Is there a better ‘near rivalry’ in college hoops than Kentucky vs West Virginia

As contiguous states with some history of conflict — recall the interstate unpleasantness between Hatfields and McCoys — the universities of Kentucky and West Virginia would seem primed for a contentious sports rivalry.

Except, in men’s basketball, the Wildcats and Mountaineers have not played enough to really be classified “rivals.”

When John Calipari’s Wildcats (15-5) visit Bob Huggins’ No. 7 Mountaineers (16-4) on Saturday at 7 p.m. as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, it will only be the 21st meeting between the teams in a series the Wildcats lead 15-5.

So UK vs. WVU is best described as one of the most intriguing “near rivalries” in college hoops.

This weekend, Kentucky will travel to Morgantown to make its first appearance on West Virginia’s home court since Dec. 7, 1970 (a 106-100 UK win). The Cats have beaten the Mountaineers nine times out of the 10 most recent meetings — which are spread from 1962 through 2015.

Back in your grandfather’s day, West Virginia and its most iconic player — Jerry West — were the marquee attractions in the University of Kentucky Invitation Tournament three seasons straight.

As a sophomore in 1957-58, West scored 15 points to help the Mountaineers beat eventual NCAA champion Kentucky 77-70 in the semifinals of the UKIT.

The following season, West scored 36 points and snared 16 rebounds, but Kentucky prevailed in the UKIT finals 97-91.

As a senior, West had one more maestro performance to deliver in Lexington. The West Virginia guard had 33 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers past Kentucky 79-70 in the UKIT finals.

In recent times, the “near rivalry” has been exclusively contested in the NCAA Tournament.

For the Big Blue Nation, the one WVU victory in its past 10 meetings with Kentucky really stung.

In the first year (2009-10) of what was to become the one-and-done era of Kentucky basketball, freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe led the Cats to a 35-2 record and within one win of the Final Four.

All that stood between the Cats and UK’s first visit to the national semifinals since 1998 was a veteran West Virginia team led by swingman Da’Sean Butler.

Capitalizing on defensive length and relying on a 1-3-1 zone, West Virginia forced UK into 23-for-67 shooting that included a dreadful 4-for-32 from three-point range.

Meanwhile, against the dynamic UK backcourt of Wall and Bledsoe, an unheralded WVU guard, Joe Mazzulla, went for 17 points.

That’s how a UK team that, only months later, would have five players chosen in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft absorbed a 73-66 loss that kept it from the Final Four.

The following season, it seemed West Virginia was poised to end Kentucky’s season again. In the round of 32 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, West Virginia led UK 41-33 at halftime behind 15 first-half points from Kentucky nemesis Mazzulla.

However, with Brandon Knight pouring in 30 points and DeAndre Liggins holding Mazzulla to five second-half points, UK rallied for a 71-63 win. Two victories later, the Cats made the Final Four trip West Virginia had denied the year before.

UK and WVU found each other in the NCAA Tournament again in 2015, facing off in the round of 16 in Cleveland.

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