The Best Rivalry

You won’t get any objectivity asking us. All us cards fan think the UK/UofL rivalry is the best. I don’t think I need to go through the reasons why either.

And then he went and wrote that piece about Duke-UNC being college basketball’s “defining rivalry.”

smh

we wont have Louisville – WVU anymore… for a while until “the call”

because it’s always thrust down your throat when I watch the wide world of sports. also, most of the talking heads are from those schools, good luck with that. some would say the titles (honest argument) but I think it’s more of the nba players both teams have in the league. when we play UK its at a time where there’s a lot going (NBA, NFL playoffs) not a lot of focus. plus those guys play like 2 or 3 times. kinda lame if u ask me.

are why Louisville Fans are the Greatest Fans in the world.

Right now, our game quietly takes place early in the season when Louisville is battling injuries and neither team is playing anywhere near their potential. There’s no build up, no conference title at stake, no concern about seeding, etc. Outside this state, the game is essentially meaningless.

UNC/Duke are in the same league which was once thought of as the very best college basketball has to offer (and with poaching Cuse and Pitt from the BE they may be again), and they are usually the top two teams in said league and both meetings take place in February when tournament talk and seeding are in constant rotation. Outside the two fanbases – it’s still a big game, without question. There’s always a lot on the line every time they play.

With our thin-skinned rival’s power over their conference, Louisville and Kentucky will likely never be in the same league. So, moving the game later into the year would help propel it back into the spotlight and re-establish it’s importance. Somewhere during the last 10 games of the season, have the two teams meet in their OOC match when both are at their best and more importantly to us — healthy. Would make for a much better game and the rivalry would get more credibility and coverage, IMO.

Of course, I know this will likely never happen due to several reasons. But, one can fantasize.

Here’s why.
1. The fact they they do play 2-3 time every year makes the impact of a single game somewhat diminished. We only get one shot at UK every year so the importance of winning that game is higher.
2. The fan bases at both Duke and UNC tend to be pretty classy and that keeps the animosity at a more civilized and intelligent level. In our rivalry, there are many more who have those rare qualities of being both arrogant and stupid (can you say Casualgamerreed?). Fans where facts are secondary to perceptions and all unsupportive information is just lies.
3. The base level of hatred between Louisville and Kentucky fans is just deeper than in the Duke – Carolina rivalry. Duke and Carolina people dislike each other, but are civil. For example, you never hear of a fans car being keyed in the parking lot after game or of any physical altercations after a game. Conversely, many UK and UL fans supplant dislike with a genuine hatred that is deep and, in my view unrivaled.
4. Finally both Duke and Carolina are very successful in a number of other areas beyond just basketball. They have other very successful sports teams as well as excellent academic accomplishments. In our rivalry, Louisville also had a large number of other very successful sports programs and a solid academic record. Kentucky, on the other hand, has very little other than their basketball program. Their fans often recount how they live and breathe basketball. It’s because when you are in the hills of eastern Kentucky, you may well have nothing else to base your self esteem on. Kentucky basketball. That’s it. I believe it’s why so many Kentucky fans hold on so vigorously to the “glory” of Kentucky’s basketball dominance. For many, it’s all they’ve got.

This is why there is nothing else like the Louisville – Kentucky rivalry. Nothing.

Go Cards.