Indiana-Purdue. Kentucky-Louisville. Duke-North Carolina. All of them are massive college basketball rivalries that often play out on the national stage. But quietly tucked in the Pacific Northwest, there’s another annual clash that deserves talking about: the Battle for Seattle.

The Redhawks at Seattle Center

Originally constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair, the arena at Seattle Center functioned as a show pavilion before being repurposed for sports. The Redhawks – then the Chieftains – began playing at the venue in 1964, the first tenant at the newly christened Seattle Center Coliseum. The team would remain at the arena until their move to NAIA in 1980, returning to their on-campus facility.

Although the team utilized their own gym for decades, the Redhawks had played nearly all of their games at KeyArena – now Climate Pledge Arena – since rejoining the DI ranks in 2008. As the extensive overhaul of that venue – in preparation for the arrival of the NHL in Seattle – got underway in 2018, the ‘Hawks moved back to their cozy confines in the Cherry Hill neighborhood. The team now contests most of their regular season games at the Redhawk Center, with the exception of a few marquee events against opponents like the Washington Huskies, a crosstown rivalry dubbed the “Battle for Seattle”.

The Redhawks and the Huskies

Despite being less than 3 miles apart, the University of Washington and Seattle University didn’t meet for the first time on the hardwood until the 1953 NCAA Tournament. The home-and-home series would begin 16 years later at Hec Ed, with the Huskies building an 18-4 record over the next decade. The rivalry took a hiatus in 1980 when Seattle transitioned to NAIA, returning only when the ‘Hawks rebounded into DI for the 2008-09 season.

After historically being dominated by the Huskies, the Redhawks have leveled the playing field in recent seasons, taking Washington to the wire in a double OT thriller in 2023, which also marked the first Battle in Seattle contested at the refreshed Climate Pledge Arena. The following season, Seattle would down the ‘Dawgs for the first time in the renewed rivalry. It was their first Battle crown since 1978 and, like the ’78 victory, was only their second win on the Huskies’ home floor.

The 2025 Battle for Seattle

Fresh off their trouncing of the Huskies the year prior, the Redhawks entered the 2025 edition of the Battle for Seattle with a revived sense of passion – and so did their fans.

Thanks to an impressive second half performance that erased their 3-point halftime deficit, Seattle U handed defeat once again to their bitter rival. Securing a solid 70-66 win at Climate Pledge Arena, the Redhawks accomplished something they’d never quite managed to do before: claim back-to-back victories over the Huskies.

It was, in fact, only their 6th win in the series ever, but the strong showing punctuated Seattle’s recent resurgence and proved that the little school from Cherry Hill can run with the big ‘Dawgs. Now, as the Redhawks head into the New Year and stare down their conference slate – their first in the WCC – they stand with their best-ever season start since returning to the DI level behind them.