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. 20 – Villanova Wildcats vs. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

All-Time Series: Villanova leads 40-24

Any list of college basketball rivalries would feel incomplete without mentioning the Big 5 of Philadelphia, annual contests between Philadelphia’s five major historical basketball rivals. Often The Palestra, home to Penn’s basketball teams, provides the mythical backdrop for these contests.

While each different combination offers something unique for fans of these schools, and with apologies to Temple, La Salle, and Penn, the “Holy War” rivalry between Villanova and Saint Joseph’s deserves top billing from the Big 5 as the Philadelphia rivalry with the most historical significance.

Recent years have seen this rivalry dominated by Villanova, whose rise to national prominence under Jay Wright has far overshadowed any of the successes from the rest of the Big 5, including St. Joe’s, whose stretch of success with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West in the early 2000s is the best run of form for the program in decades. Villanova has won the last 8 games and 11 of the last 12 dating back to 2008.

Let’s not forget early in the Holy War, though, where the Hawks led by Dr. Jack Ramsey, took 11 of the first 13 matchups and went to the Final Four in 1961.

There is hope for the future, too, as St. Joe’s is now coached by Billy Lange, a former Jay Wright assistant, whose elevation to this position could rekindle the fire of this rivalry and mark the dawn of a new era in Philly’s Holy War.

Game of Note: Feb. 7, 2006 – 50th Anniversary of the Big 5 – No. 4 Villanova def St. Joe’s 71-58

Behind 25 points from future NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry, the No. 4 Wildcats knocked off the Hawks at the Palestra in a contest celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Big 5 in Philadelphia.