NCAA Basketball: 15 underrated storylines to root for in 2020-21 season

Indiana versus Purdue – All-Time series record

Perhaps some, but very few, would debate that the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers are on par when it comes to NCAA Basketball rivalries with Duke and North Carolina. Proximity is a factor, while the Hoosiers and Boilermakers are in-state rivals, there is a just over two-hour drive from Bloomington to West Lafayette, whereas for twenty-dollars an Uber will take you from Durham to Chapel Hill.

The success of the two teams is also a factor, in the ACC’s 67 seasons Duke or North Carolina have won or shared the Regular Season Championship in all except 18 seasons. In comparison, the Hoosiers have won 22 Big-10 Regular Season Championships while the Boilermakers have won 24 over the Big-10’s 122 seasons. The two rivals have even shared the honor in three seasons. In the 184 games played since 1949-50 season, North Carolina has a 31 point edge. For the Hoosiers and Boilermakers, the point differential since the 1949-50 season is not as close with Indiana holding a 178 point advantage, but over those130 games the Boilermakers can tie up the series with two wins.

Granted these numbers may not do the rivalry justice as it only encompasses games that have taken place in the last 70 seasons, but the further we go back, the murkier the facts get, such as what really happened in the Disputed 1901 game. With such memorable games happening during the last 70 seasons such as; the Mauling at Mackay, the Sucker Punch game, and Bobby Knight’s chair-throwing incident, having these two rivals tied at 66 wins over the last 70 seasons is something to root for.