By Courtney Powers-Luketić

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto (U of T) has built a reputation as Canada’s most prestigious university. For over 100 years, U of T stood alone as Toronto’s uncontested champions. Then something new came along. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) officially became a university in 1993. Loud, unapologetic and bold, TMU dared to claim a city once owned by the historic giant. Since then, these schools have gone head-to-head on the basketball court to take their position on Toronto’s throne.

This contest will be on full display when U of T’s Varsity Blues and TMU’s Bold face off in this year’s rendition of the Metro Hoops Classic. The event was born from the rivalry between the two teams, endeavouring to showcase the talent and passion in each school’s basketball programs. 

Even though the teams have matched up numerous times before, the first edition of the classic was played last year as a two-game series, with one round in the fall semester and a second in the winter. The Bold’s women’s team won both their games, crowning a clear winner, while the men’s team split the series.

This year, the teams will only get one opportunity to make a statement—one do-or-die game on the evening of Feb. 11. 

The history and geography of these teams form a natural rivalry as ingrained within the city as the subway line connecting the two campuses. However, for many, the tension is more urban legend than way of life. 

“We pride ourselves on trying to be the best team in Toronto” 

Catrina Garvey of TMU’s women’s basketball team said, “I don’t think we, if I’m being honest, really see it fully as a rivalry, but it’s still something that we want to conquer because they are in our city.”

She explains, “We’re both in Toronto. We’re basically neighbours. You walk five minutes one way and there’s U of T, so for sure, neighbouring-wise, for the city, 100 per cent it’s a rivalry. It would be with really anyone in Toronto. For us, we kind of just take it as any other game.”

Aidan Wilson from TMU’s men’s basketball team agrees that the two teams are position to have heated games.  

“I think there’s always a rivalry because it’s two teams from the same city; you naturally want to beat each other, and there’s naturally some competitiveness that goes on with a game like that,” he said. “But as far as a tough opponent that we’ve lost to and that we go back and forth with, I wouldn’t say as much.”

According to Garvey and Wilson, a strong rivalry is rooted most deeply in close competition, something that, right now, TMU and U of T lack.

In the last eight years, TMU has been a clear force against their neighbour. The Bold’s men’s team has won 10 of 15 meetings, with the women’s team further edging out the Blues, having won 12 of 15. 

In their last meeting on Nov. 2, 2025, the TMU women’s basketball team beat U of T by over 30 points. On the same night, the men’s team let the gavel drop even harder, declaring their superiority over U of T with a 40-point win. The decisive victories hint that TMU, at its current skill level, has maybe outgrown its rival.

Bold women’s basketball coach Carly Clarke has been with TMU for 13 seasons. Having observed these teams face-off for more than a decade, she said there are times when the competition tilts too far in one direction.

“[The rivalry] has gone up and down as both our teams fluctuate in strength,” she said.

Clarke’s team has a decisive hold on first place of the central division of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), four wins ahead of second place. In stark contrast, U of T sits next to last, having won only two of its 17 games. 

The men’s teams are in a slightly closer race, with the Bold three wins ahead of the Blues.

Garvey said that although games against U of T in past years were harder-fought, her team always treats their rivals as worthy opponents.

“I think in previous years, it was a bit more of a rivalry, and we won’t ever underestimate any team because that will get us in a lot of trouble,” said Garvey. “For the three years that I’ve been here…it was definitely a bit more of a closer match, but we still fight for our own city.”

Although they try not to treat any opponent differently, Garvey said Clarke makes it a point to “win the city.” 

Clarke said, “We pride ourselves on trying to be the best team in Toronto. We’re always excited to play Toronto–U of T and York University–and try to hold down that title annually. We’re in the same division, so that’s kind of how we frame it.”

Fans also shared mixed feelings about the rivalry. 

First-year business technology management student Jacob Arcega has been to three Bold sporting events, two of which have been against U of T.

“Usually, the energy is louder in here, so it’s more fun to watch,” Arcega explained about the appeal of rivalry games. 

But Arcega said this energy isn’t always enough to draw people out.

“The seats aren’t always full, I think more people could show up,” said Arcega.

“I think it’s a natural rivalry that we can build on and make something special”

TMU’s men’s basketball coach David DeAveiro said there’s a lack of tangible tension between the schools, which he attributes to a lack of effort.  

“I don’t see the significance of the rivalry right now,” said DeAveiro. “I think it’s a natural rivalry that we can build on and make something special, but it’s gonna take a lot of people to get on board to do it. And if we don’t do it that way, then we’re never really gonna have that game that we’re hoping to have, or that atmosphere, and that ambiance that we want to really have. It’s gonna take some work.”

For DeAveiro, the work required for a good rivalry comes from all across TMU. He said the marketing team, student unions, the community and students need to come together. 

He explained the idea simply: “You’ve got to have your school pride, right?”

DeAveiro has previously coached for McGill University and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa), which each have their own hometown rivals in Concordia University and Carleton University, respectively. 

Carleton and uOttawa are known for their bad blood, which comes to a head at their homecoming football game, called the “Panda Game.” This year, the teams duked it out at TD Place Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 24,372. 

DeAveiro said when uOttawa plays Carleton, it transcends being a game—it becomes an event. 

He said, “If you ask the students who won the game, they probably don’t know or don’t care. They just want to be at the event and all the stuff that leads up to the event or happens during the event.”

The coach, in his fifth year with the Bold, recognizes the unique challenges that Toronto poses when trying to create an event. 

“Especially in Toronto, you’re dealing with other things, distractions. Saturday night in Toronto, do you want to be in the gym, or do you want to be out having a drink, or hanging out with friends?” He explains, “You’re competing against the city, which is really, really hard to do.”

The resounding feeling is that the Bold versus the Blues could be so much more. Given the right attention, the rivalry could become all it’s made out to be. 

“If it’s done correctly, and you get the involvement, it’s something that the students circle on their calendar every year,” said DeAveiro.

As a fan, Arcega said that better promotion and cheaper food prices at the Mattamy Athletic Centre would push him to attend more.

“You’re competing against the city, which is really, really hard to do” 

Fans are exactly what Garvey and Wilson are looking for. And the crowds that do come out for Bold basketball games already make an impact on the team. 

Wilson said, “It’s always fun playing in front of as many people that are supporting you as possible. Just feeding off the crowd’s energy, it’s always fun. As basketball players, that’s what we live for, what we play for, so it’s awesome when that happens.”

Garvey said all it might take for students to become interested in athletics at TMU is one good game that draws them out.

“I think that the more we do things like this, it brings people out more, and once they get a taste of that, they’ll want to come back for more,” she said. “Because I know with both basketballs—men’s and women’s—we love to have people out for our games, and I bet a bunch of other sports and athletics would also agree with that.”

TMU has the opportunity to make a mark in the Metro Hoops Classic. A court in an iconic downtown Toronto arena will become a battleground, if only for a few hours, for two schools. A battleground to win a game, to get a point in the standings, to make students proud. But the battle won’t just be against U of T—it’ll be against the doubt that this rivalry even exists. It will be a fight to prove Toronto is a city worth fighting for.