Best CBB Conference Games Played Only Once Because of Unbalanced Schedules
The beauty of conference play in college basketball is that, in most cases, teams get a chance in the same season to avenge an earlier loss to a league foe.
In most cases.
The expansion of many Division I conferences beyond 10 schools has made round-robin play impossible, forcing leagues to cobble together unbalanced schedules that feature numerous one-off matchups. Most of these single games are no bigger than any other on the league slate, with a few notable exceptions we've found.
Looking at the 2014-15 conference schedules of the 16 D-I conferences that don't have round robins, we've found the 10 best battles that will only be waged once during the regular season.
10. Auburn vs. Tennessee
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When: Jan. 31 at Tennessee
There's not much of a notable on-court history between Auburn and Tennessee. Tennessee swept both games last season, and the Tigers haven't beaten the Volunteers since 2009.
But the anticipation around this lone SEC game in the middle of the conference schedule is still high, and for one reason: Bruce Pearl.
Pearl, the former Tennessee coach who was fired in 2011 in the wake of his admitting to lying to NCAA officials during a recruiting investigation, was hired by Auburn in March to resurrect the long-downtrodden program. Pearl was given a three-year show-cause penalty, but even without the ability to personally recruit until this past August he managed to stock up his roster with transfers, including prolific ex-Niagara scorer Antoine Mason and top-rate junior college prospect Cinmeon Bowers.
Meanwhile, the man who replaced Pearl at Tennessee—Cuonzo Martin—bolted to California after leading the Vols into the Sweet 16. Tennessee is now under the guidance of former Southern Mississippi coach Donnie Tyndall.
Expect Pearl's reception at Thompson-Boling Arena to be a mix of cheers, jeers, boos and probably some words we can't publish.
9. Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
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When: March 8 at Ohio State
Two of the most fundamentally sound teams in the nation year in and year out both reside in the Big Ten. Whenever Ohio State and Wisconsin play, every possession counts, and it's a grind from the opening tip until the final whistle, usually with every second in between squeezed of every ounce of effort.
Last season's lone meeting, in Madison, was no different. Ohio State pulled out a 59-58 win, finishing the game on an 11-4 run with senior point guard Aaron Craft scoring seven of those points down the stretch.
That game fell in the middle of a midseason spiral for the Badgers, which began last season 16-0 but fell to 17-5 after this one. Two months later, they were in the Final Four.
Ohio State, on the other hand, tailed off as the season went on and fell in the second round to NCAA tourney darling Dayton, graduating Craft and losing LaQuinton Ross to the NBA draft. The Buckeyes will be relatively young this season, while Wisconsin returns four starters and is considered a top contender to get back to the Final Four.
Regardless of the roster makeups, though, when they meet in the regular-season finale in Columbus you can expect both teams to be playing their best basketball.
8. North Carolina vs. Syracuse
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When: Jan. 26 at North Carolina
If not for Syracuse's move to the ACC last season, the only chance we might have gotten to see Orange coach Jim Boeheim visit Tobacco Road would either be for an NCAA tournament regional in Raleigh or on a recruiting visit to some area high school gym.
But now we get to see him make trips to hostile arenas throughout the ACC, with last year's visit to Duke giving us a memorable finish late in the season. He'll be making his first trip to the Dean Smith Center this season, a game that marks only the second time Syracuse and North Carolina have played in the past 27 seasons.
UNC lost 57-45 at Syracuse in January, part of a 1-4 start to ACC play that had some wondering if the Heels would make the NCAA tournament. By season's end, though, Carolina was soaring up the league standings while Syracuse went from 25-0 to out of the NCAA tourney on the first weekend.
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7. Arkansas vs. Florida
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When: Jan. 31 at Florida
For the last few seasons, Arkansas has been a far more formidable team playing at home in Bud Walton Arena than anywhere else. Last year alone the Razorbacks' list of home conquests included Kentucky and SMU, while they fell to SEC champion Florida in overtime to end a 23-game homecourt win streak.
By the end of 2013-14, though, Arkansas began to show the ability to win on the road, taking out Kentucky in Lexington among others. It didn't get a chance to show that improvement at Florida, but this season the teams' lone meeting will be in the O'Connell Center.
And Arkansas may have its best team yet under Mike Anderson, with 6'10" Bobby Portis returning for his sophomore year alongside fellow returners Michael Qualls and Rashad Madden.
Florida, meanwhile, has to replace four starters from the team that reached the Final Four, but the Gators should still be among the SEC's top teams behind contributions from Dorian Finney-Smith, Michael Frazier II, Kasey Hill and Chris Walker.
6. Michigan State vs. Ohio State
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When: Feb. 14 at Michigan State
There is mutual respect between the players and coaches on Michigan State and Ohio State, but make no mistake: There's no love lost between the Big Ten powers.
So it seems apropos that if the Spartans and Buckeyes are only going to get to play each other once during the 2014-15 season, it should happen on Valentine's Day. The tip is scheduled for noon ET, so maybe they can also go out and have a nice meal together afterward.
Last year they also got only one chance to share a court, but it was on the final day of the regular season. Ohio State was the host, and the Buckeyes came out with a 69-67 victory that saw Michigan State go scoreless over the final 4:30.
5. Duke vs. Louisville
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When: Jan. 17 at Louisville
Duke and Louisville have never been in the same conference, but they've have their fair share of memorable games over the years. The last one may be the most noteworthy, and not just because it propelled Louisville into the Final Four in 2013 en route to a national championship.
The Blue Devils and Cardinals last played on March 31, 2013, in the Midwest Region finals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The game was a tight affair throughout the first half, full of excitement, but then Louisville guard Kevin Ware jumped to try to block a shot by Duke's Tyler Thornton with 6:33 left before halftime.
When Ware came down his right leg snapped in half, a horrific scene that played out right in front of Louisville's bench, the players at eye level to the injury because of a raised court.
After a lengthy delay, the game was resumed and Louisville dominated, playing to honor Ware with a 22-point triumph.
This will be the 10th all-time meeting between the programs but the first on either team's home court in more than 30 years. Their last three clashes have all been at neutral sites, including when Louisville downed the Blue Devils in the 1986 NCAA title game.
4. Dayton vs. VCU
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When: Feb. 28 at VCU
When Dayton and VCU had their lone meeting in Atlantic 10 play last season, VCU rolled into UD Arena and cruised to an 80-66 win en route to a second-place finish in the conference.
Two months later, Dayton was in the Elite Eight and VCU had seen its year end far too early with an upset loss to 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was almost as if the Flyers had borrowed from VCU's old script by being the surprise of the tourney, and by doing so making coach Archie Miller a household name and not just the younger brother of Arizona's Sean Miller.
The Flyers and the Rams figure to be among the best teams in the A-10 this season, so their lone meeting in Richmond will be their only chance (save for a clash in the conference tournament) to see who's faring better.
3. Louisville vs. Syracuse
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When: Feb. 18 at Syracuse
Realignment essentially killed one of the best basketball leagues in college, at least as we remember it. Syracuse's move from the Big East to the ACC (along with Pittsburgh and Notre Dame) in 2013-14 caused the Big East to split into two leagues with neither having much of the old conference's storied identity.
But with Louisville joining the ACC this season, there's a chance for some old Big East reunions in conference play, none more notable than when Louisville makes its first trip to Syracuse since March 2013.
That wasn't the last time the teams met, however. That came two weeks later, when eventual national champion Louisville knocked off the Orange 78-61 in the Big East tourney final and rode the wave of that performance to finish the season on a 16-game win streak.
Syracuse made the ACC its own for much of last season, and Louisville could do the same this year with a strong group of returning players. When the Cardinals visit the Carrier Dome in mid-February, though, it will be hard not to think the old Big East has been resurrected for at least one night.
2. Michigan State vs. Wisconsin
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When: March 1 at Wisconsin
The schedule-makers decided the loaded rosters of Michigan State and Wisconsin were only worthy of one regular-season meeting last season, won by Wisconsin on its home court. Thankfully, the Spartans and Badgers found a way to meet again, with MSU taking an 83-75 victory in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
We only get one matchup this year between veteran coaches Bo Ryan of Wisconsin and Michigan State's Tom Izzo, and through a quirk that is likely due to Maryland and Rutgers joining the Big Ten, the only clash is again at the Kohl Center.
We can only hope they'll figure out how to get on the same court in the conference tourney in March so that whoever loses the late-season meeting will have a chance for revenge.
1. Arizona vs. UCLA
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When: Feb. 21 at Arizona
Three of the past four Pac-12 regular-season titles have been won by Arizona or UCLA, and one has eliminated the other from the last three conference tournaments. That includes last season's epic tourney title game, won 75-71 by UCLA after Arizona had dominated the regular season.
That was a regular season that, sadly, only featured one game between the Bruins and Wildcats, won in Los Angeles by Arizona.
The same goes for 2014-15, because of the unbalanced schedule, with the only scheduled matchup late in the season in Tucson. UCLA won the last time they played at McKale Center, in January 2013.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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