The series between Johns Hopkins and Maryland is so contentious that even the schools' respective sports information departments can't agree on the all-time record. The Blue Jays think they own a 70-40-1 advantage, while the Terps believe the deficit is slightly smaller at 63-40-1.
So having both teams take root in the Big Ten as conference opponents, Saturday's game at 8 p.m. at Byrd Stadium in College Park has only intensified the rivalry.
"Of course it does," Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. "You could be playing for an outright conference championship, a shared conference championship, a berth in the conference tournament. There are several different scenarios. So when those things are at stake, it just adds to the excitement of the rivalry, the intensity of it."
The upcoming contest is especially meaningful for both sides. A win would crown No. 2 Maryland (12-1 overall and 4-0 league) as the Big Ten regular-season champion and the top seed in the conference tournament where it could face either Michigan (5-7, 1-3) or Penn State (4-8, 1-3) in the semifinals on Thursday.
A victory would give Johns Hopkins (6-6, 3-1) a share of the regular-season title and a chance to leapfrog the Terps or No. 11 Ohio State (10-4, 3-1) for the No. 1 seed depending on the Big Ten's tiebreaker procedures.
All that certainly fuels the rivalry, but Maryland coach John Tillman said the series doesn't need any added pomp or circumstance.
"We've just talked about Hopkins week," he said. "I guess because of the nature of the game, that's all the kids really need to know. It's such a storied rivalry, and the kids know it's a conference game, but the fact that it's Hopkins week kind of says it all."