What is the best Pac hoops rivalry?

[Spaceman Spiff]

Look, here's a take on non AZ/UCLA rivalries. There aren't many good ones bc the geographical rivalries are generally lopsided. WSU, OSU, USC and ASU are all little brothers. Utah and Colorado don't have a history with each other or a history in the conference.

Stanford/Cal is the only matchup where both programs have semi-equal success levels, although Furd had the early 2000's period where they were clearly better.

Where does that leave things? The second best rivalry is whatever teams are best in a given year.

[carolinacat]

Look, here's a take on non AZ/UCLA rivalries. There aren't many good ones bc the geographical rivalries are generally lopsided. WSU, OSU, USC and ASU are all little brothers. Utah and Colorado don't have a history with each other or a history in the conference.

Stanford/Cal is the only matchup where both programs have semi-equal success levels, although Furd had the early 2000's period where they were clearly better.

Where does that leave things? The second best rivalry is whatever teams are best in a given year.

So basically, the Pac 12 rivalry hierarchy goes something like....

Arizona- UCLA
Arizona vs. whoever is playing Arizona that week

[Beachcat97]

Look, here's a take on non AZ/UCLA rivalries. There aren't many good ones bc the geographical rivalries are generally lopsided. WSU, OSU, USC and ASU are all little brothers. Utah and Colorado don't have a history with each other or a history in the conference.

Stanford/Cal is the only matchup where both programs have semi-equal success levels, although Furd had the early 2000's period where they were clearly better.

Where does that leave things? The second best rivalry is whatever teams are best in a given year.

So basically, the Pac 12 rivalry hierarchy goes something like....

Arizona- UCLA
Arizona vs. whoever is playing Arizona that week

What does this say about teams in the Pac not named Arizona?

[FreeSpiritCat]

I don't know about UA's biggest Pac-12 rivalry, but I do know the team I hate the most. And that is New Mexico. The team that has to cheat to win. Lute Olson disliked them so much he wouldn't play them anymore, and for good reason.

[Beachcat97]

I don't know about UA's biggest Pac-12 rivalry, but I do know the team I hate the most. And that is New Mexico. The team that has to cheat to win. Lute Olson disliked them so much he wouldn't play them anymore, and for good reason.

This is a good point, though. I'd imagine many AZ fans consider a non-Pac team our biggest rival, possibly Kansas, Duke, or New Mexico.

[carolinacat]

I don't know about UA's biggest Pac-12 rivalry, but I do know the team I hate the most. And that is New Mexico. The team that has to cheat to win. Lute Olson disliked them so much he wouldn't play them anymore, and for good reason.

This is a good point, though. I'd imagine many AZ fans consider a non-Pac team our biggest rival, possibly Kansas, Duke, or New Mexico.

I wouldn't give New Mexico the honor of being our rival outside the Pac. They are clamoring for the attention and want to be relevant. We had a nice little affair with SDSU for a few years as they built their program. Arizona pretty much dominated the series. We had some hiccups mostly due to roster shortcomings as Miller rebuilt the program. We've had some memorable battles....but we always get the W.
UNLV is a possibility, but they need to earn their wings again and that means winning their conference, earning high seeds and advancing in March. I could see that series building into something meaningful.
I don't see any other national programs considering us a rival. We just don't play frequently enough, which is a shame. Kansas, UNC, Duke. I'd love for us to start a series. But screw Illinois!!!

[Spaceman Spiff]

Look, here's a take on non AZ/UCLA rivalries. There aren't many good ones bc the geographical rivalries are generally lopsided. WSU, OSU, USC and ASU are all little brothers. Utah and Colorado don't have a history with each other or a history in the conference.

Stanford/Cal is the only matchup where both programs have semi-equal success levels, although Furd had the early 2000's period where they were clearly better.

Where does that leave things? The second best rivalry is whatever teams are best in a given year.

So basically, the Pac 12 rivalry hierarchy goes something like....

Arizona- UCLA
Arizona vs. whoever is playing Arizona that week

What does this say about teams in the Pac not named Arizona?

Really, other than Arizona, Utah and maybe Colorado, the other schools have unimpressive fan bases. Arizona and UCLA are the only programs that have sustained more than 5 years of Sweet 16 level play.

[carolinacat]

If Utah can sustain their success, they're a possibility. Beating them last year at their place with the conference title at stake was pretty sweet. Then they fell apart after that. They have a terrific fan base. Between the Utes, BYU, Utah State & sometimes Weber State, there's a lot of good college basketball in a relatively short driving distance.

[scumdevils86]

Dumb thread is dumb

[Beachcat97]

If Utah can sustain their success, they're a possibility. Beating them last year at their place with the conference title at stake was pretty sweet. Then they fell apart after that. They have a terrific fan base. Between the Utes, BYU, Utah State & sometimes Weber State, there's a lot of good college basketball in a relatively short driving distance.

Utah has always been a strong program. Long time AZ fans know this, not just because of what happened in '98 but because of the great success that Majerus had there for many years. It's been interesting seeing Utah integrate into the Pac. They're a fine addition to our league, imo.

If Krystkowiak can recruit well in his region, they'll continue to be strong because so many of their guys are four year players.