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

6. Georgetown vs. Villanova

We’re going back to another old Big East rivalry for number six. Something that’s interesting about Georgetown and Villanova is how they became the center stage of the college basketball world without a football team in FBS. On the basketball court this rivalry was led by two of the biggest character coaches in NCAA basketball history. John Thompson and Rollie Massimino were two of the best coaches in the nation, but also were two of the most fun coaches to watch. John Thompson was a large intimidating man who seemed to quietly convey his message to his players through reading minds. Across the aisle was Massimino, who was a short, stocky, Italian guy from New Jersey who was as vocal and obnoxious as anyone.

This wasn’t always the big rivalry that it became. Villanova had a hatred more for Syracuse and UCONN, while Georgetown was kind of the third big rival for the Wildcats. That all changed in 1985, when the 8th seeded Villanova Wildcats found themselves in the national title game against the 1-seed Hoyas, who at the time had assembled one of the best teams in NCAA basketball history. Villanova played “The perfect game” when they pulled off the biggest upset in the history in college basketball. This happened just two years after the Cardiac Pack make their improbable run to the 1983 finals where they also dismantled one of the best teams in NCAA history when they took down Phi Slamma Jamma.

The 1985 championship game gave Villanova their first ever national title, but it enhanced their rivalry against Georgetown so much more than it had been before. Now the rivalry has slowed since the Big East has changed, and Villanova has dominated it. Georgetown, now with Patrick Ewing at the helm, is on the rise, and I hope this rivalry can help turn the Big East back into what it once was.