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. 6 – Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats

All-Time Series: Kansas leads 199-94

One of the longest-running rivalries in college hoops, the “Sunflower Showdown” between Kansas and Kansas State has been played annually since 1912. The matchup has been decidedly one-sided over the years, particularly recently as Kansas is among the nation’s elite programs nationally, and Kansas St. has ebbed and flowed, but it is always appointment viewing, particularly for the diehards of the Sunflower State.

Since 1949, these programs have played 178 times and Kansas has claimed victory in more than two-thirds of those contests. One particularly tough stretch for the Wildcats occurred between January 1994 and January 2006, a twelve-year period that saw Kansas take 31 straight contests.

This past season brought extra flair to the rivalry between these Big 12 programs. A full-fledged brawl between players and program-affiliated personnel punctuated this rivalry, which is always played roughly.

Game of Note: March 3, 2010 – No. 2 Kansas def No. 5 Kansas St. 82-65

While the 2020 melee-marred matchup is the most recent noteworthy edition of the Sunflower Showdown, this game in 2010 had the biggest implications of a KU-K St. matchup to date. Each team was ranked in the top-five, the first time this matchup held that distinction in over half a century.

Kansas would prevail without issue en route to winning the Big 12 regular-season title and catapulting to the No. 1 ranking in the country. Subsequently, the teams would meet for a third time in 2010 in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game, with No. 1 Kansas once again defeating No. 9 Kansas State.