Borges: Is Providence College becoming heated rival for UConn men’s basketball team? Depends on who you ask

[aburks41]

The reason why teams like Syracuse, Georgetown, and Nova are considered our rivals are because we have had decades of high-stakes games played against them, and we're competing with them for Big East titles, constant high level recruiting battles, and also in the national championship race too. These teams are nationally relevant, just like we are.

PC hasn't met any of those criteria over the 40 years that we've been in the Big East together. They are in the regional group of St Johns, Seton Hall tier of annoying teams that you expect to beat, but they will play you hard and it sucks to lose against them.

They have a long way to go before I would even put them in my tier of Duke, Cincy, Louisville, and Pitt. We have played those teams in multiple championship games, semi-finals, etc over the years. There just is no postseason history with PC to really ignite the "rivalry" because they have no postseason history lmao

 

[Get a Job]

Here's the fan opinion piece which is part 2 to the original article What UConn men’s basketball fans say about rivalry with Providence: ‘Annoying little brother’

Dave used my quote for the headline hahaha. PC fans were big time mad in my mentions over that

!?!?

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I may be in the minority but different Big East eras created different rivalries. When the Big East formed Providence and BC were rivals because they were the best teams in NE. As Calhoun changed the culture and started winning, Georgetown, Syracuse, and Nova were the rivals. Pitt evolved in the late 90's and early 2000's with Louisville and gasp... Cincinnati also jumping in line with Syracuse and Nova depending on the years. The bottom line is that Providence will be a rival again if they keep beating us. Until then, it's Nova.

 

[BlueMAB]

Can’t read it. Does he say who is a rival?

Seton Hall and St John's

"every team in the conference feels like a rival"

 

[Inyatkin]

View attachment 76327

!?!?

The relationship between Syracuse and UConn has nothing in common with the relationship between Providence and UConn. What is this supposed to mean?

 

[auror]

View attachment 76327

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The relationship between Syracuse and UConn has nothing in common with the relationship between Providence and UConn. What is this supposed to mean?

Syracuse has historically had a bigger rivalry with Georgetown than us, so we're a secondary rival. But we think of them as perhaps our primary rival. We have other primary rivals, but PC fans think of us as a primary rival.

 

[Inyatkin]

Syracuse has historically had a bigger rivalry with Georgetown than us, so we're a secondary rival. But we think of them as perhaps our primary rival. We have other primary rivals, but PC fans think of us as a primary rival.

I guess, but Syracuse and UConn are both historically good, and Providence is Providence. So I don't think the analogy really works.

 

[Candyman]

Syracuse has historically had a bigger rivalry with Georgetown than us, so we're a secondary rival. But we think of them as perhaps our primary rival. We have other primary rivals, but PC fans think of us as a primary rival.

No one at Syracuse thinks of Gtown as a rival unless they have a love for 1980's Big East Basketball. Here's how you decide, ask a Syracuse fan what team they hate more and fan base they hate more, Gtown or Syracuse....always UConn.

 

[aburks41]

Syracuse has historically had a bigger rivalry with Georgetown than us, so we're a secondary rival. But we think of them as perhaps our primary rival. We have other primary rivals, but PC fans think of us as a primary rival.

I guess, but Syracuse and UConn are both historically good, and Providence is Providence. So I don't think the analogy really works.

There is a huge difference between UConn fans thinking that PC is like our little annoying brother, versus Syracuse fans thinking that we are their 2nd rival behind Georgetown. We are not Syracuse's little brother lmao. They don't even belong in the same discussion with us when you factor in the most important thing in college basketball, national championships.

 

[GlastonTim]

I just don’t see how Cuse or Pitt are even relevant to us anymore. If we continue our success and others in conference do, those will be our new rivals.

 

[aburks41]

I just don’t see how Cuse or Pitt are even relevant to us anymore. If we continue our success and others in conference do, those will be our new rivals.

Honestly I'm a confused why we haven't kept the series going with those 2. We should start up a H/H with both of them so every year we play Cuse at home and Pitt away, and vice-versa. I guess with the MTE and BE/B12 and BE/B10 challenges there aren't many OOC game slots available, but still...why let a great rivalry just die out??

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Sounds pretty casual

With certain opponents I imagine that would be a valid statement.


Of course you put all things on your life on hold in order to attend every home game.......

 

[HitDog]

I guess living in Pawcatuck and and dealing with many PC fans in the bar makes it feel much more like a real rivalry.

And after reading this thread I now realize that the Red Sox and Yankees really aren't rivals or at least weren't until 2004 or so when they finally won.

 

[AntG168]

I guess living in Pawcatuck and and dealing with many PC fans in the bar makes it feel much more like a real rivalry.

And after reading this thread I now realize that the Red Sox and Yankees really aren't rivals or at least weren't until 2004 or so when they finally won.

What a terrible comparison lmao. The Sox/Yanks rivalry goes back to babe Ruth and the world wars

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just my take but if I were to hear that we have a game scheduled with Cuse, whether it be in on of the greater NYC venues, Hartford or Gampel, I would take time off work, pay scalper prices and pull out all stops to be there.

If someone offered free, quality seats to a UConn-PC game, unless attending the game would be quite convenient (weekend, no concern over needing to head out too early or return home too late) there's a very strong likelyhood that I would pass.

Nah. The one road game I always went to was PC. The convenience trumps everything. Plus, PC always played UConn very tough, even when we had much better teams than they did. Syracuse is a zombie program at this point. The only opponent I'd pull out all the stops to see in person is KU. Not even Duke anymore. Among conference rivals, Villanova is the top ticket for sure. Creighton is probably in the #2 spot.

 

[Huskymagic]

I just don’t see how Cuse or Pitt are even relevant to us anymore. If we continue our success and others in conference do, those will be our new rivals.

Syracuse and Pitt are true rivals. Games against those 2 whether home or away were always rocking and crazy good atmosphere. We were always competing with them in meaningful games that were relevant in the Big East and nationally.

It’s the same for Cuse and Pitt with us. Part of their declines are due to no rivalries down in the ACC. Pitt has become so bad that they’re arena is basically empty now due to apathy and performance. Peterson used to be a great venue. Once Capel is canned, and they hire a decent coach, this rivalry should be reignited.

We should get them on the schedule yearly. There definitely is interest on both sides.

Most UCONN fans are like me. They don’t care about Providence, Seton Hall, and the St Johns, of the world to make it some rivalry even they have a successful year or two.

Especially with Jay Wright retiring, restarting our rivalries with Cuse and Pitt makes sense.

 

[Get a Job]

Syracuse has historically had a bigger rivalry with Georgetown than us, so we're a secondary rival. But we think of them as perhaps our primary rival. We have other primary rivals, but PC fans think of us as a primary rival.

Providence is our annoying little brother that still lives in our parents' basement. If we are Syracuse's little brother, we annoy them because we are living the dream while their once promising life is going down the toilet (at least in terms of national championships and current trajectory).

 

[Inyatkin]

Syracuse and Pitt are true rivals. Games against those 2 whether home or away were always rocking and crazy good atmosphere. We were always competing with them in meaningful games that were relevant in the Big East and nationally.

It’s the same for Cuse and Pitt with us. Part of their declines are due to no rivalries down in the ACC. Pitt has become so bad that they’re arena is basically empty now due to apathy and performance. Peterson used to be a great venue. Once Capel is canned, and they hire a decent coach, this rivalry should be reignited.

We should get them on the schedule yearly. There definitely is interest on both sides.

Most UCONN fans are like me. They don’t care about Providence, Seton Hall, and the St Johns, of the world to make it some rivalry even they have a successful year or two.

Especially with Jay Wright retiring, restarting our rivalries with Cuse and Pitt makes sense.

Pitt was our rival, in the sense that we were both really good at the same time in the same conference. But there's no future there, so no sense in bringing it back. They're just Rhode Island or Miami or Cincinnati or other once-upon-a-time rivals at this point.
Syracuse is pretty close to that point, too. And the fact that people here are playing up Creighton, of all things, as our new rival should illuminate the truth here -- we have no true rivals.
Which is fine.

 

[Kolumbo]

Andy Roddick was once asked about his rivalry with Roger Federer. I give him credit when he said, "it's not really a rivalry since Federer has beaten me every single time we have played".

A-Rodd is a great sport about it.

 

[gtcam]

Seton Hall seems like a rival?????
Yeah ok - maybe to Rutgers or New Jersey Tech
That's comical
Just because there is a hatred towards to Providence College - and I completely understand why - doesn't preclude them from rival status
While I don't think PC is a real rival, the proximity of the schools has always had to do with creating a rivalry
Are they now? Nope
But I consider them more a "rival" than Seton Hall
The only rivalry I feel is Cuse and maybe a bit of SJU

 

[CL82]

Here's the fan opinion piece which is part 2 to the original article What UConn men’s basketball fans say about rivalry with Providence: ‘Annoying little brother’

Dave used my quote for the headline hahaha. PC fans were big time mad in my mentions over that

LOL, I use the phrase “little brother” one time on a conference members board and they completely melted down. I avoid it now.

 

[aburks41]

LOL, I use the phrase “little brother” one time on a conference members board and they completely melted down. I avoid it now.

I use it all the time on twitter whenever they come at me lol. I just call them a poverty program and that usually breaks their brains

 

[aburks41]

Providence is our annoying little brother that still lives in our parents' basement. If we are Syracuse's little brother, we annoy them because we are living the dream while their once promising life is going down the toilet (at least in terms of national championships and current trajectory).

How can we be little brother when we have more national championships, and Big East titles than they do? Anyone who thinks we are "little brother" to Syracuse is delusional

 

[auror]

How can we be little brother when we have more national championships, and Big East titles than they do? Anyone who thinks we are "little brother" to Syracuse is delusional

Nobody thinks this. The analogy isn't about program quality, it's about primacy of rivalries and not being symmetrical.

Syracuse - Gtown, Syracuse - UConn.
UConn - Syracuse, UConn - Providence
Providence - UConn, Providence - URI.

Thus Providence is to UConn (secondary rivalry) as UConn is to Syracuse (secondary rivalry).

Just because we're not Syracuse's primary rival doesn't mean they think we're the little brother. It's just that they have someone they hate more, just as we have someone we hate more than Providence. We happen to also think Providence is a little brother, but an analogy doesn't mean it's an exact copy of a relationship, just similar.

 

[CL82]

How can we be little brother when we have more national championships, and Big East titles than they do? Anyone who thinks we are "little brother" to Syracuse is delusional

4 > 1*