The Most Underrated College Basketball Rivalries

The passion and enthusiasm shared by high school students become evident when their respective teams step onto the court.

There is no secret that Duke and North Carolina despise each other, along with the high-profile rivalries of Louisville and Kentucky, Indiana and Purdue, and many more.

However, many rivalries of smaller teams are more dramatic and intriguing. Unfortunately, such matchups do not receive the deserving hype or the limelight. The impact of players is vital in their matches and is also reflected in their rankings in the daily fantasy basketball league.

Below are some underrated rivalries that deserve a mention and fans’ attention.

Calvin and Hope

It has to be Calvin and Hope on top of the list. Their rivalry ranks in the top tier, along with Duke and North Carolina, and Tennessee and Connecticut. Both high schools belong to Division III and are separated by 30 miles only. Both teams have been going at each other since 1920. There have been 207 games, and Hope is leading the score with 107 to 100. 

Teams decided to play a match at Van Andel Arena, which drew over 11,000 attendees, a Division III record. Calvin and Hope dominate Michigan Intercollegiate competition and share 59 championships between them.

Gonzaga and St. Mary’s

It is one of the biggest rivalries of the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga dominated the group until the arrival of St. Mary. Although Gonzaga had the upper hand on St. Mary as they always finished at the top in straight five seasons.

In 2009, the Bulldogs again won the WCC regular-season title, and St. Mary’s placed second. However, the Gaels turned the tables on Gonzaga in the 2010 WCC tournament championship game, winning by 19 points to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

In the next season, it was the first time in 14 seasons that Gonzaga did not finish first or share the position. The Gaels beat the Bulldogs in the regular season as well as in the conference title match.

Both have met 110 times, and Gonzaga is leading the record. Their rivalry continues to grab the attention of locals as St. Mary is improving and fighting back against Gonzaga.

Colorado State and Wyoming

The rivalry, also known as the Border War, is now turning some heads back. They first met in the 1910-11 season, and Wyoming is leading the record. Both teams usually do not get the appreciation or attention they deserve because of other big names in the west conference.

Colorado State and Wyoming always play challenging games, even if they don’t affect the conference race.

Their matches are physical and fierce. In one match, Wyoming’s Nathan Sobey knocked Colorado State’s Daniel Bejarano to the ground and caused his lip to require four stitches.

Belmont and Lipscomb

This one is interesting because both schools are on the same street, and the crossover between students spices up things.

The battle of the boulevard started in 1953, Lipscomb leads in the overall matches, while Belmont has the edge over Lipscomb in NCAA competitions.

In 2012, Belmont joined the Ohio Valley Conference after previously being a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Both schools still play twice a year, sometimes opening their seasons against each other in the early part of the season.

Penn and Princeton

For a time, the Penn and Princeton rivalry was regarded highly in the Ivy League as important as Duke and North Carolina.

However, major schools have taken the limelight off them, but they meet in their final of the season. It is also the most played rivalry in the Ivy League since 1903, and Penn leads the overall record.

It is difficult to differentiate both teams because they dominated the Ivy League from 1963 to 2007 and won 44 titles combined.

Their season’s final match holds significance because the winner represents the Ivy League in NCAA as a result, so they both go extra hard at each other. 

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