Commonwealth Classic
American college basketball rivalry
 Boston College Eagles | |
| Sport | Men's basketball |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 1995 |
| Latest meeting | 2014 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 19 |
| All-time series | Boston College 10–9 |
50km
30miles
30miles
UMass
Boston College
Locations of Boston College and UMass
The Commonwealth Classic, also known as Commonwealth Cup[1] or Governor's Cup (for the trophy awarded to the victor of the game),[2] is the title of a basketball rivalry between Boston College and the University of Massachusetts. The name refers to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the New England state in which both universities are located. The game has been played a total of 19 times, with BC leading the series 10–9.
History
| The Commonwealth Classic | |
|---|---|
| Boston College (10 wins) |
|
| UMass (9 wins) |
|
The first game between the two schools occurred December 8, 1905. Since then, UMass and BC have played each other irregularly over the course of their in-state rivalry. In 1995, the basketball rivalry was officially designated as the "Commonwealth Classic" by then-Massachusetts Governor William Weld and members of the Massachusetts General Court who were among the nearly 20,000 spectators to watch the game at the new FleetCenter (now the TD Garden). It was the first college basketball game played in the new arena. The first game holds the record for college basketball attendance in New England. The series had been held annually since 1995, until Boston College suspended the series in 2012.[3]
UMass dominance in the 1990s
The 1990s were the best decade of UMass Minutemen Basketball as the Minutemen went to the 1996 Final Four and went 6–0 in the decade against Boston College. Their longest winning streak ever against their cross-state rivals.
BC dominance in the 2000s
After going 0–6 against UMass in the 90's, BC has bounced back and won the first seven games in the 2000s, going 7–0. This streak was snapped on December 12, 2007 when UMass edged BC 83–80.
2010s
The 2010 game, won by Boston College, was played at the TD Garden at a part of the Boston Tip-Off Classic.[1] After UMass routed Boston College 82–46 in 2011 in Chestnut Hill,[4] BC ended the annual series in 2012.[5] After a year hiatus, the rivalry was renewed in 2013 as a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Boston Tip-Off. UMass won the 2013 game by a score 86–73[6] and the 2014 game by a score of 71–62.[7]
Results
| Boston College victories | UMass victories |
| Date | Location | Winner | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | UM | ||||
| January 26, 1979 | Boston, MA | Boston College | 82 | 70 | |
| December 29, 1990 | Boston, MA | UMass | 81 | 83 | |
| December 9, 1995 | Boston, MA | UMass | 57 | 65 | |
| January 18, 1997 | Boston, MA | UMass | 78 | 90 | |
| December 14, 1997 | Boston, MA | UMass | 57 | 65 | |
| December 12, 1998 | Worcester, MA | UMass | 45 | 75 | |
| December 4, 1999 | Chestnut Hill, MA | UMass | 67 | 74 | |
| December 17, 2000 | Amherst, MA | Boston College | 74 | 65 | |
| December 8, 2001 | Chestnut Hill, MA | #13 Boston College | 80 | 78 | |
| December 7, 2002 | Amherst, MA | Boston College | 80 | 62 | |
| December 6, 2003 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 76 | 75 | |
| January 2, 2005 | Amherst, MA | Boston College | 67 | 48 | |
| January 3, 2006 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 91 | 62 | |
| December 2, 2006 | Amherst, MA | #11 Boston College | 84 | 73 | |
| December 12, 2007 | Chestnut Hill, MA | UMass | 80 | 83 | |
| December 6, 2008 | Amherst, MA | Boston College | 85 | 81 | |
| December 23, 2009 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 79 | 67 | |
| December 4, 2010 | Boston, MA | Boston College | 76 | 71 | |
| November 11, 2011 | Chestnut Hill, MA | UMass | 46 | 82 | |
| November 10, 2013 | Boston, MA | UMass | 73 | 86 | |
| November 16, 2014 | Boston, MA | UMass | 62 | 71 | |
References
- ^ University of Massachusetts Media Guide (PDF)
- ^ Boston Globe coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Cup
- ^ "Boston College Basketball Drops UMass from 2012–13 Schedule". 18 April 2012.
- ^ "UMass 82, Boston College 46". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ ESPNBoston.com (17 April 2012). "BC bows out of hoop game with UMass". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ "Chaz Williams' big 2nd half leads UMass past Boston College". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ Ken Powtak. "UMass runs away from BC in 2nd half, 71–62". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2014-11-16.
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