1. Notes: 13 / 2 years ago 

    The Lone Star Hate

    It breeds NBA stars, boasts some of the nations best high school basketball, and as of right now Joe Lunardi is predicting 6 teams from within its borders to the NCAA Tournament. What is this roundball crazy locale? North Carolina? Kentucky?

    Try Texas.

    While Texas basketball isn’t a secret nationwide, it remains widely unappreciated even within its own borders. But not this week. On Wednesday, Texas plays host to one of the Big 12’s most consistently entertaining series in Oklahoma State vs Texas, and Saturday on ESPN the entire nation will get to see Texas’ oldest rivalry as the Aggies and Longhorns square off for the 217th time. But the “Lone Star Showdown” has been a bore fest the last six years with a few exceptions. The real rivalry to watch in the state of Texas is the one that takes place tomorrow in Waco. Grab your beverage of choice and be in front of your TV tuned into ESPNU at 8:00 tomorrow and get ready, you’re about to witness one of the nations fastest growing rivalry games.

    The 201st Battle of the Brazos

    The schools are separated by about an hours drive, but just six or seven years ago this rivalry was to basketball what Duke/Wake Forest was to football,and the only conference wins these two schools could hope for were against each other. But not anymore. In 2010, they’re both ranked, they’re both on their way to the NCAA Tournament, and, best of all, they both HATE each other.

    A&M and Baylor have always had a semi-rivalry just because of their close proximity, but it was a rivalry in the same way that you have a rivalry with your neighbors about who’s yard looks better. Not really that important, and not really that hostile. But this neighborly spat started to turn south in the spring of 2007.

    The genesis of the modern era of hate was probably a perceived “cheap shot” by Bear center Josh Lomers to Aggie forward Marlon Pompey at a 2007 game in college station. But that was merely the first spark on the fire. The rivalry took an epic turn in January 2008 with Baylor winning a 5 overtime game in College Station. Then this thing hit full on hate inferno in Waco in March, 2008. With both teams fighting for their NCAA tournament lives and desperate for a win, the refs let the game get to far too physical. Fans, coaches, and players were already pissed off at each other and the officials, and then this happened. Bottles were hurled from the stands, Aggie coaches and  Baylor players were about to get into it, while the crowd was as close to a riot as Baylor fans have ever been. But it wasn’t over… Aggie guard Donald Sloan took it upon himself to put an exclamation point on this game with a dunk that A&M fans know as “The Baptism” and that Baylor fans barely speak about.

    Game 1 this season was no disappointment as the two teams battled in front of a sold out crowd at Reed Arena. That game ended up 78-71 in favor of the Aggies, prompting the Reed Rowdies to remind Baylor of the Sloan dunk with a giant sign hung from the student section. Tomorrow the Bear Pit has their turn, and if this game is anything like the last few, you won’t want to miss it.

  2. Notes

    1. big12hoops posted this
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