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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No. 25 – Belmont Bruins vs. Lipscomb Bisons

All-Time Series: Lipscomb leads 75-71

We’ll kick off the list with a shout out to all the mid-major fans out there as this annual matchup between Belmont and Lipscomb, dubbed the “Battle of the Boulevard,” is one of geographic pride and bragging rights.

The main campuses for these two schools lie just two miles apart in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. While the rivalry dates back to 1953, only recently did it involve contests between the two teams as members of the NCAA, with Belmont joining the NCAA in 1997 and Lipscomb following in 2002. Prior to that, the teams battled as powerhouses in the NAIA.

Belmont holds a commanding 24-11 lead in the rivalry as NCAA opponents but Lipscomb holds the overall series lead between the schools. As a sign of the overall importance of this rivalry to the schools, the programs have continued to play twice annually despite Belmont having left the Atlantic Sun Conference for the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012.

Another interesting wrinkle in the rivalry happened before the 2019-20 season as Lipscomb head coach, fresh off a run to the NIT championship game with the Bisons, jumped ship to helm Belmont after the retirement of legendary long-time Bruins coach Rick Byrd. Although unsurprising, given Alexander played and coached at Belmont for many years prior to taking over the Lipscomb program, the move added a dimension to what has become one of the more unheralded rivalries in college hoops.

Game of Note: March 4, 2006 – Atlantic Sun tournament championship game – Belmont def Lipscomb 74-69

That these two programs, nascent as they were as members of the NCAA, and yet full of history as opponents, would meet with a berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line so soon after Lipscomb joined the ranks of the NCAA is part and parcel of what makes March so special for college basketball fans. Belmont would prevail on this day but the importance of this matchup is not lost on supporters of these programs who take pride in the bragging rights bestowed by the bi-annual matchups in Nashville.