Geno on a new Tenn game (Tennessee passes) and SNY -LINK

[Kibitzer]

Tony, now why don't you tell us how you really feel about Tennessee?

 

[doggydaddy]

I don't think anybody really cares anymore if UCONN and Tennessee play, other than UCONN fans. The NCAA has a responsibility to ensure that teams are seeded correctly and are sent to the correct geographic area. The game is not relevant unless both teams are competitive, and at this point UT will not be for a few years. If they are both competitive they will eventually meet in a big game, but just to make sure that they play has no value.

I don't see UConn fans clamoring for the game. It's the two biggest fan bases in the country and ESPN would LOVE to have this game. It's a huge story the first time they play again. After that? Who knows?

 

[CL82]

I am going to take the opposing position and say that Pat had nothing to do with the refusal. She and Geno have been in communiation ever since he reached out to her after her announcement of the diagnosis. Their chat at the FF was just a public example of what had been going on behind the scenes. I would bet that there are others around Pat who think they are being protective of her and would readily take this action without her knowledge or consent.

Any authority for the notion that Geno and Pat "have been in communication"? Articles, blogs, anything like that?

 

[CL82]

I don't understand the "they need us" mentality. Tennessee will be relevant by performing well in the NCAA tournament. One game a year with UCONN or any other university is not going cure their woes. If they get a solid recruiting class for 2013 they should perform well in the tourney and contend for future recruits. Tennessee did make the Elite Eight this past season, although they got whipped by Baylor. But then again, ND got their butts handed to them by Baylor, also.

Certian types of players like the biggest stages. UConn/Tenn was the biggest stage for a while. If Tenn doesn't play CT does that mean that they'll have shut down their WBB program? Of course not, but it is a step in the wrong direction for them IMO.

 

[easttexastrash]

I don't see UConn fans clamoring for the game. It's the two biggest fan bases in the country and ESPN would LOVE to have this game. It's a huge story the first time they play again. After that? Who knows?

I would tune in for about 5 minutes until UCONN went up by 20, then I would try to find something more interesting, maybe PDN (the Paint Drying Network).

 

[doggydaddy]

I would tune in for about 5 minutes until UCONN went up by 20, then I would try to find something more interesting, maybe PDN (the Paint Drying Network).

That doesn't mean that ESPN wouldn't love this game, and that it wouldn't get great ratings. At the start.

I agree that only UConn fans would watch the entire game. I would DVR it and watch it several times while reading posts on the Summitt...lol.

 

[cohenzone]

Aside from the intensity of the UConn/UT rivalry for the two schools, wasn't the real significance of the annual games that it captured the attention of otherwise casual or normally disinterested TV viewers? This boosted some general interest in women's hoops. There might be a game here or there that might capture that interest, but the unusual thing was that these were two programs that sustained the excellence of their programs for a much longer time than any other teams in the era when TV coverage blossomed because of that rivalry. The causal fan knew it and the rivalry caused some continuing interest outside of UConn and UT and fans and avid women's hoops fans.

Nothing has replaced that sort of relationship in a sport that truly has very few casual followers. If, say UConn, continues its excellence for an additional long time, then maybe some other opponent will show up who can match it and sustain it so that fans would be interested in watching the two play every year. Baylor has some potential, but they have a bit to go after BG graduates to show longevity. Stanford has that possibility and Tara's teams have come back to prominence after a little bit of a slide. ND has to show, as well, that it can be a perpetual FF team before the casual fan gets excited about some annual rivalry. In their case, relative to UConn, I'm not so sure that an in-conference rivalry gets as much juice nationally. Obviously in the men's game, the Duke-UNC games get a lot of national interest. Speaking of which, neither of those two women's programs has captured the fan imagination sufficient to create a game of casual fan interest.

Right now, a UConn/Baylor match up is attractive, but it's all about Griner. When UConn and Tennessee were playing, I'd wager that at its height, the most the casual fan knew about the teams was the name of the university and it didn't matter all that much to make them want to watch who was on the team at the time because they knew the teams were both likely to be very good. They played against each other with a passion and had visibly passionate coaches. Maybe I'm all wet about this, but I don't think the casual fan would be interested in a UConn/Baylor game if BG were not known to be on the team and that most of them have no idea who Sophia Young is. Women's hoops, while generally deeper and more competitive than even ten years ago, still is not a widely popular sport. Maybe it never will be. But having a widely identifiable annual rivalry is a big deal in that sport.

BTW, gotta love Tony C., but I'm pretty sure a few teams not named UConn have won the last two NCs and this year has a pretty big obstacle in the way.

 

[UcMiami]

All I have to say is that maybe now our fearless reporters will stop bringing up this issue (JA mostly.)

I don't think there will ever be the kind of 'marquee' game that Uconn/TN was - the game and talent has expanded to the point that you will never have only two dominant teams over a 10 year period - 8 championships between the two from 1995 - 2004.

 

[semper]

It's not relevant anymore. If UT regains ground, then maybe.

 

[Icebear]

Certian types of players like the biggest stages. UConn/Tenn was the biggest stage for a while. If Tenn doesn't play CT does that mean that they'll have shut down their WBB program? Of course not, but it is a step in the wrong direction for them IMO.

At the time the picture from the FF was run it was mentioned in a couple of the articles about the encounter. It was, also, mentioned that Geno had been one of the first contributors to Pat's new fund for battling Alzheimer's.

http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2012/04/02/life/doc4f79c1d0d523c151636355.txt

Simply Google "Auriemma and Summitt talking".

 

[phil sampieri]

I don't think anybody really cares anymore if UCONN and Tennessee play, other than UCONN fans. The NCAA has a responsibility to ensure that teams are seeded correctly and are sent to the correct geographic area. The game is not relevant unless both teams are competitive, and at this point UT will not be for a few years. If they are both competitive they will eventually meet in a big game, but just to make sure that they play has no value.

I believe that UC vs Tenn on Espn, don't remember the year, was the highest
rated basketball game viewed men or women.That says it all. now that they have refused I put the mal occhia on them. done

 

[Bestiarius]

I can't believe that is was anything other than a Pat decision. I thought it was pretty clear that the AD wasn't thrilled about giving up a nice payday for a women's game. It's no accident that the Pat killed the game coming off an NC, when she had the hand to do so.

It doesn't seem to me that Pat has much to say about what happens anymore, given some of the actions of management at TN: The Lady Vol logo is being phased out. The women's team will be the Volunteers, just like the men. "The Summitt" graphics now prominent on the arena basketball court will be moved off the court past the end line. Then there are the staffing changes.

 

[easttexastrash]

I believe that UC vs Tenn on Espn, don't remember the year, was the highest rated basketball game viewed men or women.That says it all. now that they have refused I put the mal occhia on them. done

That was when both teams were competitive. Watching UCONN destroy Tennessee will hold little lure for most fans. Times have changed considerably in the landscape of women's basketball.