January. Tennessee vs. Connecticut.

#26
#26
ncteacher88 said:
I am not sure that that argument will hold water under scrutiny. Obviously, people can decipher records, statistics, and bids any way they would like. However, non-objective people (of which neither one of us probably are) might not agree. Here’s a quote from a San Diego newspaper.

“With the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament complete, the Big East can brag it’s the top conference in the country. They received a record nine bids - headlined by top-seeded Connecticut - and after the opening round, ALL the teams are still playing.” The WaPo had a similar article. (If they were gifted into the tournament, I highly doubt they would’ve went 9-0 after the opening game.)

Big East 9-0 after first round of women's tourney
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…that was 12 years ago, yo
 
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#28
#28
Darth_Vol said:
Thank God...
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It's true: We were lucky the series was cancelled or we would have been embarrassed annually for at least a decade or longer. Let's be candid.

UConn's level will almost certainly fall off after Geno retires---but I doubt it will fall off as much as ours did. Depends on the quality of their next coach. It would be nice to see the Huskies flounder for a long time!
 
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#29
#29
turbovol said:
It's true: We were lucky the series was cancelled or we would have been embarrassed annually for at least a decade or longer. Let's be candid.

UConn's level will almost certainly fall off after Geno retires---but I doubt it will fall off as much as ours did. Depends on the quality of their next coach. It would be nice to see the Huskies flounder for a long time!
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I would be willing to bet that their next coach will be a former player. Geno has turned out some excellent players and one of them will take over program just like UT has done with Holly and Kelly. Would not be surprised if he picked the coach to succeed him. He has built the program not going to let just anyone have it.
 
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#30
#30
UT Challenger said:
I would be willing to bet that their next coach will be a former player. Geno has turned out some excellent players and one of them will take over program just like UT has done with Holly and Kelly. Would not be surprised if he picked the coach to succeed him. He has built the program not going to let just anyone have it.
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This is been discussed at length on another website. The two names you hear the most often are Shea Ralph and Carla Berube.
 
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#32
#32
ncteacher88 said:
I am not sure that that argument will hold water under scrutiny. Obviously, people can decipher records, statistics, and bids any way they would like. However, non-objective people (of which neither one of us probably are) might not agree. Here’s a quote from a San Diego newspaper.

“With the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament complete, the Big East can brag it’s the top conference in the country. They received a record nine bids - headlined by top-seeded Connecticut - and after the opening round, ALL the teams are still playing.” The WaPo had a similar article. (If they were gifted into the tournament, I highly doubt they would’ve went 9-0 after the opening game.)

Big East 9-0 after first round of women's tourney
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That was one year and one article. Research the conference’s historical success beyond the 3. It just isn’t there. CT, ND, and Rutgers were fabulous programs. The conference was not.
 
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#34
#34
turbovol said:
It's true: We were lucky the series was cancelled or we would have been embarrassed annually for at least a decade or longer. Let's be candid.

UConn's level will almost certainly fall off after Geno retires---but I doubt it will fall off as much as ours did. Depends on the quality of their next coach. It would be nice to see the Huskies flounder for a long time!
Click to expand...

The drop could be fast and precipitous. Lots of good programs with established coaches + Storrs, CT is not exactly a destination location.....
 
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#38
#38
i like how uconn wear throwback uniforms in their matchup against us. would be nice if we did the same thing thursday with the legacy blue unis.
 
#39
#39
It is true that I only posted one article and one year. However, I actually showed a six year stretch where the big east had the most, or tied for the most teams in the NCAA tournament. Each of those six years they were near the top of win percentage in the tournament. I am not claiming that it was the greatest conference of all time. I am not claiming it’s the best conference now. My comment was that people forget there was a stretch were the Big East was extremely good, and during that time UConn had long undefeated stretches. During that same stretch they also had an extremely good record against top nonconference teams. I only posted the one article because I was not going to spend anymore time researching for a pointless discussion. A study by Stanford University proved that once someone’s mind is made up you cannot change it regardless of the facts. I used analytical data driven information to show that the Big East was a strong conference. However, it’s impossible to disprove factual information when an argument involves such data as, “The multiple bids were generally a display of generosity by the selection committee,” which would be impossible to prove true or false, as I have no way of knowing if the selection committee gifted the bids to Big East schools, or why they were more generous to the Big East than to any other deserving conference.
 
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#42
#42
Voltopia said:
I can assure you no one has ever forgotten that moment down here. When I ask other long time fans I know about UConn and Tennessee, Taurasi punching the basket support is always the moment Tennessee fans bring up. Nothing else comes close - in terms of negative responses I mean. The dunk, or the 1997 regional, of course, people have positive memories from Tennessee's successes, but that punch has lived in its own zip code ever since.
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Probably because she is Geno in female form.
 
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#44
#44
turbovol said:
It's true: We were lucky the series was cancelled or we would have been embarrassed annually for at least a decade or longer. Let's be candid.

UConn's level will almost certainly fall off after Geno retires---but I doubt it will fall off as much as ours did. Depends on the quality of their next coach. It would be nice to see the Huskies flounder for a long time!
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I mean, Tennessee under Warlick still won about 75% of their games and recruited pretty well most years. It wasn't Pat Summitt but it also wasn't a disaster. It just never improved, unfortunately. And that's not an unlikely scenario for UConn, either. I think, in the end, they will decline much as Tennessee did. It is inevitable. When you're always at the top, where else can you go? And the UConn athletic department is already hard pressed to cover their budget; they run perilously in the red most years, from what I recall. That means they will look first to cost effective coaching choices within their own tree. I say this not to antagonzie any UConn fans visiting here for the game week banter, either. That's just how athletic departments seem to operate. When in doubt, find the choice that best maximizes fan engagement and revenue while minimizing cost and risk. They'll make a safe choice before a risky one.

But even if they did decide to splurge or spend big to bring a big name, there's still no guarantees. It's virtually impossible to replace the respect and motivation that comes from a legendary coach, whether they're encouraging you or demanding more from you. I suppose they could try to NIL their way to keeping a stranglehold on recruiting, but how far will that carry them, I wonder? Coaching really does stir the drink at any level of talent. It can be the difference between Final Fours and Elite Eights. As we've learned ourselves.
 
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#45
#45
Voltopia said:
I can assure you no one has ever forgotten that moment down here. When I ask other long time fans I know about UConn and Tennessee, Taurasi punching the basket support is always the moment Tennessee fans bring up. Nothing else comes close - in terms of negative responses I mean. The dunk, or the 1997 regional, of course, people have positive memories from Tennessee's successes, but that punch has lived in its own zip code ever since.
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I would say the Parker dunk has the same feeling on this end. The game was virtually over and she dunked in front of our fans. There was no need for that, and that moment is why most UConn fans don't like or respect Parker. These instances are why the series was so intense and was must see TV for all the WBB world. IMHO, Tameka Catchings was on the other side of the "Class" scale. By far, my favorite LV player.
 
#46
#46
madtownvol said:
The drop could be fast and precipitous. Lots of good programs with established coaches + Storrs, CT is not exactly a destination location.....
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I attended the game in Hartford last year . The city has nothing but dark office buildings that are empty due to remote work . The city is depressing and businesses aren’t coming back . They don’t have the facilities or money that Tenn has and I’m suprised they still remain a top team . I know geno can coach but the area us just depressing .
 
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#47
#47
Voltopia said:
I mean, Tennessee under Warlick still won about 75% of their games and recruited pretty well most years. It wasn't Pat Summitt but it also wasn't a disaster. It just never improved, unfortunately. And that's not an unlikely scenario for UConn, either. I think, in the end, they will decline much as Tennessee did. It is inevitable. When you're always at the top, where else can you go? And the UConn athletic department is already hard pressed to cover their budget; they run perilously in the red most years, from what I recall. That means they will look first to cost effective coaching choices within their own tree. I say this not to antagonzie any UConn fans visiting here for the game week banter, either. That's just how athletic departments seem to operate. When in doubt, find the choice that best maximizes fan engagement and revenue while minimizing cost and risk. They'll make a safe choice before a risky one.

But even if they did decide to splurge or spend big to bring a big name, there's still no guarantees. It's virtually impossible to replace the respect and motivation that comes from a legendary coach, whether they're encouraging you or demanding more from you. I suppose they could try to NIL their way to keeping a stranglehold on recruiting, but how far will that carry them, I wonder? Coaching really does stir the drink at any level of talent. It can be the difference between Final Fours and Elite Eights. As we've learned ourselves.
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UT losing at home to Vandy and losing a postseason game at home which were both UT first, at least for me made the Warlick tenure a disaster. I would say the same about Harper if that does happen. Vandy wasn't even good when they beat UT in Knoxville.
 
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#49
#49
BoroVolBabe said:
I attended the game in Hartford last year . The city has nothing but dark office buildings that are empty due to remote work . The city is depressing and businesses aren’t coming back . They don’t have the facilities or money that Tenn has and I’m suprised they still remain a top team . I know geno can coach but the area us just depressing .
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There is nothing wrong with Hartford, it’s a nice city.
 
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#50
#50
BoroVolBabe said:
I attended the game in Hartford last year . The city has nothing but dark office buildings that are empty due to remote work . The city is depressing and businesses aren’t coming back . They don’t have the facilities or money that Tenn has and I’m suprised they still remain a top team . I know geno can coach but the area us just depressing .
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Hartford is not Storrs. This is why no game should be played at the Hartford Civic Center. You lose the on-campus feel. You lose the on campus students. You lose the essence of the University of Connecticut, all for an extra few seats. There is no comparison between the atmosphere of the two buildings. It would be like Duke playing at the Greensboro Coliseum, instead of Cameron, nine times a year because the facility is larger. It’s just not the same.
 
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