubt, it’s a stellar rivalry that’s been not only competitive, but almost statistical identical since seemingly the dawn of time. Once you get past the first couple rivalries that immediately come to mind, its actually difficult to assort the different ones in a list format. There were and still are so many great rivalries across so many regions and conferences that it’s difficult to compare.

For this piece, I’m weighing the history of rivalry more than anything else. The time it goes back, as well as the competitiveness and intenseness shown in games. I think that’s the best way to decide where each rivalry falls on a top 10 all-time list. Due to that, some of the rivalries on this list may surprise you. Sometimes the best teams aren’t always the rivalries.