The Classics: DePaul/Illinois Rivalry Should Automatically Be Extended

May 21st, 2017 - 13:57

"Holy shadows of the dead, I am not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and brother people to fight one another. I do not feel happy for this victory of mine. On the contrary, I would be glad, brothers, if I had all of you standing here next to me, since we are united by the same language, the same blood and the same visions." - Alexander the Great

The best back-to-back non-conference games the past two seasons probably involved Maryland coming from behind to upend Georgetown both times. Where has this rivalry been for more than three decades? Hoop loyalists missed out on Patrick Ewing and David Wingate vs. Adrian Branch in the early 1980s, Reggie Williams vs. Len Bias in mid-1980s, Alonzo Mourning vs. Tony Massenburg and Walt Williams in late 1980s and early 1990s, Allen Iverson vs. Joe Smith in mid-1990s and Mike Sweetney vs. Juan Dixon at the turn of 21st Century. Instead of grand games giving us a shot of adrenalin, we got to overdose on cupcakes with the Hoyas and Terrapins combining to win all 66 of their mismatches against in-state weaklings UMBC, UMES, Morgan State and Towson from the early 1980s through 2003-04. It is long past time for these schools to commit to opposing each other like they did from 1946-47 to 1979-80. If so, the "Duel in D.C." immediately becomes annual must-see TV in pre-conference competition comparable to Kentucky/Louisville, Illinois/Missouri and Cincinnati/Xavier. Another possible addition to this list bubbled up as DePaul is slated to meet Illinois next season for the first time in 60 years.

Elsewhere, after 105 years steeped in history amid off-the-chart contempt, the rivalry between Kansas and Missouri expired for the foreseeable future when Mizzou departed the Big 12 Conference for the SEC. KU has a commanding edge in nearly every category (winning percentage, victories away from home and close games decided by single digits), but the Tigers have been enough of a tormentor to make the series as energetic and entertaining as you can find anywhere. Their border war stacked right up there with the more nationally-acclaimed "Clash of the Titans" between Duke and North Carolina.

Making about as much sense as lunatic leftists being more concerned about #TheDonald's two scoops of ice cream rather than DNC staffer Seth Rice's murder, it was shortsighted of KU and Mizzou to let their rivalry end. They simply join top six conference members Pittsburgh/West Virginia, Cincinnati/Ohio State and Texas/Texas A&M as potentially great natural non-league match-ups their fans can't enjoy.

Do we require self-absorbed Secretary of State John Kerry to bring James Taylor for a "You've Got a Friend" sing-along to ease the stress after Utah cancelled its game at BYU? If bruised egos heal in the near future, perhaps sounder minds will prevail with Mizzou annually opposing KU in Kansas City much like it does in St. Louis against Illinois. But Mizzou, revitalized by a regal recruiting class, can't complain if the Jayhawks continue to act like a jilted lover because the self-centered Tigers fail to oppose competent in-state foes such as Missouri State and Saint Louis.

By almost any measure including Alexander the Great's perspective, KU has a superior program to Mizzou, which was at its lowest ebb in more than 50 years after mess-maker Frank Haith left the Tigers' program in tatters. But Jayhawks coach Bill Self should rein in his rhetoric as the divorce dialogue intensified or at least take a crash course in college basketball history. When comparing the significance of the Kentucky/Louisville rivalry to the termination of KU's home-and-home conference conflicts with the Tigers, Self said: "Well, they've always played every year (out of league). That's all they know."

Well, Self needs to "always know" that UK and Louisville went 61 years from 1923 through 1983 without a regular-season matchup before they came to their senses and saw the light. Speaking of light, KU and Mizzou simply have to shed one lightweight apiece to keep a good thing going for the sport in general and for their fans specifically like the entertaining Philly Big 5. KU, foisting an anemic non-league slate on hoopdom in 2017-18, shouldn't also deny hoop fans a Top 20 matchup with Wichita State.

By toning down picking on patsies, there is plenty of room on their respective non-league schedules to keep playing each other. Ditto for Indiana and Kentucky plus Memphis and Tennessee resuming their rivalries, which would definitely be among the top 10 such confrontations in the country. If the century-old KU/Mizzou spectacle returns, it could immediately surpass Kentucky/Louisville and go atop the following list of the nation's top 25 non-conference rivalries if only because of longevity:

The Classics: DePaul/Illinois Rivalry Should Automatically Be Extended

Main menu