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NCAA Basketball: Top 6 rivalries that were ruined by realignment

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 15, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle (25) drives to the basket against Connecticut Huskies guard Jalen Adams (4) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle (25) drives to the basket against Connecticut Huskies guard Jalen Adams (4) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Princeton Tigers (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Princeton Tigers (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

Ruined NCAA basketball rivalry No. 5. – Princeton Tigers vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

  • Princeton leads series, 75-45
  • Last meeting date: 2013 (Princeton 78, Rutgers 73)
  • Biggest margin of victory: 39 points (Princeton 101, Rutgers 62)
  • Longest win streak: Princeton 18 (1954-64)

Since 1902, Princeton has been a member of the Ivy League, going on now for 120 years. So this rivalry with Rutgers hasn’t been as much conference-affiliated but more so regional, as both programs reside from the state of New Jersey. These teams have played one another since 1917, a game the Tigers prevailed by 19 points.

This was a series that became annually played in the 1920s, for around 70 years straight.  Princeton consistently had the edge between the teams when they played and overall as a program. The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament more consistently compared to the Scarlet Knights, despite eventually landing in the Atlantic 10, Big East, and currently, the Big Ten Conference. That’s allowed them to get vastly more resources than the Tigers, whose academics took priority over the athletics as an Ivy League member.

These two programs did have a meaningful matchup against one another in 1976. It was a rare year they both made the NCAA Tournament and they matched up in the first round. In the end, Rutgers got the 54-53 victory in a hard-fought and tight game, ultimately ending up in the Final Four for the first and only time in program history.

These teams would continue to play one another until 1995 when Rutger’s scheduling after moving leagues created issues. They managed to play in a neutral site game in 2013 (Princeton won 78-73) but have yet to play since.

Some argue that the Scarlet Knights’ 20-game Big Ten schedule is the program. Others say that the Tigers consistently beating them causes more problems than it’s worth playing them. But Princeton has managed to play an important role on Rutgers Basketball over the past century, including when they were at their best.

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