"That Tennessee Kentucky gap is going to shrink real fast": Hoops world reacts to college basketball's biggest lopsided rivalries
College basketball, with its rich history, harbors a few of the loudest rivalries. Driven by passion and intensity, these matchups play a huge part in shaping a program's legends and future.
For teams vying for the championship, these games are important checkpoints, while for smaller teams, rivalry games can be the highlight of the year. On Father's Day, the College Basketball Report shed light on a few of the roaring yet most-lopsided rivalries in CBB:
Fans immediately reacted upon seeing the shocking revelations in the tweet.
"That Tennessee Kentucky gap is going to shrink real fast," a fan said.
"I had no idea Purdue and Wisconsin were so lopsided," a fan wrote.
"Just put Kentucky va the sec honestly," an enthusiast quipped.
Some utilized the opportunity to sprinkle salt on their rival teams' fans:
"But Tennessee fans swear they own us because they beat us more often then they used to😭😭," a fan wrote.
"And NC state thinks they’re relevant 😂😂😂😂😂," another fan mentioned.
"But Jerome Tang told me the Kansas programs were identical before 1988," another fan replied.
Top college hoops rivalries of all time
Starting with one of the biggest rivalries of all, the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers have been competing since 1901. Both teams have won the regular season title more than 20 times, but Purdue leads their head-to-head matchups 126-92. However, they've only met once in March Madness, in 1980.
Another big rivalry is between Kentucky and Louisville. They first played in 1913 but only had twelve games until 1983. Since then, they have faced each other annually. The rivalry is fueled by their coaches, John Calipari and Rick Pitino, who have had their share of heated moments.
Duke and North Carolina's rivalry is another one, with the schools situated less than 10 miles from each other. They have faced off more than 250 times as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with UNC leading 145–117. Their Blue Blood rivalry is called the Battle for Tobacco Road and is known for its physicality and has often left players bruised after the game.