For the first time in 10 years, Lipscomb will be taking on former rival Trevecca Nazarene in an exhibition game Thursday night at Allen Arena.
With so much time having passed since the last time these two teams matched up, some people say this installment might not match up to the storied games of yesteryear. Former star player and current athletic director Philip Hutchinson thinks differently.
“A lot of people who go to school in Nashville stay in Nashville,” said Hutchinson.
“There [are] a lot of loyalties to both schools. A lot of Lipscomb and Trevecca fans in Nashville were around whenever the rivalry was at its peak; this game should be a lot of fun.”
Mark McGee, Lipscomb instructor and sports information director, who covered the games for Lipscomb when the rivalry was at its peak and Hutchinson both described the battles as “intense.”
“It was every bit of the Belmont rivalry we have today and then some,” said Hutchinson. “A lot of the players grew up playing against each other, so bragging rights were always at stake each time we faced them.”
“The fans were not ugly,” said McGee. “But it would get so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think. The Lipscomb-Trevecca rivalry was edgier and grittier back then in some ways than Belmont games get today.”
Andy Lane, who broadcast the Lipscomb basketball games during the 1980s, proclaims the meeting between these two schools was “The Game.”
“Back when the games were played in McQuiddy, each time Trevecca would come to our place it would get packed,” Lane said. “It was a hot, loud, crowded atmosphere. The games would be very competitive and the fans would get really passionate, too. Trevecca was as athletic and talented of an opponent Lipscomb has ever played.”
Lane told of how when it was Trevecca’s turn to host the rivalry, Lipscomb students would start lining up at the gate at 2 or 3 p.m., hours before the 7 p.m. tipoff.
“It looked like we were having a block party,” Lane said. “Students would cut class and hang out all afternoon in line, but it was the only way you could get a spot in that gym.”
Will the exhibition game draw such a crowd at a more spacious Allen Arena this Thursday? Most likely not, but fans in attendance are sure to see an exciting game. Trevecca is a solid NAIA program and Lipscomb fans and the team alike are ready for the season to begin.