One Of College Basketball’s Greatests Rivalries May Have Come To An End

For over 30 years, Division II College Basketball has been home to one of the best rivalries in the sport on any level. On Thursday, it was announced that this annual battle between the two tri-state basketball powers may have come to an end. Thursday afternoon, the University of Southern Indiana released its Men's Basketball Schedule for the 2014-2015 season. Long time foe Kentucky Wesleyan College was not on the USI slate, likely meaning the two schools will not meet for the first time since the 1977-78 season.  While there may still be a glimmer of hope that an agreement to keep the "Battle for the Bridge" in place, it appears likely the two schools would only meet in post-season play.

As a proud of alumni of Kentucky Wesleyan and long-time basketball fan, broadcaster, and for a brief time, assistant coach, yesterday marked a sad day for me.  USI and KWC met twice a year for 30 plus years as charter members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.   But with Kentucky Wesleyan's move to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), last year it became difficult for the rivalry to sustain its fire. USI head coach, Rodney Watson, said, "Last year attendance was down and it just felt like there wasn't much of a rivalry, and it felt like it had lost it's fire."   I can remember countless Thursday and Saturday nights during the basketball season, watching these two teams, with nine National Championships between them, leave everything on the floor in front of a sellout crowd at the Sportscenter, creating some of of my best sports memories. Here's to hoping that the schools can work something out to continue this storied rivalry for the good of the players, fans, and the game of basketball itself.