I've written about this before, but I will re-state my position on rivalries, as well as how it relates to UConn-Tennessee now.
There are five potential elements to a rivalry game, and you need at least four of the five to be great:
1. Geographic proximity of the two teams. An in-state rivalry, a border war, or even just close enough regionally like New York and Boston, is a critical element. It fosters arguments at the dinner table, in the office breakroom, at the local bar, etc. It's a rivalry game you grow up with, and you grow up surrounded by it. It's the one element of a great rivalry UConn-Tennessee didn't have.
2. Recurring scarcity. The teams have to play regularly, but just infrequently enough that a loss to the rival team has the fanbase stewing for months. In CFB, you won't play again for a year. In the NFL, the Giants and Jets can't have a real rivalry because they play too infrequently. Conversely, the Yankees and Red Sox play too many times: 18 games a year. UConn-Tennessee was one regular season game a year, with the possibility of a tournament meeting as well. That's frequent enough to fuel the flames, and scarce enough within a season to make it so you can't *wait* for the teams to play again if your team has lost.
3. The history/tradition of the teams involved. This is simple: when there are two great brands pitted against each other, it adds to the excitement in a game. Michigan-Ohio State have that. UConn WBB versus Tennessee WBB? You betcha. I mean, they've only combined for 17 NCs and 33 Final Fours.
4. The history/tradition of the rivalry itself. Texas and Oklahoma have been playing for almost 100 years. Army and Navy have been playing forever. So have Duke and North Carolina. UConn and Tennessee started their rivalry in 1995 and ended it in 2007. In WCBB term, that's actually a pretty damn long time.
5. What's at stake. This is the most critical element. How many times has the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game gone on to the Rose Bowl (and now, the CFB playoffs)? Meanwhile, Tennessee and UConn have played for all the marbles on four occasions (1995, 2000, 2003, 2004), in the national semis on two occasions (1996, 2002), and in the regional finals on one occasion (1997). Now THAT is a lot on the line, and by adding fuel to the fire, I mean it's pouring gasoline right on it.
In short, UConn-Tennessee was a great rivalry. Even if there wasn't the proximity, there was the Mason-Dixon line aspect that made the rivalry more intense, too.
However, since 2008, Tennessee has not fielded the kinds of teams UConn has. It would have stopped being a competitive game, and very little would have been at stake. UConn, for its part, lost to Tennessee the last three times the teams played, and during those years (2005-2007), they wouldn't didn't meet again in the tournament. They just missed the opportunity in 2008, but from 2009 on, UConn has done its part to advance as far as possible, whereas Tennessee has not. In short, There hasn't been a postseason meeting in 10 seasons and counting.
What I'm saying here is that the hypothetical rivalry is losing the elements of being great, and with each year they don't meet in the tournament, the less interested I am in seeing an annual regular season game renewed.
