No real football rivalries other than the generic in-state stuff which is fine; it’s too young.
But what about basketball? We’ve had a basketball team for 6 decades or so. I’ve read of the Cincinnati Bearcat stuff (albeit there is very little information) but we don’t play them anymore. We beat #1 Michigan on the way to the Final Four, but that doesn’t seem contentious nor do we play them. We lost to Marquette in that same run, but there’s no animosity I suppose.
We have the Davidson Hornets Nest game and I love it so much. I guess I just want more of that.
We’ve shared a conference with UAB longer than any other school we’ve competed against. Would we consider them a rival?
According to our website we have played USF 57 times, UAB 55 times, and Davidson 51 times.
Davidson record is 31-20
UAB record is 20-35
USF record is 26-31
And because I’m looking back, I found that we played Chapel Hill twice both at the end of the 90’s. Both games went to overtime and we didn’t win them. We also have never hosted them
Very aware because I am old and remember them vividly. CHeat refused to schedule us. We got paired against them in the NCAA tournament in Hartford CT in March of 1999. The crowd in Hartford was rooting for us. Diego Guevara hit this shot to send the game to OT:
And then the refs handed the game to CHeat in OT by calling phantom foul on our star PF Demarco Johnson.
More Diego highlights from that game:
We played them again 9 months later in Chapel Hill. The only time they have ever dared to schedule us. We had a 10+ pt lead on them in the 2nd half, IIRC. End of regulation, CHeat PG Ed Cota tried to call his own number for a game winning drive. Guarding him was Galen Young (future 2nd Rd pick of the Milwaukee Bucks). Cota tried to start his dribble drive 2 or 3 times, and Young shut him down each time. I dont think he ever even got a shot off as time expired.
Again we got jobbed in OT. Brenda (sic) Haywood had a tip in at the buzzer to win the game. There were some very questionable calls at the end.
After that game it was pretty obvious CHeat would never schedule us again. 2 games, 2 OTs. Not worth it to them.
Researching our most played opponents has reminded me of the very first time I saw the Niners in person - January 22, 1972 in the Mine Shaft. A 79-64 win over App in which Mountaineer head coach Press Maravich (yes, Pete’s dad and the previous HC at NC State and LSU) was given 4 technical fouls before finally being ejected (2 tech limit not yet implemented). And he didn’t go quietly! Among other things, took off his suit jacket and attempted to give it to one of the refs before being corraled and led out of the gym. Fun introduction to what was yet to come during the Lee Rose run!
Don’t dispute any of that. Definitely a great game though I have always felt we did more to lose it than Marquette did to win right up until the Warriors made the GW shot.
I was at that game with my then UNC attending girlfriend. What a game. I vividly remember when walking out after the game hearing a Niner fan yell, “Welcome to the Green Dome!” I chuckled.
