University of San Francisco Athletics

By Mychael Urban
USFDons.com

'Rivalry' is more than a word In sports, as in life, you don't just want to beat your rival.

You need to beat your rival.

It's that simple. That primal, instinctual.

Want? That suggests the sting of losing is something, while temporarily painful, will eventually dissipate – perhaps even be forgotten.

Need? That doesn't merely suggest that a loss will linger, perhaps in perpetuity. It all but guarantees that a loss will be stuck in your craw forever.

Ever had a piece of pot roast slip into a crack between molars and embed itself so stubbornly that it hurts? You can reach it with a toothpick, find its grossness with your tongue.

Now imagine never being able to pry it loose. Pick at it all you want; all you'll get is a steady stream of blood from your gums and incessant pain.

That's a loss to a rival. And who needs that?

Angelo Caloiaro doesn't. Rashad Green doesn't. And if you're associated with USF Athletics in any way, neither do you.

All of which brings us to Thursday's men's basketball game between the Dons and the host Santa Clara Broncos, USF's only true rival.

Mini-rivals come and go based on competitive balance; Gonzaga, for instance, developed into something of a rival for every team in the WCC as they ascended into the upper echelon of mid-majors. Saint Mary's is getting there, too, and the Moraga school's proximity to The Hilltop adds a touch of extra juice to any Dons-Gaels matchup as well.

Back in the day, when USF was a national power, Notre Dame was a rival of sorts because the two teams traded huge wins and haymakers on big stages. Or maybe we just hated Kelly Tripucka's perm that much.

But Santa Clara is USF's true rival, no question about it. I first learned to despise all things Bronco as a little boy, when Kurt Rambis was throwing elbows with abandon. Years later, Steve Nash was the object of my disdain.

Every few years, a new name was added to the list. This is a rivalry, people. Low blows are expected and accepted.

So are wins. Santa Clara doesn't have one in WCC play, and they've got all sorts of problems. But if they beat the Dons on Thursday, it'll feel to them like they're on top of the world.

If the Dons win? That nasty, bloody piece of pot roast left over from the last loss to the Broncos will pop right out.