UK Rivals Tournament: #6 Duke vs #11 Georgia

Well, that was an interesting Rivals Matchup that just concluded. I thought it would be a lot closer pitting UNC against a SEC rival, but the BBN really, really hates the Tarheels. I can't wait for the pairing between UNC and UF to advance to the rivals Final 4. That should be interesting. Today's #6 vs #11 matchup takes a similar vein. Take a ACC basketball rival and match them with a SEC rival, this time in our own division. As the name Duke automatically causes fur to rise, let's take a look at this UK RIVALS TOURNEY matchup and as always, vote in the poll to the right.

#6. DUKE BLUE DEVILS

So how big can a rival really be if the two teams NEVER play? The last meeting between UK and Duke was December 18, 2001 when #1 Duke held off UK 95-92 at Cameron. That is it since 2001. Of course, when UK and Duke do play, it has HUGE implications: the 1978 NCAA Championship, the 1998 Southeast Regional Finals (I was there) and of course the ugh, Christian Laettner shot game. They are usually classics and it appears that Calipari is all for adding Duke to the schedule on a regular basis, but it appears Coach K wants no part of that. Lately, the rivalry has simmered because of recruiting battles between Calipari and Coach K. Cal won round one with John Wall, but rounds 2 and 3 are waging now with Brandon Knight and Kyrie Irving. Tensions were also high when it appeared Eliot Williams may transfer to UK from Duke recently but Memphis won that battle.

#11. GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Georgia is the reverse question of Duke. How big can a rival be you meet a division rival every year and the games are generally forgone conclusions? Granted, Georgia is a great program and should be a bigger rival but the two teams never seem to be really competitive in the same sport at the same time. As a result, there is not a lot at stake when the Bulldogs and Cats have matched up recently. Even in down seasons, UK has an 8-3 record over the Dawgs the last 5 seasons. Likewise, the football Bulldogs hold a 4-1 record against UK in that time span. Each team has been punished for taking the other team lightly though. UK upset the Dawgs 24-20 in 2006 and almost upset them but fell short 42-38 last year. UK seems on the verge of making the football rivalry closer. The basketball Dawgs stunned UK and knocked them out of the SEC Tournament in 2008 and sealed Billy G's fate by knocking off UK at Rupp last season. But are the Dawgs big enough rivals to pull the upset in this tournament?