St. Francis used to also be a rival.  The Frankies gave the Dukes some good games when they had Wilbur Trosch and Jack O'Mally.

pressurecooker wrote:

I have been thinking that the Dukes no longer have any rivals. In the 50s we were neck and neck with Dayton for NIT titles. In the late 60s we filled the arena on Sundays when the Bonnies were in town. In the 70s Pitt started to improve and they were our rival. But now, I see no rivals, unless it's Robert Morris, and we would prefer not to have them in that position, and lately they have been winning more than we do. Typically conferences lead to the development of rivals, but our inconsistency has not let that happen. And the future does not look like it will develop rivalries for awhile due to our program and the upcoming changes in the A10. Rivalries develop fan interest, which we certainly could use. It's a shame.

Pitt was always a rival, even before the 70's. In the late 60's- early 70's, Villanova was easily our biggest game. It's hard to have a rival when you don't win much. Steelers/Browns used to be second to none. Now, the first thing most fans look for when the schedule is released, is when do we play the Ravens. If we start winning, some old rivalries will be rekindled, and some new ones could develop.

As to St. Bona, I think the rivalry is on their side but not on ours. I don't see any opponent who energizes our fans other than Pitt, but if you can't beat them, it's hardly a rivalry.

St. Francis certainly was a hot rivalry in its day. I had a Lt. in infantry training who was a  St. Francis grad and he was extra special to me due to the relationship between the schools (I was a better man for it).