Is the UConn Dynasty a Thing of the Past?

[visitingcock]

I don't qualify as a grammarian to get into the depths of dynasty vs, empire vs. any other applicable description of the performance of the Husky Women basketball teams. What I do have is the ability to provide some numerical context. Prior to the Vermont game UCONN, in the Auriemma era, has a record of 1179 - 155, .884 win rate. That probably says enough but since I've never been known for brevity, here is the rest of the story.
1. UConn has qualified for the NCAA tourney 35 consecutive years.
2. The tournament record prior to 2023 was 130 - 22.
3. In 11 years in which UConn won the NC they were 66 - 0.
4. 64 - 22 in the other 22 events, still almost 75% win rate.
5, Since 1993/94, where the standard for most schools is 20 win seasons, UConn has won 30 or more in all but 4 seasons
6. The number of unbeaten seasons, and another 6 seasons of just a single loss.
7. No back to back losses for thirty years.

Confess that I did all the calculations and for got that there was no event in 2019/2020 with the pandemic and I decided to leave my numbers alone and let the post stand.

So put whatever shade of lipstick you find attractive on the facts and call it whatever you like, I just say we have been blessed with a great coach, wonderful assistants, a fantastic support staff, and the most accomplished players anyone could hope for. Hope we have one more to hang our hat on sooner than not.

My shade of lipstick is: Geno has built the mightiest empire wbb basketball has ever seen - or probably will ever see.

Gengis Khan built the most far flung empire the world had ever seen . It did not become a dynasty until Kublai Khan established his control over that empire.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Sorry, you have to use the vernacular specific to the topic at hand. The sports "dynasty" has been defined and used commonly at least since the days of Red Auerbach and John Wooden. Good luck changing that because it doesn't satisfy something you read in a political science book. Yes, a political dynasty is marked by successful transitions of power. A sports dynasty is marked by an extended period of high levels of success.

 

[Orangutan]

UConn is not and has never been a dynasty .it has been the most powerful empire. There has never been a dynasty in wbb. A dynasty requires a succession of emperors like Bear Bryant and Nick Saban.

A successor to Geno has to win a NC before UConn can be a dynasty.

One way to be contrarian is to define a word differently than everyone else does.

The word "dynasty" had been used for a long time in sports parlance and I've never once heard of that supposed "requirement".

 

[Orangutan]

Sorry, you have to use the vernacular specific to the topic at hand. The sports "dynasty" has been defined and used commonly at least since the days of Red Auerbach and John Wooden. Good luck changing that because it doesn't satisfy something you read in a political science book. Yes, a political dynasty is marked by successful transitions of power. A sports dynasty is marked by an extended period of high levels of success.

You beat me to it. Well said.

 

[HuskyNan]

Read a definition of “dynasty.”

Here you go

 

[jcoton56]

Well y’all can parse this out til doomsday, but UConn has been the standard for 3 decades and we’re just getting warmed up.

 

[Happydad745]

I think, after this year, if SC wins it, will be the end to all Dynasties in the NCAAW. Parity is here, talent is everywhere. Teams like UConn, Stanford, SC will no longer have runs of multiple championship years. Tenn., Notre Dame, are dynasties of the past.

 

[Classof87]

Potato, patah-toe, we’re splitting hairs, or throwing out the baby with the bath water, or counting our chickens before they hatch, etc., etc. The UConn Huskies are THE standard bearer in women‘s college hoops. Dynasty, Empire, Fiefdom, or Coffee Klatch, call it what you want, as long as you mean that we’re the best.

 

[Skeets]

LMAO, you got to be kidding me. We're arguing about words? Shouldn't we instead be debating the Deacon about Nika? (the smiley makes it alright)

 

[HopJim]

Sometimes a few words make a big difference. Is UConn THE DYNASTY versus A DYNASTY? Even in its few "down" years when the recruiting classes were thin, UConn was still one of the top 4 teams in the US and has been one of the top teams in the US for over 25 years. Take your pick on the phrasing.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

The UConn dynasty, or whatever word people want to use, will likely be around as long as Geno is coach and possibly beyond that a few years depending on his replacement.

What's happened since the last title there has been some slip ups in tournament games for UConn combined with the fact SC has climbed to a new level. Injuries the past two years haven't helped their case but I think UConn will be around close to the end of the tournament yet again and could of course win it.

 

[RedStickHusky]

The UConn dynasty, or whatever word people want to use, will likely be around as long as Geno is coach and possibly beyond that a few years depending on his replacement.

What's happened since the last title there has been some slip ups in tournament games for UConn combined with the fact SC has climbed to a new level. Injuries the past two years haven't helped their case but I think UConn will be around close to the end of the tournament yet again and could of course win it.

This is why I value the FF streak.... We can't be written off when we're still making final fours.

 

[visitingcock]

This is why I value the FF streak.... We can't be written off when we're still making final fours.

I’m the person who starred the quibbling about the word “dynasty.” However, I have stated throughout that UConn is an “empire” the likes of which has never been seen before and which will almost certainly never be equaled by any other program.

Since we have beaten the poor horse beyond death and into mush , I’ll divert to another definition quibble:

No school ever has a “moral victory” but I think Mississippi State had a “morale victory” yesterday.

 

[HuskyNan]

The UConn dynasty, or whatever word people want to use, will likely be around as long as Geno is coach and possibly beyond that a few years depending on his replacement.

What's happened since the last title there has been some slip ups in tournament games for UConn combined with the fact SC has climbed to a new level. Injuries the past two years haven't helped their case but I think UConn will be around close to the end of the tournament yet again and could of course win it.

What happened is that recruiting took a bit of a dip with more schools able to compete for key players. And, while Geno does his best to recruit kids with upside, the recent trend of offering kids while they’re really young means that some might plateau in high school or early in their college careers. The infusion of energy from abroad, and up North, has re-energized the Huskies

 

[RedStickHusky]

No school ever has a “moral victory” but I think Mississippi State had a “morale victory” yesterday.

LOL. You do swing for the fences. Personally, I'd have no issue with a team thinking that their effort in a loss was courageous and just (i.e. morally virtuous) -- I just wouldn't expect a lot of people outside their locker room to get it. A very internal proposition. A "morale victory" on the other hand? A loss that makes you happier? I can't rule it out, I suppose, but it's a much harder proposition for me to imagine.

FWIW, I'm not taking any of this very seriously but I do enjoy wordplay and I'm a retired guy with 12 hours to kill before tonight's game.
Feel free to tell me to pound sand and I'll go away without any hurt feelings.

 

[visitingcock]

LOL. You do swing for the fences. Personally, I'd have no issue with a team thinking that their effort in a loss was courageous and just (i.e. morally virtuous) -- I just wouldn't expect a lot of people outside their locker room to get it. A very internal proposition. A "morale victory" on the other hand? A loss that makes you happier? I can't rule it out, I suppose, but it's a much harder proposition for me to imagine.

FWIW, I'm not taking any of this very seriously but I do enjoy wordplay and I'm a retired guy with 12 hours to kill before tonight's game.
Feel free to tell me to pound sand and I'll go away without any hurt feelings.

What's "just" about winning a basketball game? Basketball has nothing to do with morality. UConn triumphing over Notre Dame is not morally virtuous. ( Though many here might disagree. LOL).

However, morale is very important in building a solid team. Even though Georgia's season ended with the loss to Iowa, the players' morale is boosted by their good showing and gives them incentive to work hard in the off season. It builds the morale of fans to support the new coach's program.

 

[shiverz45]

M

I’m the person who starred the quibbling about the word “dynasty.” However, I have stated throughout that UConn is an “empire” the likes of which has never been seen before and which will almost certainly never be equaled by any other program.

Since we have beaten the poor horse beyond death and into mush , I’ll divert to another definition quibble:

No school ever has a “moral victory” but I think Mississippi State had a “morale victory” yesterday.

"Moral" in the fact that they started in the play in game, but losing to Notre Dame as a team should not be considered a moral victory. Meaning talent wise, there is no big difference from what I saw.