The long and storied rivalry between the Georgetown Hoyas and Connecticut Huskies came to a sad conclusion last season when the Huskies left the Big East Conference for the American Athletic Conference. Still, the two teams came to an agreement to a two-year home-and-home series that is set to take place in 2015 and 2016. The two schools have won a record seven Big East Championships and have played each other 64 times, dating back to 1958. The Hoyas own a slight 35-29 edge and have not met since Georgetown won an exciting 79-78 double-overtime thriller in February 2013.
The first of the two games will take place on January 23, 2016 when the Hoyas travel to Hartford, Connecticut. Then, on January 21, 2017, the Huskies will return the favor and visit the Verizon Center. There remains no long-term plan in place for the rivalry, but if the series goes well fans could expect to see the contract extended.
UConn is the defending National Champion while the Hoyas struggled to an 18-15 record. They have combined to capture five NCAA titles and are two of the nation’s finest basketball programs.
One of the major fears with the recent conference realignment was losing the rivalries that made college basketball the game it is today. This home-and-home series could provide a framework for other teams hoping to retain past rivalries. Other teams have begun to schedule their upcoming non-conference games, but the rivalry games have not yet been established.
*Section Photo credit to Rob Carr, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Bob Donnan, USA Today Sports.
