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Message: [QUOTE="EricLA, post: 3170380, member: 26"] The definition of "rivalry" more or less is "[I]competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field[/I]." The definition of "rival" more or less is "[I]a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.[/I]" Or as a verb... "[I]be or seem to be equal or comparable to[/I]." Most fans, even the casual, would agree that Tennessee is nowhere near UCONN's equal. HOWEVER, when you look at rivalries across the decades (Red Sox vs. Yankees, Duke vs, UNC, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Celtics vs. Lakers, etc...), one thing that sets them apart is the fan passion. Fans of each team really dislike, and even hate, the other team and their fans. How many times have we heard about serious fights breaking out in the stands of sporting events between rival fans? That's taking it to the extreme, but many fans seriously hate opposing teams, or their fans, or both. Many UCONN fans dislike Tennessee fans, what Pat tried to do to UCONN, the Tennessee administration, or the program in general. The same is true vice versa for Tenn fans. Even tho the programs have not played in over 10 years, even tho Tenn is now on their 2nd coach since Pat, even tho the teams are not both powerhouses (equal opponents), I can almost guarantee that no game next year will have as much attention from both fan bases. To me that means "rivalry renewed" is accurate. I have no issue with Geno's comments. Tennessee is barely a top 20 team at this point. They have no recent history of real success. But there's no other team that elicits such a visceral reaction from both fan bases (or at least UCONN fans - I can't speak for sure about Tennessee fans). If I could have liked [USER=343]@meyers7[/USER] post 100x, I would have. I lick the sweet nectar of their tears as they weep and mourn their program. We could beat them by 50 and it still wouldn't be enough of a beatdown IMHO. If that's not a rivalry, I don't know what is... For me, about the only think I like about Tennessee is Lawson the analyst, and Catchings - a true classic. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach

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