This is most definitely true in college basketball. While the rivalries really don’t change that much from year to year—and generally, it’s their endurance that makes these rivalries special—you never know when passions will boil up and one great rivalry will eclipse all the others.

Now that the college basketball season has really kicked into high gear, it’s a good time to step back and have a look at the state of the game’s biggest rivalries. Thus, today we present you the 9 Biggest College Basketball Rivalries of 2012.

Obviously, there are so many great rivalries that they can’t all make this list. But hey, we do our best. So without any further ado…

We’re sorry if this information comes as a disappointment, but we should tell you that the man you saw was not Walker Texas Ranger, which may comes as quite the surprise.  After all, who other than “the world’s most dangerous man” would have the guts to wear an outfit like that to a college basketball game?

Hat Tip – [Deadspin]

Today, Total Pro Sports takes a look at the 11 most amazing places to watch college basketball. These are college sports venues that possess the perfect combination of history, atmosphere, aesthetics and, of course, quality basketball.

Still, since it’s the so-called “intangibles” that make college sports so much fun to begin with, there’s no point trying to get too scientific. So while I tried to use the above criteria as a guideline, ultimately I had to go with my gut instinct as a fan.

Anyway, enough with the introduction. Let’s get down to business, shall we?

11. Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt)

They call this place (built in 1952) the Fenway Park of college basketball, which is a pretty damn good nickname. The reason they call it this has to do with its idiosyncrasies—like the fact that it was designed to be a theater, and thus has fans seated in balconies; or the fact that there are extra wide out-of-bounds areas along the sidelines, yet the benches are located at the end of the floor. Watching a game here with 14,000 screaming Commodores fans is definitely on my sports to-do list.

10. The Barn (Minnesota)

Built in 1928, this is one of the oldest college basketball arenas still in use today. Though its officially named Williams Arena, they call is The Barn because of the low arched ceiling, and because it can be quite a raucous place. All in all, it’s an intimidating place to play in if you’re on the opposing team, but it’s a blast if you’re a fan.

9. Rose Hill Gymnasium (Fordham)

This one is my official off-the-radar pick. Though the Fordham Rams of the Atlantic 10 Conference are hardly a basketball powerhouse, it’s tiny basketball venue is a real gem. The Rose Hill Gymnasium, built in 1925, is the oldest on-campus college sports venue still in use today. What makes it so special, though, is not so much the history but the intimacy. This tiny place holds only 3,200, making more like a high school gym than the site of NCAA Division-I Men’s Basketball. Can you imagine what it’s like in there for a big game?

8. Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)

The Butler Bulldogs’ Hinkle Fieldhouse just oozes history. And it should, given that it was built in 1928, is located in basketball-loving Indiana, and was the site of the real-life events that inspired the classic film, Hoosiers. Combine with this history an excellent basketball program and some great fans, and you’ve got yourself one can’t-miss college basketball experience.

7. Pauley Pavillion (UCLA)

UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion was built in 1965. Then, starting in 1967, the John Wooden-coached Bruins won 8 straight National Championships to go with the two UCLA won in 1964 and 1965. I would say that is a pretty rich tradition; and since Pauly was the epicenter of this historic stretch, that makes it a pretty special place. More importantly, every fan at every game knows it.

6. The Pit (New Mexico)

By all accounts, The Pit (which became the arena’s official name in 2009) in New Mexico is one of the most unique college basketball experiences you’ll come across. The arena floor sits below grade, meaning you kind of have to climb down into the place (hence the name), and the lighting is wonky, giving the place an eerie glow. Most importantly, the NM Lobos are always one of the leaders in average attendance, so The Pit is hands-down one of the 5 loudest arenas in the country.

5. Rupp Arena (Kentucky)

The Kentucky Wildcats have (arguably) the most passionate fans in college basketball. So you would expect their arena to be a special place—and it is. Though Rupp Arena isn’t that old (opened in 1976), it’s got atmosphere out the wazoo thanks to some of the loudest fans in basketball. But perhaps the coolest thing about the place is it’s lack of frills. There are no luxury suites at Rupp, just 23,500 seats that make it the largest basketball-only arena in the country. And Rupp doesn’t have any cute nicknames, either, because it doesn’t need any.

4. Gallagher-Iba (Oklahoma State)

Opened in 1938, the OSU Cowboys’ Gallagher-Iba arena is affectionately known as the Madison Square Garden of the Plaines, and it’s white oak floor is the oldest still in use in college basketball. More to the point, the place is just an absolute madhouse. North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams told ESPN that, of all the places he’s ever coaches in, this place was the toughest. Of course, maybe that was just a dig at Tobacco Road rivals Duke. Still, that’s high praise for Gallagher-Iba.

3. The Palestra (Penn/Big 5)

The Palestra, a.k.a. the Cathedral of College Basketball has it all.

It was built in 1927 and is an architectural masterpiece both in terms of aesthetics and engineering. It is intimate, seating only 8,000, but binging the bleachers right down to the floor. And it hosts some incredible basketball with intense rivalries: the Philadelphia Big 5 teams (Penn, LaSalle, Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, and Temple) play each other there every year to determine bragging rights in the City of Brotherly Love. I imagine the Big 5 championship game at the Palestra is a pretty awesome thing.

2. Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke)

The Duke Blue Devils may be the Yankees of college basketball (with the Tar Heels being the Red Sox), and thus rather insufferable at times, but you can’t deny that their home arena provides the ultimate college basketball experience. It’s old (opened 1940), it’s intimate (9,314 fans), it’s insanely loud, and the home teams wins most (83%) of the time.

1. Allen Field House (Kansas)

Since KU’s Allen Field House was named after legendary Jayhawks coach Phog Allen, it’s only natural that it would nicknamed The Phog. Of course, even if it wasn’t named for a guy called Phog it might still have that nickname, since opponents often feel like their playing in fog. The Allen is one of the loudest arenas in college basketball, and the fans are second-to-none when it comes to intensity and tradition.

Before every game, everyone sings the schools alma mater, “Crimson and the Blue,” with their arms around each others’ shoulders, swaying back and forth. Then, after the national anthem, when the opposing team is being introduced, everyone in the student section pulls out the campus newspaper and pretends to read it, feigning complete indifference to their opponent. Oh, and that “Rock Chalk, Jay Hawk” chant? It dates back to 1889.

So take a road trip to Lawrence, Kansas, some time if you want a truly memorable college basketball experience.

Duke would get to the finals by beating a heavily favored UNLV squad, which entered the tournament undefeated.  The win is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.  Kansas, coached by Roy Williams, would reach the finals by beating North Carolina in the semis, who were coached by Williams’ mentor, Dean Smith.

Christian Laettner played a large role in the finals, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and he also added a steal.  Laettner was the tournament’s top scorer with 125 total points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Here are highlights from the 1991 NCAA finals between Duke and Kansas.

Notable Birthdays

Phil Niekro, MLB – Born April 1st 1939 (age 72) in Blaine, Ohio

Scott Stevens, NHL – Born April 1st 1964 (age 47) in Kitchener, Ontario

Mark Jackson, NBA – Born April 1st 1965 (age 46) in Brooklyn, New York

It would have been great to see Hayward’s last-second heave go through the hoop, but it was still an exciting game and tournament with many shining moments. Of course it isn’t all three-point swishes and power jams. There are always some not-shining moments throughout the season. Like maybe hitting a player in the groin twice. That’s super classy. Or young fans flipping the bird to all of the people at home watching on TV. Or players gruesomely breaking their leg in half while you try to eat a burger. But hey, all in all it was a great season!

We have a worthy addition to the pantheon of great sports gifts and souvenirs. We already have the #1 Foam Finger. And the Beer Helmet. Now, we have the John Wall Dunking Windshield Wiper.

First off, we have to congratulate the maker for not misspelling anything, as opposed to the John Wall jersey fail we all saw earlier this season. Besides spelling things right, it’s a pretty cool sports gift idea, one that will hopefully make this budding entrepreneur some nice dollars. It won’t be anything like the bling that Wall will be getting after he is the #1 pick in June’s NBA draft, but he deserves some decent profits for his imagination and fine product. Or at least a spot on the next “Apprentice”.

Who knows? With all the good readers here at Total Pro Sports, maybe this guy sells enough of these that he is able to walk around with some JaMarcus Russell-like bling. It could happen.

Hat Tip Video – [BallsDon'tLie]

Isn’t funny how cameramen always seem to find the real “winners” to display them on TV?  It makes me want to take out my frustration on them.  For instance, take these Virginia Tech fans holding up the proverbial number one fingers, even though V-Tech is rarely number one in anything. And the real “winner” is wearing a “stick it in” t-shirt that wants to make sure you read what it said on the first line correctly, so it repeats it two more times.

To this day, this game remains as the highest-rated college basketball game in history.  Much hype was given to this game by the media because each team had a superstar, Michigan State’s Magic Johnson and Larry Bird of Indiana State.  Both players led their team in scoring in the game, but it was Magic’s 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists that ultimately took home the title for the Spartans.

For the next 10+ years, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would go head-to-head a number of times including three times for the NBA championship.  Magic’s Lakers would come out victorious twice in 1985 and 1987 and Bird’s Celtics would win it all in 1984.

Here is the final minute of the 1979 NCAA championship game

Notable Birthdays

Marcus Allen: NFL – Born March 26th 1960 (age 50) in San Diego, California

John Stockton: NBA – Born March 26th 1962 (age 48) in Spokane, Washington

Mike Peca: NHL – Born March 26th 1974 (age 36) in Toronto, Ontario

March Madness is upon us, and after only one day of action, it has already made a statement with three overtime games, a few buzzer beaters, some unbelievable upsets, and the Jimmer Fredette show.  If day one is any indication, we may be in for one of the greatest NCAA March Madness tournaments ever.

But even if the rest of the tournament is unable to maintain this pace, it will still be hard to look past some of the events which occurred on hard courts across America throughout the day.  No favorite was safe (unless you were a No. 1 seed or Kansas State).  Some upsets were not entirely unimaginable, like Old Dominion taking down the Fighting Irish, or Washington eliminating Marquette, but there were some surprises that not many saw coming (besides President Obama).

Perhaps the biggest upset came during the evening session, when No. 14 Ohio University knocked off the SEC’s runner-up, Georgetown, but the most entertaining underdog victory took place earlier in the day.

It was during a game between Vanderbilt and Murray State, which was a nail bitter all the way.  It appeared as though Murray State had things in control at various points throughout the game, but Vandy continued to claw their way back and eventually found themselves holding a one-point lead with only four seconds left.  That was when the following happened…

Take a look.

It isn’t all that hard to believe after taking a look at those giant pit stains during Friday night’s game against Alabama.  And that was only the quarter-finals!

Kentucky did have to put together a strong second-half run to win that one, but now we can only hope that Judd will be able to replenish her fluids and electrolytes in time for the big dance (no pun intended).