What Is the Most Played Rivalry In Men's College Basketball?

The University of Oregon plays the University of Washington in men's basketball tonight in Seattle.

Turns out, that this is the second most played rivalry in men's division one basketball history. Seriously. That includes all those east coast or Midwest rivalries you hear so much about (Syracuse v Georgetown, Duke v. N. Carolina, Kansas v KState, Ohio State v Mich., etc.).

The Dawgs and Ducks have tipped off against each other 291 times. In fact, six of the top seven most played rivalries in men's basketball are among Pacific Northwest schools.

The most played rivalry? Oregon vs. Oregon State.

According to this article, the dominance of Northwest schools in this particular statistic is because of their relative isolation from the rest of the nation...particularly acute until, say, second half of the 20th Century.

So there you go, some trivia before tonight's game.