nelsonmuntz
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It is good for basketball to have two powerhouses in the Finals, and so it is good for UConn this year that it is one of those powerhouse teams, and that it is playing another in Purdue. It also wouldn't hurt UConn's perception as a future conference partner to put up a big ratings number on the heels of the insanely good 14.2 million viewers for the UConn/Iowa women's Final Four game. UConn needs a game that the whole country cares about.
Two of UConn's championships have been over scrappy mid-majors (SDSU in 2023, and Butler in 2011), and Butler didn't even have Haywood anymore when UConn beat them. UConn beat some very good teams along the way in both tournaments, but the Finals opponents were not marquee names and it hurt us with national interest in those games. In 2004, UConn's championship game was effectively in the national semifinals when it beat Duke. The easy win over Georgia Tech in the Finals, where UConn had a 20+ point lead for much of the game, was anticlimactic. In 2014, UConn had a great run over some good opponents (Villanova, Michigan State, Florida), and its Finals opponent was Kentucky, but Kentucky was an 8 seed that season, and was chasing the same historical upset championship that UConn was chasing. Like UConn, Kentucky had not even made the tournament the previous season. The only other Championship game between top teams involving UConn was in 1999, and UConn was not quite UConn yet to the rest of the country, like it is now. We were not yet a blue blood.
On Monday, the top two teams meet for the National Championship. Purdue has been one of the top teams in the Big 10 for decades despite their less than impressive tournament showings over the years, and there will be a lot of interest to see if a program this successful can win its first National Championship. UConn is definitely the villain on Monday, which I am fine with, as long as people tune in, and UConn wins.
Two of UConn's championships have been over scrappy mid-majors (SDSU in 2023, and Butler in 2011), and Butler didn't even have Haywood anymore when UConn beat them. UConn beat some very good teams along the way in both tournaments, but the Finals opponents were not marquee names and it hurt us with national interest in those games. In 2004, UConn's championship game was effectively in the national semifinals when it beat Duke. The easy win over Georgia Tech in the Finals, where UConn had a 20+ point lead for much of the game, was anticlimactic. In 2014, UConn had a great run over some good opponents (Villanova, Michigan State, Florida), and its Finals opponent was Kentucky, but Kentucky was an 8 seed that season, and was chasing the same historical upset championship that UConn was chasing. Like UConn, Kentucky had not even made the tournament the previous season. The only other Championship game between top teams involving UConn was in 1999, and UConn was not quite UConn yet to the rest of the country, like it is now. We were not yet a blue blood.
On Monday, the top two teams meet for the National Championship. Purdue has been one of the top teams in the Big 10 for decades despite their less than impressive tournament showings over the years, and there will be a lot of interest to see if a program this successful can win its first National Championship. UConn is definitely the villain on Monday, which I am fine with, as long as people tune in, and UConn wins.
