NCAA Basketball: Creighton’s fall, Mountain West success among biggest takeaways

7. Rivalry games and their importance

Rivalries are important: that is the bottom line. One major byproduct of conference realignment is that some of these old rivalries are being thrown to the wayside solely for money and other profits. It’s important to realize that it’s not just about these teams playing each other, but that the fanbases sometimes hate each other and really look forward to these games.

A prime example of this was the recent matchup between Kansas and Missouri, the first time those two programs have played in a decade. Their rivalry used to be regular in the Big 12, but the Tigers have been in the SEC and no longer have that regular matchup on the schedule. The Tigers entered the game with a perfect record but were severely outclassed by the Jayhawks in an impressive performance.

Despite Kansas’s 28-point victory over Missouri, the rivalry game was a success and it’s something we need to see more. Pittsburgh and West Virginia matched up several weeks ago and the former Big East rivals had a similar atmosphere. Other rivalries continue to meet regularly, like Cincinnati and Xavier’s crosstown rivalry or the yearly Braggin’ Rights game between Illinois and Missouri.

With conferences continuing to change and conference slates getting larger and larger, the chances for some of these rivalries grow smaller and that’s a terrible thing for college basketball. Even if the teams are not evenly matched, the buildup between players, coaches, and fanbases is all of what this sport is about. Just imagine if change came to the ACC and Duke and North Carolina no longer played each other regularly; or Indiana and Purdue. Protect the rivalries; not every matchup is a 28-point beatdown.