Cats and Cards: THE Rivalry
By Terry Brown
There’s not a lot of positive that comes out of my home state of the Commonwealth Kentucky. The 15th state admitted to the Union is near the top in bad categories and near the bottom of the good categories. But, there has been one thing that the Bluegrass State has done well: College basketball. Especially at the state’s two flagship universities, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Now, according to the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN, the state of North Carolina is the home of the best college basketball rivalry. Tune in to any of the 15 ESPN channels during the college basketball season (or really anytime for that matter) and you’re likely to hear some talking head waxing poetic about Tobacco Road or the Cameron Crazies or the Tar Heel way or, even better, the greatness of Coach K. Duke and North Carolina is the greatest rivalry in the history of everything (except for the Red Sox vs. Yankees). The Blue Devils and Tar Heels play at least twice a year due to both schools being in the ACC and some years they play up to three times including the conference tournament. There have been some great games over the years and the roster of players is a who’s who of college basketball, starting with Michael Jordan. But does that make it the best rivalry?
The Wildcats and the Cardinals haven’t played each other the hundreds of times that the Tobacco Road schools have. And that leads to the misconception that the Bluegrass rivalry just isn’t as intense. And that’s false. When you only play your rival once a year, for all the marbles, the game is very intense. And with UK and UL fans, there is no offseason. There are heated debates amongst fans year round. The coaches don’t like each other. When the teams met in the 2012 Final Four, two older fans got into a fistfight at a dialysis clinic. When the Kentucky schools meet multiple times a year, it’s in the NCAA tournament. And that’s what makes this rivalry special.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
For the sixth time, Kentucky and Louisville will meet in the NCAA Tournament. On Friday Night in Indianapolis, the Bluegrass State’s premier college basketball teams will play for the opportunity to move on to the Elite Eight and continue on the road to Dallas and the 2014 Final Four. For the second time in 2 seasons, the state will grind to a halt and the battle lines will be drawn as the last two national champions meet to settle, once again, who’s best.
Kentucky and Louisville have combined for 11 NCAA titles. Each side has hall of fame coaches starting with Rupp and Crum. Each side has its share of all time great players, even if there’s not an all time superstar like Michael Jordan. The biggest difference between Tobacco Road and the UK/UL rivalry and all other rivalries is that the fans and alumni and students simply care more. The games mean more to the fans than anywhere else. In Kentucky, people live and breathe their college basketball. And, once again, it’s not just during basketball season, Bluegrass fandom is a 24/7, 365 thing.
There are going to be Blue Devil and Tar Heel fans that disagree that the Kentucky and Louisville rivalry is better. And since Duke and UNC have been eliminated from the 2014 NCAA Tournament, their fans will have plenty of time to debate the merits of their rivalry. As for the Card and Cat fans, we’ve got a game to focus on.