ESPN (Voepel) Says UConn-Baylor is best rivalry

[mbr33ct]

 

[Monte]

They are ALL going to be great games.................if they are on ESPN.....stand by for their opinion on Tennessee vs UCONN.

 

[Baylor1994]

How is UConn vs Louisville and UConn vs South Carolina a rivalry when those two matchups has been lopsided! South Carolina only beat them once in 9 tries! Baylor has evened the series at 4-4!

 

[MD#12Fan]

How is UConn vs Louisville and UConn vs South Carolina a rivalry when those two matchups has been lopsided! South Carolina only beat them once in 9 tries! Baylor has evened the series at 4-4!

IMO a rivalry is more than just the results of the games.
Remember Andy Roddick laughing about his rivalry with Roger Federer after a close loss in a Wimbledon final. Something like, “it’s not much of a rivalry if your record against him is 0-10”.

 

[JellyBean]

If this is the best rivalry in women's basketball, I am playing and winning the Mega Millions and Powerball games this week. $800 million dollars!!

 

[bballnut90]

How is UConn vs Louisville and UConn vs South Carolina a rivalry when those two matchups has been lopsided! South Carolina only beat them once in 9 tries! Baylor has evened the series at 4-4!

Baylor is always a big game but there really isn't any major history between the programs or higher emotions during the game like we've seen vs Notre Dame and Tennessee. Rutgers in the 2000s was definitely a bigger rival, too.

Regardless of head to head records, rivalries have to have competitive games to be classified as a rivalry IMO. Louisville and SC I wouldn't classify as rivals either, largely due to games not being competitive and a lack of emotion induced by playing the opponent. UCONN has absolutely dominated Louisville aside from one loss in 2019, and the games have never been close or competitive. Same with SC, who despite being a pretty central figure in WBB for 8ish years now, has never been able to compete with UCONN aside from last year's win (which wasn't competitive either).

Neither opponent has had any exciting games which is usually a HUGE element of what makes a rivalry great. Compare that to peak Tennessee/UCONN or Notre Dame/UCONN where the games were usually quite competitive, had a lot riding on them, and were decided down the stretch. Each rivalry has several iconic moments and hyper competitive games that fans readily remember 5/10/20+ years later. That's never been the case for SC/Louisville, or even Stanford for that matter.

To be honest I don't think there really is a great rivalry in women's basketball right now. Tennessee hasn't been relevant in a while and the programs haven't played in 13 years. It was always Pat vs Geno and Tennessee hasnt been a contender ever since Pat left.

Notre Dame also isn't currently relevant or a top 25 team and has a new coach. There are lots of good teams but no marquee games in women's basketball right now that will draw in outside fans.

 

[JonathanXIV]

How is UConn vs Louisville and UConn vs South Carolina a rivalry when those two matchups has been lopsided! South Carolina only beat them once in 9 tries! Baylor has evened the series at 4-4!

Of course, Kim doesn’t schedule UConn when they are expected to beat Baylor. So there’s that.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Then play UCONN every year. Playing a team 4 times in 7 years is not a rivalry. Veopel is a shill for ESPN marketing.

 

[arch]

It is interesting that without muffets blatant misandry that this rivalry question is now a thing again.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

If you want to call them the two top programs in college basketball, that's certainly arguable. Not sure that makes their meetings a "rivalry."

they so rarely play, it doesn't seem like there would be much bad blood, which seems necessary for a rivalry.

I kind of think there has to be an annual component to make something a rivalry. Even if it is a postseason one.

Just from observation here, I wouldn't say that Baylor is particularly on your list of hated opponents. That seems to be Notre Dame and Tennessee.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Then play UCONN every year. Playing a team 4 times in 7 years is not a rivalry. Veopel is a shill for ESPN marketing.

In fairness, you can't expect Kim to schedule UConn when UConn is the favorite to win the National Championship.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

How is UConn vs Louisville and UConn vs South Carolina a rivalry when those two matchups has been lopsided! South Carolina only beat them once in 9 tries! Baylor has evened the series at 4-4!

I don't think South Carolina has won enough to make it a rivalry.

On South Carolina's end there is some aspirational and measuring stick kind of angst about it. I think some Gamecock fans might hate UCONN, but I think a lot of us just see it as a goal not yet reached.

But, it's a game played annually and things might heat up going forward, hard to say.

If the teams start trading haymakers for the next 4-5 years as far as great games with great players on big stages, I think it could happen.

If Baylor scheduled UCONN ever year, I think you'd be in the same position.

 

[mbr33ct]

If you want to call them the two top programs in college basketball, that's certainly arguable. Not sure that makes their meetings a "rivalry."

they so rarely play, it doesn't seem like there would be much bad blood, which seems necessary for a rivalry.

I kind of think there has to be an annual component to make something a rivalry. Even if it is a postseason one.

Just from observation here, I wouldn't say that Baylor is particularly on your list of hated opponents. That seems to be Notre Dame and Tennessee.

Hey, don't short change your South Carolina Gamecocks in this rivalry.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Hey, don't short change your South Carolina Gamecocks in this rivalry.

I think we got your full attention last year.

The next half decade will hopefully raise the pressure on this one.

Hopefully, South Carolina and UCONN will be the premier matchup for the next half decade or so.

Not counting my chickens just yet, but that's the hope. Still, Oregon, Baylor, Louisville, Texas, Notre Dame and many others, I'm sure, will have a lot to say about it.

 

[DefenseBB]

Then play UCONN every year. Playing a team 4 times in 7 years is not a rivalry. Veopel is a shill for ESPN marketing.

I am not a Mechelle V fan at all but at least she's writing about the sport and our team.

I think anyone with half a brain will immediately pivot to the SC-UConn rivalry as the best in the game when late January arrives and that game is on the Horizon. I only hope Lobo is the one to lead that dialogue...

 

[SVCBeercats]

In fairness, you can't expect Kim to schedule UConn when UConn is the favorite to win the National Championship.

Seriously!? If UCONN is favored, then you will have to face them in the NCAA so why not get an up close and personal scouting report by playing them. In such a game you can experiment with lineups, matchups, defenses, offenses, etc. You can't do this in the NCAA tourney.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Seriously!? If UCONN is favored, then you will have to face them in the NCAA so why not get an up close and personal scouting report by playing them. In such a game you can experiment with lineups, matchups, defenses, offenses, etc. You can't do this in the NCAA tourney.

Note the emoji. As well as my prior posts. It was obviously meant to be tongue in cheek.

 

[MooseJaw]

Note the emoji. As well as my prior posts. It was obviously meant to be tongue in cheek.

I got it and had a little chuckle, seems you are getting on the snark express. We need more snark it helps fuel rivalries.

 

[Carnac]

Take a look at Kim's early season schedule for the 2019-20 season. I've detailed it before in other threads, so I won't repeat myself here. But it's embarrassing.

Jonathan, I agree! It IS embarrassing. Kim is not concerned about the appearance of her OCC schedule. Remember one thing, we're looking at it from a fan's perspective. She's looking at it from a coach's perspective. She schedules 9-10 cupcakes (usually all home games), and 1-2 top 25 teams for the selection committee's pleasure and consideration during seeding selection for the tournament.

This gives her team a string of "guaranteed" wins to begin the season, and the opportunity to play games against other teams, although not at their skill or talent level. Playing weak teams allows her to give her freshmen lots of playing time in the 2nd half of those blow outs. Playing time they won't necessarily get during the season. This has not hampered her ability to get a 1 or 2 seed in the dance.

She figures she can win it all from a 1 or 2 seed. Until it does, I don't look for her to change something that has been working for her. When was the last time Baylor was ranked outside of the top 25? Mulkey must be doing something right. She also does not have a problem recruiting the top talent in the state either. We can throw all the rocks at her we want to. She's got shatter proof windows. I'm NOT defending her methods, just acknowledging that it works for her and her program.

 

[Carnac]

I think we got your full attention last year.

The next half decade will hopefully raise the pressure on this one.

Hopefully, South Carolina and UCONN will be the premier matchup for the next half decade or so.

Not counting my chickens just yet, but that's the hope. Still, Oregon, Baylor, Louisville, Texas, Notre Dame and many others, I'm sure, will have a lot to say about it.

South Carolina has finally had their ticket punched to join the "elite" programs in women's Division 1 basketball. You won a championship, You're consistently ranked in the top 5, and you have begun to recruit some of the best/top ranked talent coming out of high school every year. The elite players want to play for Dawn like they want to play for Geno. You're here, and I don't see you guys falling from grace anytime soon. You're keeping the pipeline well oiled and primed.

 

[triaddukefan]

A must see game yeah... but it ain't the best rivalry....ain't even a rivalry from where I come from.

 

[SARG 2011]

Well looks like our game has been canceled due to a positive test in the Lady Bears program...per UConn twitter account