With Duke and North Carolina playing tonight it got me thinking what the best rivalries in sports are.  Rivalries are a big part in what makes sports great so here are my thoughts.  

College Basketball – North Carolina Vs Duke  

This is clearly the cream of the crop when you are talking about college basketball rivalries.  The Schools are located only 8 miles apart and always features a game in Chapel Hill and Durham the home court for each school.  There are a lot of times where they meet a third time in the ACC tournament and when that happens the intensity rises even more.  These are two of the premier college basketball programs in America and they are almost always both ranked when they meet and most of the time they are in the top 10.  While some programs set goals to make the NCAA Tournament, these programs set their goals every year to reach the Final Four and win a National Championship.  Duke has four national championships and fifteen final fours and is coached by the winningest coach in Division 1 basketball history Mike Krzyzewski.  North Carolina has five national championships and 18 final four appearances and has been coached by the legendary Dean Smith and is currently coached by future hall of famer Roy Williams.  These teams are constantly bringing in elite high school talent which keeps them as national powers.  Players come to those schools because they want to be a part of this rivalry and the atmosphere is always as good as it gets.  When you say college hoops rivalries you immediately think of these two teams and the games they’ve played in the past.  Tonight both teams are ranked inside the top 10 and have dreams of winning the ACC and to get back to the final four.  I give the edge to UNC tonight as they are a better team in my opinion and are playing at home where they are very tough to beat.  

College Football – Michigan Vs Ohio State

There is a good chance when these teams meet the Big-10 Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl is on the line or potentially a National Championship bid.  These two teams meet the last game of the regular season and now with the Big-10 being split into seperate divisions there is a possibility they could play each other a week later should they win their respective divisions.  Intensity is high in this game and it is regarded as the  best rivalry in college football.  Back in 2006 they played each other when they were ranked #1 and #2 in the BCS with the winner capturing the Big-10 Championship and a spot in the BCS title game.  Ohio State won the game 42-39 and eventually defeated Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl claiming their first BCS Championship.  Even when these teams arent contending for championships the atmosphere is second to none and you can bet the players and coaches will give it all they have.

Baseball - Yankees Vs Red Sox

You can't talk about rivalries without mentioning the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.  This is pretty much in my opinion the rivalry of all rivalries and we get treated to a minimum of 19 matchups a year.  The rivalry started when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees.  The Yankees wen't on to win many championships while the Sox were stuck with the curse of the bambino and a World Series drough from 1918 until 2004 when the curse was finally broken.  There was Bucky Dent and the memerable 1999 ALCS where the umpires made several questionable calls that went in the Yankees favor.  There was 2003 when the Red Sox imploded in Game 7 of the ALCS and eventually lost on a walk off home run by Aaron Boone.  That was all erased the following year when the Red Sox did the improbable and came back from a 3-0 series deficet to win 4 straight and go on to the World Series which they would eventually win. The Sox won again in 2007 and the Yankees won in 2009.  Great players like Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs have played for both sides.

Basketball - Laker Vs. Celtics

The two most storied franchises in professional basketball form the greatest rivalry in the NBA.  The Boston Celtics winners of 17 NBA titles hold a slim lead over the Lakers who have 16.  The Celtics and Lakers have battled in the NBA Finals 12 times with the Celtics holding the 9 to 3 advantage.  It was all Celtics in the late 50's and through the 60's with the Celtics winning all 7 meetings.  The 80's featured 3 battles with the likes of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Magic Johnson and Kareem.  The Celtics won in 1984 and the Lakers took the next two in 1985 and 1987.  After that there was a long drought in the rivalry as the Celtics grew old and were bad up until 2008 when they rejuvinated the rivalry by beating the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals.  The Lakers returned the favor two years later being them in 7 games in 2010.  Some of the greatest players in NBA history have been a part of this rivalry.  The Lakers visit Boston for the first of two meetings this season.