NCAA basketball rivalries: Ranking the top 25 college basketball rivalries

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: A fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels (L) and the Duke Blue Devils pose for a photo while holding a sign referring to the Duke/UNC rivalry during the semifinals of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

No. 8 – Duke Blue Devils vs. Maryland Terrapins

All-Time Series: Duke leads 110-61

While not all intraconference matchups grow into heated rivalries, those between teams that are prominent nationally as among the best teams in the country over a period of time have the potential to do so. That is exactly what happened between Duke and Maryland in the early 2000s as the Atlantic Coast Conference programs were consistently ranked highly and enjoyed the success of both conference and national championships.

In the three seasons between 1999 and 2002, Duke and Maryland met nine times, with both teams ranked in the top-25 each game. Duke won seven of the nine games, including in the ACC Tournament semifinals and finals, as well as the 2001 Final Four matchup, on the way to winning the 2001 National Championship. Not to be outdone, Maryland catapulted off the 2001 Final Four run to win the 2002 National Championship.

Programs led by iconoclast coaches add a little bit of extra juice into the mix, and it was no different when Mike Krzyzewski and Gary Williams were thrown into the fire against each other. While this rivalry lay dormant since Maryland left the ACC for the Big Ten, it remains one of the most heated short-term rivalries in college hoops history.

Game of Note: January 7, 2001 – No. 2 Duke def No. 8 Maryland 98-96 (OT)

One of the most memorable ACC college basketball games of all-time occurred in College Park, MD when two heavyweights near the peak of their powers squared off and Jay Williams stole the show. Dubbed the “Miracle Minute,” Williams ignited a furious rally down the stretch that saw Duke erase a 10-point deficit with 54 seconds remaining, scoring eight consecutive points and getting Duke into a position where Nate James hit two free throws to tie the game. Eventually, Duke would prevail in overtime in one of the most incredible comebacks in college hoops lore, a game that epitomized the rivalry between these two programs.