@jaybate-1.0 @drgnslayr @Texas-Hawk-10 @BeddieKU23 @Kcmatt7
I’m not sure KU is looking for a rival in Philly or even for one period. I believe KU goes to Philly for pure experience and the potential recruiting. Think about it Philly is one of the few places HCBS has no problem playing a road game at. Not to mention KU has in deed grabbed some nice talent from the area. It’s no different than Duke and the ACC trying to play as many games in the Madison garden. “Exposure” Only difference KU has to do it alone as nobody else in the Big 12 can travel that far and have enough cache to demand respect and attention.
As fans we must first understand the question before we can find the answer. What is a rival? Is it just hating another school or team? Is it just the amount of games played between each other in history? Is it a school that is in your state or connecting state? Who decides if it’s a rivalry? Is it the media or the fans? A lot of questions to consider.
So was the MU and KU a real rivalry. Maybe, but was it really a rivalry? It was full of hatred no doubt, but it was hate that transcended the two schools, and formed it’s roots in the very nature of hate “slavery”. I know it was called a rivalry, but was it really? KU mopped up the MU basketball program like has so many others. I guess you could say football? I mean KU and MU are pretty much tied even with the recent success of the MU program. Yet when these two hooked up at Arrowhead I’m not sure they even sold out the stadium. In fact I think the second game was a dud as far as fan support goes. I’m not sure Hatred is enough to claim a rivalry.
There was a time Texas was supposed to by KU’s rivalry in basketball. Sure they had some good teams and gave KU a run for it’s money. Yet was it really a rivalry? Was it more Espn trying to push the whole UT and KU rivalry? I guess I just never seen it that way. I always saw Texas as trying to buy what KU already had.
The problem with KU having a rivalry with someone is that the rivalry really only exists if both teams are good. To often a team will rise to the top to challenge KU, only to falter when KU decides to circle that game on the calendar. Iowa st is a fine example. This isn’t it’s first time of the Clones rising up to lock horns with KU. However as KU has taken notice of the Clone threat it will focus on destroying and defeating the Clone nation. The Clones will not and can not survive this KU onslaught. They will falter and fall as their empire will be left in ruins.
You see KU can’t really have any true rivals. For when KU feels a threat from someone they began to focus on that team, that program, and that game. The KU program is like a reaper, it breaths to crush and defeat you. Very few programs can match the strength of KU, none can match the lore. Yet you see Kentucky, Duke, and UNC don’t want that rivalry with KU. HCBS has tried. They instead want to be snipers sneak up on KU every once in awhile in some faraway tournament. They have no desire to play KU head to head every year. Hell UNC doesn’t want to play KU at all. For you see when you have to play KU every year, then KU becomes stronger. KU will take notice of you, study you, find your weakness, begin to break you down, slowly take away you’re will, KU will not only rise to you’re challenge but it will crush and defeat you just like a reaper.
On the serious side KU can’t have a true rivalry in basketball because the more times they play you eventually they start kicking you’re ass until they just get tired of kicking your ass. It would be no different with UK, Duke, or UNC. Throw them in a league with KU and in the end KU will be kicking their asses on a regular biases too.
