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Kansas and North Carolina injected some life into school basketball’s summer season information cycle on July 24 once they introduced a home-and-home series to be performed Nov. 8, 2024 at KU and Nov. 14, 2025 at UNC. The on-campus showdowns will probably be an enormous early-season attraction within the sport and mark one thing unprecedented within the collection.
These two grand manufacturers — tied collectively by Dean Smith and Roy Williams — have beforehand performed only one on-campus recreation in opposition to one another. That was in 1960 at Kansas. UNC has by no means hosted the Jayhawks within the collection, which is tied 6-6 after KU bested the Tar Heels 72-69 within the 2022 nationwide title recreation to even the collection.
The house-and-home is rightly being labeled as “Battle of the Blue Bloods,” and maybe it will encourage another large manufacturers across the nation to get daring with scheduling on-campus video games. For this week’s version of the Dribble Handoff, our writers are taking a cue from the Kansas-North Carolina information and exploring which home-and-home collection they might most wish to see in school basketball.
I am satisfied even the individuals who run school athletics and are making these selections will sometime look again at convention realignment largely with remorse. The cash’s good, positive. However willingly leaping to greater and higher leagues will at all times lower the chance that you’re going to win as a lot as you have beforehand received. And dropping is not enjoyable for anyone. Which is why I actually do imagine that followers of some faculties — not all, however definitely some — will ultimately bemoan their place on this planet of faculty athletics and surprise why their favourite college threw geography within the trash simply to have nicer observe services and stuff.
Merely put, these selections include a value. Rivalries are among the many issues sacrificed. And we’re probably about to lose one other one when UCLA formally leaves the Pac-12 for the Large Ten subsequent 12 months as a result of that would signify the top of UCLA and Arizona taking part in yearly in males’s basketball.
I hope it does not, although.
Mick Cronin and Tommy Lloyd are operating two of the perfect packages within the sport — proof being that the one Pac-12 faculties in addition to UCLA and Arizona to win a regular-season convention title up to now 12 years are Oregon and Washington. The Bruins personal a league-best 32 convention titles. Arizona has the second-most with 17. So it could be a disgrace if these Pac-12 rivals declined to proceed taking part in one another no matter whether or not the Pac-12 truly exists shifting ahead, which is now very a lot doubtful.
So get collectively, Mick and Tommy!
Work it out.
UCLA-Arizona seems like an enormous recreation nearly at all times as a result of it is a assembly between two packages which have received nationwide championships and have all the issues in place to sometime do it once more. Faculty basketball advantages when the perfect play the perfect. Beginning subsequent season, that’ll now not occur twice a 12 months with the Wildcats and Bruins. However there needs to be a approach to proceed the collection with the 2 faculties agreeing to satisfy yearly whereas alternating between the McKale Heart and Pauley Pavilion. — Gary Parrish
The 2 hottest (and polarizing) groups in school basketball needs to be keen to schedule one another in a home-and-home, and accomplish that as quickly as doable. Sure, the Devils and Cats do face off as soon as each three seasons due to Champions Traditional. It is higher than not having them play in any respect, clearly. However had been it not for that made-for-TV occasion, these packages (almost certainly) can be within the midst of a 20-plus-year drought of taking part in one another. And for as a lot because the Champions Traditional presents, the matchup is at all times on a impartial courtroom (in a wide range of cities) and does lack the playful viciousness that will include a home-and-home. Image Kentucky strolling into Cameron Indoor, or likewise, Duke sauntering into Rupp Area. What an enormous occasion these video games can be for faculty hoops.
The colleges have met 20 instances of their historical past. The final time it occurred in an on-campus atmosphere? Now we have to journey again greater than 50 years in the past, all the best way to Dec. 20, 1969. Kentucky beat Duke 98-76. The final time Kentucky performed at Duke? Greater than a decade additional again: Dec. 8, 1958 (UK received 78-64). Woof. Let’s finish this dry spell.
Luckily, Jon Scheyer appears greater than keen to interact in home-and-homes within the years to return than Mike Krzyzewski was within the closing 20 years of his profession. I feel Duke will probably be aligning with some big-time packages, and that will probably be nice. Hopefully he can persuade John Calipari to do the identical, and earlier than the top of this decade we are able to get Kentucky and Duke to face off in enemy territory. — Matt Norlander
We have been blessed as a nation sufficient through the years to see these two west coast powers go face to face continuously within the NCAA Event and in standalone non-conference popups. And so they nearly at all times ship the products. The folks need — no, the folks demand — {that a} recurring collection between the 2 packages be on the books yearly from right here till the top of time. It is solely proper.
We may get a head-to-head on the Maui Invitational this upcoming season ought to each run the desk to satisfy within the title recreation — which might be pleasant — however we will not go away destiny to determine when or if these two groups ought to meet.
Gonzaga and UCLA performed in a thriller within the final NCAA Event with Gonzaga advancing 79-76, ending a roller-coaster end that noticed two lead modifications in a dramatic closing 15 seconds of motion. That was a becoming follow-up to their earlier NCAA Event assembly, which ended with Gonzaga winning 93-90 in overtime on a buzzer-beater from Jalen Suggs in the Final Four.. (And oh, by the best way, that 2006 epic between the 2 wherein Adam Morrison’s profession got here to a surprising finish? That was one other chapter on this rivalry. Want I say extra?)
Not solely are Gonzaga and UCLA the 2 greatest basketball manufacturers on the West Coast and two of essentially the most profitable packages traditionally, however every head-to-head presents us with an elite teaching head-to-head as effectively with defensive-minded Mick Cronin pitted in opposition to offensive-friendly Mark Few. Even the model of the combat provides some aptitude.
With each groups constantly performing as top-20 groups within the sport, extra matchups are positive to develop in large moments in coming years. However a back-and-forth collection in Westwood and in The Kennel would elevate this rivalry to a brand new degree. It would be a superb ambiance, and will internet us a brand new and thrilling rivalry within the sport. — Kyle Boone
If the college football coaches are too cowardly to make it occur, then let basketball get pleasure from the great thing about Bedlam. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will probably be Large 12 foes for only one extra season earlier than the Sooners depart for the SEC, thus ending common conferences in a collection that has been contested 240 instances relationship again to 1916.
OU maintains a 134-106 all-time edge, however the Pokes have received seven of the previous eight. In the event that they proceed that dominance over the Sooners within the 2023-24 season, then Oklahoma needs to be begging to play Oklahoma State as a non-conference opponent within the 2024-25 season. You’ll be able to’t stroll away from a rivalry that is greater than a century previous having been dominated so completely dominated in current conferences.
Faculty basketball wants juice early within the season, and this recreation would deliver some. Play it each November, alternating between campuses. Residence-court benefit has confirmed huge within the rivalry with the Cowboys having fun with a 61.3% profitable proportion in Stillwater and the Sooners profitable 70.5% of the video games in Norman. Do not let convention realignment kill all semblance of widespread sense. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State should proceed taking part in one another each season. — David Cobb
Texas is on the rise and the jokes in regards to the Longhorns’ soccer program being “again” do not apply to this system that Rodney Terry is operating. The Longhorns had their greatest season for the reason that 2007-08 marketing campaign and received 29 video games regardless of main turmoil that included Chris Beard being fired in the beginning of the brand new 12 months.
With Texas departing for the SEC in 2024, a matchup with an in-state rival needs to be on the books instantly. Texas seems as in the event that they’re studying to take the subsequent step with Terry being the person in cost. As for Baylor, they’ve been one of the crucial aggressive packages within the nation beneath Scott Drew and received a nationwide championship in 2021.
If you consider Large 12 rivals, Texas-Baylor is not essentially on the prime of the record, however it’s nonetheless a really aggressive collection. Baylor owns a 22-20 all-time edge over Texas since 2005 and each packages look to be within the contender tier for seasons to return. One of the best answer can be to play this recreation in the beginning of the season. Each groups would seemingly be ranked close to the highest of the polls and it may set the tone for the season. Convention realignment should not rob school basketball followers of seeing good basketball between two soon-to-be ex-conference foes. — Cameron Salerno
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