A Fun Rivalry Week

(St. Louis, MO) – It is a fun rivalry week for several of the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conference teams. Regional matchups bring together teams that have tangled often over recruits, regional bragging rights but possess a mutual respect.

Tuesday’s ‘Battle of the Boulevard’

Belmont takes on one of its fondest rivals in the ‘Battle of the Boulevard’ when Lipscomb visits the Curb Event Center. The two Nashville-based teams have been rivals since their first meeting in 1953. As former conference mates in the Atlantic Sun Conference they met often in league play. Now they play a ‘home-and-home’ series every year.

This 144^th meeting finds Lipscomb leading the series 75-68 while Belmont leads the series (21-11) since the teams have entered Division 1 play. The Bruins were 87-83 winners earlier this season.

Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander played for and coached under Belmont’s Rick Byrd and the two are great friends. Bruins’ guard Caleb Hollander and Lipscomb back court member Kenny Cooper were AAU teammates.

It is special when these programs compete.

SIU & Regional Rivalries

Saint Louis University and Southern Illinois have a long, rich history. The Salukis have faced SLU 56 times and the regional rivals routinely compete for the same basketball prospects in down-state Illinois and St. Louis metro area.

Former Billiken Marcus Bartley starts for Southern Illinois and Saint Louis’ Jordan Goodwin and SIU’s Brendon Gooch played for the same Belleville Althoff High School and routinely played against the Salukis’ Armon Fletcher during his days at Edwardsville High School.

SLU leads the series 30-26, but the teams compete Wednesday in Carbondale where the Salukis lead 14-8. Both head coaches, SIU’s Barry Hinson and SLU’s Travis Ford have deep ties to Oklahoma State.

Saturday the Salukis travel to Cape Girardeau to battle the OVC’s Southeast Missouri. The two programs played in the same Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (D2) and have tangled 116 times with SIU winning 70 of those contests. SEMO holds a 32-24 edge in games played in Cape and the Redhawks won last year’s game played in Carbondale.

An Axe Changes Hands

Saturday Eastern Illinois travels to Western Illinois for the second game of the ‘Old Railsplitter Axe Rivalry Game’. According to eiupanthers.com the two Illinois-based schools have been competing since the 1920s. In the mid 1970s the traveling trophy named after Abraham Lincoln’s nickname ‘Old Railsplitter’ was added into the mostly annual games.

EIU knotted the series at 81-81 after an overtime win earlier this season. Originally the trophy was only up for grabs once per season. At press time, we are not aware if the 30 pound plaque and axe are on the line.

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