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 Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

No. 19 – VCU Rams vs. Richmond Spiders

All-Time Series: VCU leads 54-31

The “Capital City Classic,” formerly the “Black & Blue Classic” is an annual matchup of the two programs that reside within the Richmond city limits as VCU and Richmond, one public university, one private university, rekindle hostilities annually and have done so since 1976. First as conference rivals within the Colonial Athletic Association, then a few years when Richmond left to join the Atlantic-10 conference, and now within the A-10 since VCU joined in 2012, the Rams and Spiders do battle for bragging rights and conference supremacy.

Game of Note: March 13, 2015 – Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarterfinals – VCU def Richmond 70-67

This rivalry has leaned in the favor of VCU historically, as well as over the last 20 years where VCU has won 23 of the 34 contests held in the 2000s. In 2015, the teams met twice in the regular season while VCU was ranked in the top-25. In the first matchup, VCU was ranked 14th, highest ranking for either side in this rivalry, and undefeated in A-10 play, while Richmond had struggled through the early part of its schedule.

Showing off the unpredictability that many great rivalries possess, Richmond traveled to the Siegel Center and upended the No. 14 Rams 64-55. This victory would set the stage for the return match 26 days later when Richmond held serve on its home floor and once again defeated then-No. 22 VCU 67-63. Winning both battles against VCU earned Richmond a higher seed in the A-10 tournament, but VCU would exact its revenge on the Spiders in the A-10 quarterfinals with a 70-67 win. That win helped to propel VCU through the remainder of the A-10 tournament en route to winning the tournament title and earning the A-10’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth for 2015.