Top 10 Rivalries in College Basketball

I put a considerable amount of thought into this list. I decided to narrow my list down to College Basketball. I found it ridiculously perplexing to compare and contrast all of the different sports genres. I came to the conclusion that I would focus on College Basketball due to the impending March Madness. One of the most important elements behind sports is the rivalry game. As rivals face off for bragging rights, tears are shed, fists are thrown and triumphant cheers ring out. Families become divided and the closest of friendships are tested. Rivalry games are what we look forward to watching week in and week out. So lets get started and keep in mind, this is merely my opinion!

10) Cincinnati vs. Xavier

We start the list with two schools that are only about 10 minutes a part from each other. It is self explanatory why this match up was coined the Crosstown rivalry. Check out the brawl that happened just a few years ago. This rivalry stretches all the way back to 1927. One of the most notable moments for this rivalry came in 1999 when an unranked Xavier knocked off #1 ranked Cincinnati.

9) Indiana vs. Purdue

Here we have the rivalry that triggered the infamous chair toss by legendary coach Bobby Knight. Although the competition has not been as fierce in recent years, many believe this rivalry is fueled by the state of Indiana’s deep affinity for the game of basketball. Go watch the movie Hoosiers and you will understand Indiana’s marriage with the sport of basketball. Indiana State has not been a substantial player since the days of Larry Bird and this match up is how the people of Indiana get their basketball fix. Many people would assume that Indiana dominates this series, however Purdue actually is in the lead at 115-82. Purdue has never won a national championship, but Indiana smashes them in this category with 5 titles. Its looks to me like Purdue’s super bowl happens when they play Indiana because they continue to make this series competitive and fun to watch.

8) Kentucky vs. Florida

This rivalry has seen its fair share of heated competition. Florida dominated for a period of time with consecutive championships and now Kentucky is dominating and in the pursuit of perfection. They are the only prime time rivalry the SEC offers in college basketball. The two schools feature two of the most premiere coaches in the game. Florida’s coach is Billy Donovan and he is a former Rick Pitino protege which adds a little flare to the rivalry considering Kentucky’s long time history with Pitino. These two universities often compete for the most acclaimed recruits in the country. Kentucky’s outspoken basketball coach John Calipari only adds fuel to the fire.

7) Michigan vs. Ohio State

This rivalry receives a boost from their respected football programs and it needs no introduction. Unlike Auburn and Alabama, this rivalry has managed to transcend into the basketball realm as well. It is one of the most highly regarded Big 10 rivalries. Ohio States coach Thad Matta is known for defense and Michigan’s coach John Beilein is admired for offense. These schools are opposite in every way, but this makes for wonderful entertainment. Check out this buzzer beater and you will know why!

6) Syracuse vs. Georgetown

This rivalry has a long and deep history. Syracuse’s coach Jim Boeheim has numerous experiences battling the father-son John Thompson duo. When you think of classic Big East basketball, this match up comes to the top of the mind. Send it in big fella! If you like poster dunks check out this slamma-jamma! Unfortunately this rivalry may take a hit now that Syracuse has joined the ACC. We will all have to salivate until the next time we get to see this thirst quenching battle.

5) UCLA vs. Arizona

This next rivalry on my docket rules the west coast. UCLA is the most accredited program in college basketball history with 11 national championships. UCLA continually abused PAC-10 competition for decades, until a coach by the name of Lute Olsen showed up in Arizona and forever changed the landscape. Arizona’s current head coach Sean Miller is doing a great job of continuing to build on Olsen’s success. Over the last 30 years, one of these schools has earned a conference title (regular season and/or tournament) in 22 of them. The statistics show that these two programs have a stranglehold on the west coast market.

4) Georgetown vs. Villanova

Another two Big East heavyweights come next in line. I gave this rivalry the nod over the Syracuse one because both schools remain in the Big East. One year in particular comes to mind when you think of this rivalry and its 1985. This was the first year the NCAA extended its tournament field to 64. Underdog 8th seed Villanova would go on to pull off one of the largest upsets in national championship history over #1 Georgetown featuring legendary center Patrick Ewing (the big guy from Space Jam). The 1985 Villanova team remains the lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament and the rest of this rivalry is history in the making. Watch the history behind the 1985 moment!

3) Louisville vs. Kentucky

The Battle of the Bluegrass divides a state in half. When it comes to the state of Kentucky, either you bleed red or you bleed blue. This rivalry was elevated to new heights when former Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino became Louisville’s basketball coach. Kentucky fans did not take it lightly that he joined a near by inner state rival. Kentucky won a national championship as recently as 2012 and Louisville followed them up in 2013. Kentucky lost in the national championship last year, but not before knocking off rival Louisville. As you can see, this rivalry has plenty of recent drama. I would show you a highlight, but instead I recommend you watch any of the tournament battles between these teams from 2012-2014. You wont be disappointed!

2) UConn vs. Tennessee (Women’s Basketball)

I bet you thought I forgot about the ladies, but not so fast! These two programs deserve considerable respect because they have set the standard for women’s basketball. One of the saddest moments in sports came when Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt had to step down due to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. Tennessee has 8 national championships and 5 runner ups. However, Tennessee was recently out done by its arch nemesis UConn which now has 9 national championships. Needless to say, these two storied programs have had to step on each others toes numerous times. Lets face it, if you are one of the most highly anticipated female recruits in the world, you are either picking A or B! Pat Summitt retired with over 1,000 wins which makes her one of the best coaches of all time (both male and female). UConn basketball coach Geno Auriemma is over 900 wins and counting. With UConn winning both the men’s and women’s national championships last year, I only see UConn’s basketball monopoly continuing to grow. The question remains whether this rivalry will slowly diminish due to Summits retirement, but the history will live on forever in our hearts. If you think women’s basketball cant compare in intensity to men’s basketball, you need to check this out!

 

1) Duke vs. North Carolina

You could say I’m somewhat biased on the subject because I grew up near the triangle area of North Carolina, but apparently a considerably large portion of the population agrees with me. This fierce battle is often referred to as the Tobacco Road rivalry. Only 10 miles (8 miles if the road were a straight line) separate these two bitterly divided rivals. This rivalry is full of opposites. Duke is a private school with a gym so small it reminds you of a high school gym (trust me I’ve been there). UNC is a public school with an enormous premiere basketball showcase called the Dean Dome. This match up decides which shade of blue reigns supreme. The most respected coach in college basketball history runs the vessel at Duke. He is commonly known simply as Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski). Coach K holds the record for D-1 basketball wins and he is the U.S. Olympic basketball coach as well. On he other hand, ask a UNC fan about Coach K and they might try to convince you he is a real life Blue Devil. North Carolina matches Duke’s prestige with the G.O.A.T Michael Jordan. Recently UNC’s former coaching legend Dean Smith passed away. Coach Smith was revered by all in the sports world and he was a civil rights pioneer for the game of basketball. Statistically this rivalry is among the closest in history. It features some of the most iconic figures in all of sports. If you want to see all the epic rivalry moments, watch this video. I rest my case!

Honorable Mentions:

Duke vs. Maryland

UConn vs. Syracuse

Kansas vs. Kansas State

St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State

Michigan vs. Michigan State

UCLA vs. USC

etc……

Guest Speaker: Deirdre Breakenridge

Today my social media class received amazingly inciteful advice from a PR expert by the name of Deirdre Breakenridge courtesy of my University of Louisville Professor Karen Freberg.

Here is a little background info on Deirdre Breakenridge: She is the CEO for a company by the name of Pure Performance Communications. Breakenridge has counseled numerous companies and she is the author of five Financial Times books. Breakenridge is an educator at the prestigious universities New York University and the University of Massachusetts. She also has a wonderful blog and has served on the PRSA board. Breakenridge has too many accomplishments to list and I recommend checking out her website for more info.

Breakenridge covered some great topics pertaining to PR and social media. I want to share some of the advice we obtained from her. First off she spoke on how the PESO model is trending in the PR world. Here is an awesome link I found that showcases why PR is embracing the PESO model.

Breakenridge noted how creativity is the best marketing tool at our disposal. Whether you out source your creativity or develop it in-house, creativity is what drives engagement and it is essential. I loved the point Breakenridge made in regards to company/team morale. Good morale leads to increased creativity and productivity from your employees. If you treat your employees like friends instead of numbers, they will return the respect. I believe the television show Undercover Boss is a neat example of a strategy some companies utilized in order to improve morale, production and efficiency.

Breakenridge gave us advice on many analytical and creative tools to use such as Canva for design. Check out her book PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools and New Audiences for a more detailed look at those tools. There is a myth in society that social media is all about likes, retweets and followers. Although all of those elements are beneficial in growing brand awareness, Breakenridge conveyed to us that the execs are focused on customer satisfaction, engagement and increasing sales (aka The Holy Grail).

Breakenridge advocated that all young professionals develop a mentor relationship with someone. It’s wonderful that Breakenridge and my professor Karen Freberg both participate in paying it forward! I hope that I can do the same one day. The subject of saving the environment for future generations is often referred to, but we can also help our future and save our future economies by sharing advice.

Last, but not least, another point Breakenridge touched on was testing the numbers before you take action. One of my favorite UofL professors is Steve Sohn. Steve has some great insight on this subject and many stories on how numbers can be deceptive. Steve is an expert when it comes to understanding research methods and the statistics behind them. If you are wondering why I called him Steve, it’s because he is extremely down to earth and asks his students to do so!

I recommend everyone follow Deirdre Breakenridge on Twitter. I loved how Breakenridge did not use a lot of hard to understand field jargon. She was full of practical advice that we all can understand!

Why I Love Instagram

I like most of my fellow generational peers love visuals! Instagram was like a breath of fresh air for me. A couple years ago I was so annoyed with social media I considered going completed off the social grid. I grew tired of constantly seeing people complain over stumped toes or boast about their hourly Mary Jane consumption. I seriously contemplated whether or not our collective society was melting into a blob of gook. Then Instagram came along and I actually started liking my peers again! Instagram is the platform where you can avoid nonsensical opinions for the most part. Did I mention that I love hashtags like Jimmy Fallon and JT? You bet! When I first discovered the art of hash-tagging I thought it was cool to make a really long hashtag #IDoItBigWhatAboutYou #OhWaitImALoser. I love the experiential aspect of Instagram and its something I discussed today with Gathan Borden whom my group is proposing a social media campaign too. Mr. Borden is interested in what millennial’s are specifically attracted to. I wholeheartedly feel that young adults love living an experience and showcasing it to the world. Whether it be a 21st birthday sloppy extravaganza, a heart-pounding Zombie marathon run or watching Sam Smith belt out soulful sounds, millennial’s love to experience new and special things. Ever since the hippies in the 60’s migrated to San Francisco to join the flower power campaign, young adults have been gravitating towards experiential travel.

Here are some tips on how to make Instagram phone photos look like professional photography. 

I feel like most millennial’s are drifting towards an experiential journey that they can show off to the world. We are living in a time when posting the most widely acclaimed travel/event photo has became a competition of sorts. Millennial’s would have hated to go to 69′ Woodstock and not have the pleasure of producing that unique and personal Instagram snapshot. We all know in today’s society it never happened unless you shared a photo of it! Visual platforms like YouTube and the new heavy weight champ Instagram are creating ways for the average Joe Schmo’s to become Insta-Famous. I’ve made new friends to only later feel like I was touched by a celebrity after seeing their Instagram following. Instagram is a great platform for showing off things such as food, sporting events, festivals, brands, designs etc.. and it is revolutionizing how those industries are marketing/advertising. It’s hard for me to remember to tweet because I’m so concentrated on capturing that exclusive photo. I think the late great Steve Irwin would be proud of our observation skills!

Check out this video in honor of Valentine’s Day and Instagram. Keep searching because your Insta-Crush might be out there! My friend sent this to me as a joke, but I cant lie, I might have cried with a box of tissues and gorged on some Russell Stover chocolates when I heard it. #SoWhat

Happy Valentine’s Day! Make sure to share your special moment or it NEVER HAPPENED!

Save The Children (Little League baseball)

The breaking headline this week is that the Little League has decided to strip last years west-side Chicago baseball champions. Apparently The Jackie Robinson West Chicago little league team violated residency rules. I find this news unfortunate because it is a sports story that surrounds punishing children. I know the little league is not intending to target the children, but no 9-12 year old kid has any clue what zoning restriction he/she is to abide by. To complicate matters, many school kids are bused in to different school districts to often make quotas as well.

There has been only two other cases of a championship being removed in little league history. One case elevated a young Dominican kid named Danny Almonte into the spot light. Almonte blazed through the tournament and even had a perfect game in the books, but it was later found he had falsified his birth certificate information. Little league scandals can be as prime time as their professional counterparts and in the case of the Almonte scandal, President George W. Bush personally asked the Dominican Republic to help in the investigation. The other little league cheating situation involved a story about an uplifting Philippines team that were hailed hometown hero’s and soared the countries little league reputation to new heights. After the dust settled, they were found guilty of breaking age guidelines as well. However, the latest scandal to come out of Chicago is unlike any of its previous predecessors.

Children know their age and they have cognitively developed traits by this time to know whether or not they are breaking simple rules of this nature. On the other hand, what kid actually knows anything about residential zoning restrictions though? Inner city Chicago kids are the last children that need their achievements stripped away. The party at fault in this situation is the Chicago little league adult coaches. As adults charged with the task of shaping young minds, the coaches should be required to uphold the rules and set the utmost example for these kids. Everyone is getting involved in this story now. Jesse Jackson is already talking about filing a law suit, the Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel is lobbying the Little League organization (Little League International) to reconsider and President Obama accused the adults of “dirty dealings”. Kids on both sides of the coin should feel upset in this situation. The New Albany Little League All-stars lost out on their chance to live the Williamsport, PA experience due to their loss to the Jackie Robinson West Chicago team.  I’m certain numerous others are also pondering the question, “Why did the Little League not bar them from the tournament play before it even began”? Was the Chicago team singled out? Did the Little League organization have a lapse of judgement? These are common questions circulating the web as people all over the world weigh in with their opinions and verdicts.

Last week I spoke about the NCAA being considerably more harsh in situations pertaining to athlete misconduct. I also pointed out how institutional violations were sometimes ignored and given a pass. I see an uncanny resemblance between the Little League and the NCAA in regards to the punishment involved in these sports scandals. It appears that our society is not growing as soft as critics of youth sports would argue. Athletes are taught to expect unfair punishment from a young age. We may not promote “Winning” like we used to, but kids are still being punished for the actions of adults. One things is for certain, no one can ever erase those tears of sadness and triumphs of joy that have already occurred. I hope the Little League gets a firm grasp on future management of these situations. Lets not play with the emotions of our children.

Wake up NCAA!

A new scandal has besieged the sports world this week and it revolves around the Syracuse men’s basketball program. If you haven’t heard, Syracuse has decided to self-impose a post season ban on themselves. However, it is my belief that Syracuse is attempting a poor attempt at saving face. Syracuse might assume by being proactive about the situation, they can avoid any future punishment from the NCAA and they may prove to be right. Apparently Syracuse has a long list of infractions including academic violations and athletic department violations that extend back many years, but they are being rather tight lipped about the issue. I expect more news to surface in the future on this matter.

This is a recurring theme among major programs in college sports. University of North Carolina’s athletic department recently came under fire as well for allegedly referring athletes to ghost classes in the Afro and African-American studies department. The Wainstein report uncovered a lot of detrimental information about the program. Here is an in-depth look at what all entailed the UNC scandal. UNC was rumored to have tutors performing work for student-athletes and an essay mill circulating the campus network. Notable athletes like Julius Peppers came up on the bogus classes list. Former basketball star Rashard McCants even attempted to blow the whistle on his own former school despite harsh criticism and oppositions from his former peers and coaches. The NCAA basically let UNC get off scot-free. The NCAA understands that they cant lose a cash-cow like the UNC men’s basketball program.

The NCAA lacks formal disciplinary structure. They came down substantially hard on Ohio State for the players making money and receiving free tattoos in exchange for their memorabilia. According to the article, “Instead of accepting Ohio State’s self-imposed penalties, which included vacating the 2010 season, returning bowl game revenue and applying a reduction of five scholarships over the next three years, the NCAA committee on infractions added some punishment of its own. The Buckeyes won’t be eligible to play for a conference championship or in a bowl game in new coach Urban Meyer’s first season in 2012, and they’ll lose three scholarships in each of the next three seasons”. Here is a fun fact to know, the NCAA does not have a financial interest in bowl games, but they have a huge one in March Madness. These scandals seem to surface abruptly just to be over-shadowed by another school the next week. It’s hard to fathom how Ohio State received such harsh scrutiny while the much more elaborate and orchestrated UNC scandal was simply swept under the rug.

Now the question at hand remains, What will the NCAA do to Syracuse? Will they make an example out of Syracuse or will they treat the situation as soft as Cottonelle tissue paper like they did the UNC scandal. I am absolutely not for punishing current or future students that had no involvement in past discretion’s. The NCAA needs to find a way to punish the institutions more so than the students. The NCAA needs to implement a more fair and structured system that forecasts football/basketball scandals in the same light. I find it intriguing that Syracuse chose to impose a ban on themselves when they are 15-7 and have little March Madness appeal. It is disturbing that the players experiencing the ban are individuals that had no part in Syracuse’s past allegations.

I would love for the NCAA to start putting people and integrity before financial gain, but perhaps that is wishful thinking. It’s time for the NCAA to wake up!

Get Your Blog On!

Blogging is new to me, but did you know that the first blog post was created in 1994? That means I would have only been four years old! I bet Justin Hall had no clue his personal homepage would spark an Internet social revolution. Of course like the cool kid I am I decided to arrive fashionably late to the blog scene in 2015. In 1999 there were only 23 blog posts, but by 2006 that number grew to over 50 million according to Technorati‘s State of the Blogosphere report. After this point, blogs continued to grow rapidly like wildflower and the rest is history. I have always found it more easily to express myself more efficiently in written form. In public I come off as a rather reserved person which stems from my father, who is so reserved he makes me look as talkative as Wendy Williams (How you doin!?). The best advice I’ve received on blogging and want to pass a long is to not get overwhelmed by the saturation of blogs out there. 99% of the time that fresh content you find is being shared by someone else as well. The key to standing out in a blog is to establish a unique creative voice. Think of a blog as your own personal channel or filter to showcase your interests. I hope you can tell by my blog, that I’m more of a goof than I let on to be. Check out the early history of blogging which I pulled some of my info from.

A lot of people are a blogger and don’t even know it. Micro-blogging is what we do on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. So go tell your grandma that her bingo updates and constant creepy cat photos make for a riveting blog! I also did not join the Twitter world until 2015, but this may have been a blessing in disguise. Either I was not ready for the Twitter world or Twitter was not ready for me, but I wouldn’t advise putting money on the latter option. However, my early Facebook posts resembled Twitter because I wrote such short messages. I found it humorous to revisit some of my original Facebook posts. I said things such as “blueberry poptartz” and “is good to go”. Apparently I did not get the memo that a Facebook post does not have to start with the word “is”. This ridiculous technique made most of my early posts look like they were written in 3rd person. I’m still waiting for my checks to come in the mail from Kellogg and Taco Bell by the way. I’m not sure what all I put on good ole MySpace, but I do recall taking a photo holding a wine bottle at 12 years old as if that would make me cool (I probably didn’t even know how to open it). However, in all seriousness though, blogs and micro-blogs have changed the creative landscape of the world. Blogs allow our personalities to be showcased like never before. This can be good, bad, or ugly and I’m not talking Clint Eastwood. The opportunities that can come from blogging are endless!

Another emerging trend in the blogging spectrum are Vlogs. Vlogs center around visual content which allows for a much more personal experience with your audience. I’m sure that we all have learned from text messages that it is tricky to convey emotions and tell jokes in written form. I think Vlogs have an extremely bright future considering that it has been proven that our youth are gravitating more towards visual content. YouTube is a platform that can be used like a Vlog and many people such as Jenna Marbles have acquired massive fame by utilizing YouTube.

I encourage everyone to blog because I believe all individuals have a unique perspective and can add something to the equation. Go get your blog on!

Grandma’s cats are even getting in on the action.