Busting Brackets
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Deonta Vaughn Cincinnati Bearcats Louisville Cardinals NCAA Basketball (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Deonta Vaughn Cincinnati Bearcats Louisville Cardinals NCAA Basketball (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Ruined NCAA basketball rivalry No. 3 – Cincinnati Bearcats vs Louisville Cardinals

  • Louisville leads series, 53-43
  • Last meeting date: 2014 (Louisville won, 58-57)
  • Biggest margin of victory: 26 points (Cincinnati won, 81-55)
  • Longest win streak: 16 (Louisville 1977-84)

It feels weird that Cincinnati would have a rivalry with a state of Kentucky program but geographics (city just about borders Kentucky) and conference affiliation provided these teams with plenty of meaningful and competitive battles.

The first game between these teams was all the way back in 1921, with the Bearcats winning the first four matchups, followed by Louisville winning the next four in the series. Arguably the biggest game in history between them was in 1959, where Bearcat legend and Hall of Fame Basketball player Oscar Robertson posted NCAA Basketball’s first-ever triple-double (39-17-10) in Cincinnati’s 98-85 victory over Louisville in what was the third-place game in the NCAA Tournament.

But it wasn’t until 1964 when the Cardinals joined Cincinnati in the Missouri Valley Conference for the games to be played on an annual basis. Back then, these were two of the best teams in the country, with Cincinnati winning multiple national champions and Louisville making consistent runs in the Big Dance as well.

But when these two teams reunited in the Metro Conference in the 1970s and ’80s, the Bearcats fell back while Louisville became one of the winningest programs in the country, winning the national championship in both 1980 and 1986. The disparity was very evident when these programs would face-off, with the Cardinals winning 17 straight between 1977-84.

But Cincinnati would get a major break, hiring future Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Huggins in 1990, who immediately ascended the program back into the national spotlight. The team went back to the NCAA Tournament and made the rivalry back to an even standpoint, with the battles between Huggins and Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino being some of the best in the sport. When both programs went to the Big East in 2005, these were two of the best teams in a conference that was at its heights in terms of basketball strengths.

But the football-basketball separation that occurred in the Big East a decade ago caused these teams to leave one another, Louisville went to the ACC, while Cincinnati went to the newly-established American Athletic Conference (AAC). The teams haven’t played since 2014, as the Cardinals had their rivalry with in-state foe Kentucky still on and didn’t have room for the Bearcats.

The odds aren’t great that we’ll get more games between these teams, as the ACC has moved to 20 league games and Cincy is soon heading to the Big 12 and will have to figure out their own schedule. But when these teams were at their respective heights, this rivalry was one of the best in the country.

Home/NCAA Basketball News