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. 21 – Florida Gators vs. Florida St. Seminoles

All-Time Series: Florida leads 43-27

Generally speaking, Florida vs. Florida St. is much more widely known for its rivalry on the gridiron, but with each school enjoying runs of success over the last two decades, the rivalry on the hardwood has picked up a few notches.

The “Sunshine Showdown” was first contested in 1951 and played at least once annually between 1956 and 1968 until taking a ten-year sabbatical. Early returns in this rivalry favored the Gators who won 18 of the first 23 contests.

For these programs from powerhouse conferences with national aspirations to regularly schedule each other as part of their nonconference schedules, which they do annually, shows how much pride each side has in the bragging rights bestowed by prevailing in this rivalry.

Recent form has sided with the Seminoles, who have won the last 6 meetings in this rivalry, including winning two of the last three meetings while unranked when Florida was ranked in the top-10, certainly adding fuel to the fire of this bitter intrastate competition.

Game of Note: December 3, 2006 – Florida St. def No. 4 Florida 70-66

The reigning national champion Florida Gators came into this matchup ranked No. 4 in the nation and yet fell at the hands of the Seminoles 70-66 behind a marvelous 28-point, nine-rebound performance from Al Thornton. This marked the first occasion in this rivalry where a team coming into the game ranked in the top-10 was defeated. The Gators would once again get the last laugh in March defending their national championship and going back-to-back, but for this night in December, the Sunshine Showdown was firmly rooted in Tallahassee.