How you know we’ve arrived

[Kolumbo]

It is interesting. Duke message boards complaining about refs and playing 8 on 5, Cuse boards rooting for Duke over UConn strictly based on hatred levels, dogs and cats living together!

It's amazing cuse still hates us more than any other program. I don't even think they have a serious rival in the acc. they are still somewhere between denial and depression but need to grip acceptance

We arrived several years ago. Even at the Illinois board many hate us more than they hate duke. Of course they do, after the woodshed game

Let's not forget about the Taylor Swift mojo

 

[ninety-nine]

I'm sure UConn deciding to label Gampel/Storrs as "The Basketball Capital of the World," and then being able to back it up with immediate championships and glory for both hoops programs, also irks a lot of these folks intensely. We're talking 33 combined Final Fours and 18 natties since 1991, with a rosy near-term outlook. The numbers almost look like typos.

But none of these folks seem to be able to keep in mind that UConn is fighting for its sports program life in a way most of those schools don't need to worry about. We don't have the luxury of being able to take a step back and coast for a few years.

 

[HooperScooper]

At least on the men’s side, it feels like most UConn fans have a genuine connection to the school - whether as alumni, through family, or by living in the state. It’s wild how many Duke fans seem to have no real ties to the university. Wonder what accounts for it? We've been similarly successful in the same period. ESPN brainwashing?

I think it's similar to why there are so many Cowboys, Raiders, Yankees, etc. fans. They were the team winning a lot when they were kids. Everyone likes a winner.

 

[UConn Dan]

UConn still auto-corrects to Yukon on my phone, though. It's been long enough for that to change.

Ok. Which one of yous is on the UConn Foundation and saw @Waquoit ‘s post and ran with the Yukon autocorrect email. Just got this lol

 

[Excalibur]

Duke law, he’s probably an idiot.

Typical Dookie -- he asked about the "head butt" . . .

 

[ninety-nine]

I think it's similar to why there are so many Cowboys, Raiders, Yankees, etc. fans. They were the team winning a lot when they were kids. Everyone likes a winner.

Well, around here you'd expect lots of Yankees and Red Sox fans due to proximity, not just championships. But of course that's a thing. There are Patriots fans all over the place now too. You can't assume they're from the northeast.

 

[ninety-nine]

Typical Dookie -- he asked about the "head butt" . . .

I think they're hoping if they complain loud enough, the NCAA will let Duke take a couple free throws for a technical on short notice and maybe reverse the outcome of the game.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think some of it is Hurley, who hasn't been nearly as crazy in recent years, but still has the reputation. But the biggest thing, and it's the same for any "dynasty" sports team is that most fans just want somebody else to win for a change. There was lots of hate for the Cowboys, Steelers, Niners, Patriots and recently the Chiefs. Yankees of course earned plenty of hate and now the Dodgers are. I don't think anybody but UConn fans wants us (or any team) to win 3 out of 4.

 

[LetsGoUC]

I think there has been a lot of appreciation and "wow look at what they continue to do" among the general CBB fanbases and media. Also the Hurley moment has made a lot of people like him now.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

The amount of hate Danny Hurley receives all over the Social Media world is inexplicable. So much hate. Way before this E8 game. Its absolutely crazy.

If Dan Hurley wasn't my coach, I'd hate him. The combo of the winning and antics would be enough. Lebron deserves his hate as well. That spectacle when he left Cleveland for Miami was tone deaf to the people of Cleveland and pure douchery.

 

[HCCForever]

I haven't watched the show in a long time but it came up on Instagram. They talked about Duke the whole segment. And Fred Brown.

I used to really like the show, but when you're references are 40 years old it might be time to move on.

I respectively disagree. I still watch the show daily and enjoy it. I do think that the Fred Brown was a good comp and I'm old enough to remember watching that game live. Chris Weber was similar in the heartbreak, but Chris was calling a timeout that Michigan didn't have. The PTI crew also talked about Hurley being a genius. However, I can't forgive Tony for not knowing Karaban's name since that was just embarrassing. But I thought they gave UConn very fair treatment. Of course, I'm a boomer and like shows where the hosts actually like each other and don't need to shout all the time.

 

[Mr. French]

Typical Dookie -- he asked about the "head butt" . . .

Tortious assault

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I also think there's a certain population where our success has beaten them into submission. Even some of the PC board is like "As much as I hate them, I can't believe what they've been able to do" type stuff.

It's good to hear some are finally accepting reality, it wasn't always this way.

2) It seems that some of our closest current/former rivals (PC, Cuse) simply think we are the luckiest team ever and have gotten cake draws, etc. And I just don't get it. We've won titles as a 1 (2x), 2, 3, 4, and 7. The 7 we beat Nova, Mich St., Iowa St. and Florida so I'd say we more than earned that one. Duke for sure "choked" to an extent. But we also played great D and outscored them by 16 in the 2nd half.

Not long ago (when my son still lived & worked outside of Providence) quite a few PC fans truly believed that PC & UConn were peer programs and we just got a little luckier, and were able to win a few titles because of that luck.

It was kind of amazing how they denied quite a bit of truth in order to claim equal status with us.

 

[Inyatkin]

It's good to hear some are finally accepting reality, it wasn't always this way.

Not long ago (when my son still lived & worked outside of Providence) quite a few PC fans truly believed that PC & UConn were peer programs and we just got a little luckier, and were able to win a few titles because of that luck.

It was kind of amazing how they denied quite a bit of truth in order to claim equal status with us.

We have more NCAA wins in the past two weeks than they have in, what, 30 years? I think they won three total under Cooley? Maybe I’m forgetting some

 

[Scrutineer]

I think they're hoping if they complain loud enough, the NCAA will let Duke take a couple free throws for a technical on short notice and maybe reverse the outcome of the game.

Like suspending Rod Sellers for the first game of the following season for "massaging" Laettner's head in the previous post-season?

 

[Deepster]

OT but have your tried going into autocorrect settings and setting Yukon to autocorrect to UConn.

I don’t need to on mine, seems to have learned UConn and how to properly capitalize it even when I type in lowercase, but worth a shot. UConn UConn UConn

I did that for "ducking".

 

[geordi]

I'm sure UConn deciding to label Gampel/Storrs as "The Basketball Capital of the World," and then being able to back it up with immediate championships and glory for both hoops programs, also irks a lot of these folks intensely. We're talking 33 combined Final Fours and 18 natties since 1991, with a rosy near-term outlook. The numbers almost look like typos.

But none of these folks seem to be able to keep in mind that UConn is fighting for its sports program life in a way most of those schools don't need to worry about. We don't have the luxury of being able to take a step back and coast for a few years.

Actually - and ironically - Dook Vitale first used the phrase as I recall during a UConn - Syracuse game back in the mid 90s. I think he was referring to both the men's and women's teams.

 

[Gurleyman]

Actually - and ironically - Dook Vitale first used the phrase as I recall during a UConn - Syracuse game back in the mid 90s. I think he was referring to both the men's and women's teams.

Yep. That's correct. Both teams were No. 1 for the first time ever. Or were going to be - Syracuse was a Big Monday game and I think the polls came out on Tuesdays back then, but we were the presumptive No. 1.

The women had knocked off Tennessee a week or two prior, and the men were about to join them. We went on a nice second half run, the place was going bonkers, and Dickie V went on a spiel.

It wasn't exactly a jinx. Neither team had ever actually won a title when he said that, and they have now won 18. Since 1995, here is the chart of basketball titles over a 30-year span (taking out one for COVID):

18 - UConn (12 women, 6 men)
5 - Tennessee (all women, obviously)
4 - Baylor (3 women, 1 men).
3 - North Carolina (all men) - would add a women's in 1994 and a men's in 1993 going back two years.
3 - South Carolina (all women)
3 - Florida (all men)
3 - Duke (all men)
3 - Kentucky (all men)

Pretty insane when you look at it.

 

[QDOG5]

 

[Glenn]

WEll here is someone who loves Hurley and his wife. Pretty funny take

 

[MexicoHusky]

I kinda feel the opposite. Im still a bit surprised how much Duke dominates NCAA basketball ratings. Even after passing them in championships. Duke still dominates ratings