NEVER play TENN again

[drweo]

Then, again, back in 1995 a soon to be championship, Huskies and their coach Geno Auriemma agreed to allow a Tennessee team to play in Connecticut in a nationally televised game that was already set up for the Huskies. That game allowed a Tennessee team to creep into the public’s perception. Geno agreed to play them sometimes as often as three times a year lifting their program until the Lady Vols won eight championships in total and its coach became the third winningest coach of all time. Eventually they’ll their coach got tired of losing against Connecticut, both on the court and in recruiting, and quit.

Somehow that has morphed into a claim of right that the largess Auriemma had shown to the Tennessee program must continue. I would rather Tennessee fans just said thank you for the success Geno and the Connecticut program has given them and went on their way. It surely isn’t our fault they couldn’t sustain it.

According to Caroline Peck, during the College Game Day show, it was Tennessee that put UConn on the map! She was a Tenn. assistant coach back in 1995 and according to her, Summit did ESPN and UConn a favor by agreeing to play that first game. I guess Tenn. thought they would win that one!

 

[uconnever]

The only thing everyone has to do is look at Geno and Lou’s post game interview. G said our girls come here to play in games like this and Lou said the exact same thing. I’m sure if you asked the other girls, they loved it also. If mostlly all the UConn legends experienced it, I would want to as a player also. The refs were horrible but I like sending our girls into that atmosphere, it will help them down the road. I know G secretly loves watching his girls fight through and succeed as long as no one gets hurt.

 

[BRS24]

I don’t like the game but my reason has nothing to do with physical play or refs. It’s just that the game has become a circus. ESPN hypes up a stupid out of conference game between the #5 team and an unranked one like it’s for the national championship. You get fans going loopy over the dumbest things. It’s become ridiculous

The Huskies can play ND or Syracuse or Georgia if it wants a rivalry game

I agree, as we tuned into Game Day, hoping to get some of the classic clips by both UConn and TN players, and perhaps some interviews of prior players, and instead we got a lot of meh. ESPN could have done a better job with the pre-game show and they chose not to do so.

 

[wingsfan055]

Really??? Back in 1895, TN was the dominant program in WBB and UConn and their brash young coach was the team trying to “creep into the public’s perception.”

Back in 1895, I believe the official team name was the Tennessee Moonshiners.

 

[uconnever]

According to Caroline Peck, during the College Game Day show, it was Tennessee that put UConn on the map! She was a Tenn. assistant coach back in 1995 and according to her, Summit did ESPN and UConn a favor by agreeing to play that first game. I guess Tenn. thought they would win that one!

Usually the established program which was Tennessee, doesn’t have to come to your house, you go to theirs. So in that way Pat did do us a favor. We were coming to kick the door in eventually anyways, but Pat didn’t have to come here. Her and Geno are alike in they will play anyone anywhere. In that way she did help us.

 

[Bone Dog]

Franklin was called for a foul on the play you mentioned.

Good catch. Thanks for the correction. I think I meant it wasn’t called as a flagrant foul or even reviewed for an upgrade.

 

[BRS24]

A few random observations about playing in Tennessee and who the LVs are:

I saw a couple clips last night of Paige signing autographs and posing with kids from the stands. She has fans even in Tennessee. I’d be surprised if Azzi didn’t sign a few autographs too. In the handshake line after the games, Horston and Paige had a special hug, and Geno had an extra few friendly words with her.

Bolded the important part. Watch the post game handshake line of most games, and there are players who do a lil extra hug with people they know, they've played with/against in the past (HS, AAU, etc) and they respect each other. Inside the lines, it's us vs them. Outside, game recognizes game. It's some folks that turn the rivalry into something different, for a myriad of reasons. Geno also will give a lil extra to the opponents he recruited or respects.

 

[CL82]

According to Caroline Peck, during the College Game Day show, it was Tennessee that put UConn on the map! She was a Tenn. assistant coach back in 1995 and according to her, Summit did ESPN and UConn a favor by agreeing to play that first game. I guess Tenn. thought they would win that one!

Personally, I give Summitt credit for being smart enough to hitch her wagon to Geno Auriemma’s star. It was a smart thing to do and it elevated her team for quite a while. Eventually, she learned that even the brightest stars cast shadows, and she got tired of living in it.

 

[oldude]

No one needed to convince Geno to be willing to schedule any other team, North Carolina, Tennessee, whomever and elevate them. No one needed to beg him. He just did it because he loves women’s basketball and has worked hard to promote it.

I note that the vast majority of Tennessee’s championships came after Martin Luther King day, 1995. That’s indisputable. I also note that after Pat Summitt ended the series, Tennessee drifted back into the pack, while Connecticut continued its unprecedented success. Indeed, when Pat terminated the series Geno generously create a new rivalry with Notre Dame and lo and behold. They were elevated in one national championships both teams that were Connecticut’s “rival” won national championships and jumped ahead in the national consciousness. That is indisputable.


(By the way, Pat Summitt did not say “ We will play anyone, anywhere, anytime.” When she was offered the Connecticut came. You are missing your Pat Summit mythology.)

TN had won 3 national championships along with 1 runner up prior to the game with UConn on MLK day. UConn was certainly an up and coming team, but they had yet to win a championship.

I have no doubt that Geno would play anyone back in 1995. But the suggestion that Geno was doing Pat & TN a favor is incorrect. Pat would have done fine without UConn on the schedule, and Geno would have been successful without playing TN. But that MLK day game was a huge step forward for WBB and I have no doubt that it accelerated UConn’s climb to the top.

 

[Shenandoah]

After last nites debacle with Jackson and Edwards and the way the game was called I dont think UConn should ever play Tenn again. Those of you who have been around and know the history from past years well this for me is the last straw. Genos half time interview was right on and has been building up for years. Those of you who think not read my post in the postgame thread. Those of you who disagree with me dont know what has been going on for years with Tenn. We are lucky Aaliyah wasnt injured. The refs reviewed the call and call a double T. IMO Jackson shouldve been thrown out of the game for un sportsman like contact and threat to injury when she rammed Edwards when she was on top of her and Edwards was trying to get up. I am really angry over last nites game. This should be the end of the Tenn series and it is something that shouldve never been restarted. This would bring a new meaning to GO Ladyvols. Please just GO.

Aaliyah took care of business after she was thrown to the floor, with 5:30 left in the 4th. Enough is enough.

 

[CL82]

Tennessee had won 3 national championships along with 1 runner up prior to the game with UConn on MLK day

Pssh. Only three? Hardly worth mentioning.

Pat would have done fine without UConn on the schedule, and Geno would have been successful without playing TN.

Ah that’s the point. It is equally absurd to suggest that Pat Summitt owes her success to Geno Auriemma and the Huskies, as it is to suggest that Geno Auriemma owes access to Pat Summit and the Lady Vols. Yet the latter is a persistent narrative.

But that MLK day game was a huge step forward for WBB and I have no doubt that it accelerated UConn’s climb to the top.

Oh, I believe it did, and accelerated the movement of woman’s sports further into the spotlight, especially women’s basketball. But it was always intended to be UConn and an opponent to be named later. The ratings would have been the same in the moment would have been as big is Sylvia Hatchell had taken up the challenge.

 

[Shenandoah]

Can someone clarify something for me.... I did not see it here, and have not had time to read all the other post... but with like 5 minutes let in the game... didn't someone foul Edwards around the neck or head area knocking her to the ground... and wasn't it called a common foul.???? Why did they not review that???? I am still all up in arms over that one.... Can anyone help me out with this?

You are correct. And Aaliyah knocked the stuffing out of her on the ensuing inbounds play.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

And that's a perfect reason to NOT play this game/series. Any true UCONN fan does not want anything that will help TN.

When she was asked about Geno their coach said he has lots of personality, with a face that looked to be sucking on a sour ball. The fan base acts like a bunch out of Deliverance, perpetuating the vilest slanders of Geno and the program. Lobo took it on the chin a lot from that Vollie Land crowd. It's an ugly program that is reaping what it sowed and it is rightly in a very bad recruiting slump. Geno got sucked in to starting up again with this bunch because it put money into Alzheimers research, but enough is enough.

 

[Tonyc]

Personally, I give Summitt credit for being smart enough to hitch her wagon to Geno Auriemma’s star. It was a smart thing to do and it elevated her team for quite a while. Eventually, she learned that even the brightest stars cast shadows, and she got tired of living in it.

If I may add. The reason the series was ended had alot to do with EDD Maya and Caroline Doty coming to UConn and Tenn thought they were getting at least 2 of them. There was some gossip and lies that arose from the Orange checkerboard that killed the series. Then again from what I was told and those of you who sat with me at City Steam for lunch before the final game with Pat in Hartford may remember the LV fans coming up to our table of 20+ and telling us about what was being planned at Tenn to ruin UConn. That was the 37 page NCAA violation which was ment to take no prisoners' and take UConn down. Tenn knew when UConn got EDD Maya and Caroline to commit it was the beginning of the end of their program. I will not print the specifics or details but what UConn and some of their fans went through with Compliance officers and the NCAA was far beyond conceivable that any program could muster up. Geno did Tenn WCBB and ESPN a favor by renewing the Tenn UConn game....believe me.

 

[HuskyNan]

Franklin was called for a foul on the play you mentioned.

Hollingshead also took Aaliyah down as both teams were running in the opposite direction. She was also called for the foul

 

[HuskyNan]

According to Caroline Peck, during the College Game Day show, it was Tennessee that put UConn on the map! She was a Tenn. assistant coach back in 1995 and according to her, Summit did ESPN and UConn a favor by agreeing to play that first game. I guess Tenn. thought they would win that one!

That’s a true story. At the time the teams agreed to play, before the start of the first championship season, Tennessee was #1 and UConn was just an up-and-comer from the Northeast. Penn State, a perennial regional power at the time, refused to play the nobody. Tennessee was women’s bball royalty and PHS agreed to the game. The two UConn-Tenn games in 1994-95 put women’s hoops in the national spotlight and enabled UConn to be recognized as a national power.

Let’s not let our dislike of some of the more out there LV fans give us reasons for revisionist history

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I believe the matchup has become largely irrelevant. Tennessee needs us much more than we need them. That being said in 1995 Pat Summit could have said that about UConn but didn't. She took us on. Maybe we can repay her by continuing the rivalry? Thoughts?

I have and will always believe that it was not generousity that had Pat's team travel that MLK day to play UConn. She smartly did not want to meet UConn for the first time in the National Championship game. If they could beat UConn and cool them down that was sound stategy. Did she thoroughly expect to prevail, Hades Yes we are Tennessee. Her face was pretty precious on the sidelines. Puzzlement, shock, bewilderment.

 

[HuskyNan]

Personally, I give Summitt credit for being smart enough to hitch her wagon to Geno Auriemma’s star. It was a smart thing to do and it elevated her team for quite a while. Eventually, she learned that even the brightest stars cast shadows, and she got tired of living in it.

Pat didn’t need Geno. Tennessee had three championships before the two teams ever played. She didn’t need UConn to win the other championships either because she signed Catchings, Randall, Holdsclaw, and Harper in the fall before the 1995 championship game.

For the record, I hate you for making me defend Tennessee

 

[my2cents]

TN had won 3 national championships along with 1 runner up prior to the game with UConn on MLK day. UConn was certainly an up and coming team, but they had yet to win a championship.

I have no doubt that Geno would play anyone back in 1995. But the suggestion that Geno was doing Pat & TN a favor is incorrect. Pat would have done fine without UConn on the schedule, and Geno would have been successful without playing TN. But that MLK day game was a huge step forward for WBB and I have no doubt that it accelerated UConn’s climb to the top.

If Pat didn't do us that "favor", I think UCONN and Geno would have eventually been on the "map" of WCB.

 

[npignatjr]

I agree, as we tuned into Game Day, hoping to get some of the classic clips by both UConn and TN players, and perhaps some interviews of prior players, and instead we got a lot of meh. ESPN could have done a better job with the pre-game show and they chose not to do so.

This was the junior high gameday. Sad. The first one had real headliners.

 

[npignatjr]

If Pat didn't do us that "favor", I think UCONN and Geno would have eventually been on the "map" of WCB.

More likely than not the 1995 team was going to be the first of 11, Tennessee January game or not.

 

[Ozimoto]

I think it is pretty obvious that the poor officiating (both fanbases are up in arms about it) is what led to the unfortunate incidents in the game. If this were any other game against anyone but Tennessee, we would all be moving on to the next game and not going through all of this angst. I'm pretty sure the players and coaches have moved on to Villanova. Probably time we should too.

This game still holds significance because of the history and events (bad and horrible) that are nearly twenty years in the past because a certain fanbase (and maybe some coaches) just couldn't except that they weren't the queens of the hill any longer (same as some don't like to acknowledge or accept that South Carolina is challenging the UConn hegemony). Such is the nature of fandom.

This history is something that the players are either unaware of or don't really care about. At this point, playing Tennessee does nothing for UConn in terms of rankings or seedings or winning a league title. That may or may not change in the future, but this game does expose the players to competing in a venue with one very rabid fan base (at least for now) and that has value.

 

[DefenseBB]

There are plenty of great teams that could easily replace Tenn ( and ND). Rivalries are great, but these games get so heated and chippy that injuring your players ,may not be worth it in the long run.

On Geno's pregame presser on Tuesday, he was asked about continuing the series and his answer was interesting. Also when I "paraphrase" his response, keep in mind that the Big East will go to an 18 game conference schedule from the 20 it has been since UConn came into the Big East.

Geno basically said, you would think teams would line up to play UConn but they don't, it becomes harder to get quality games so if Tennessee is willing to keep the scheduling, it appears it will stay. Now if Stanford, Indiana, LSU or Oklahoma want to enter the fray, then Tennessee could be put on the back burner but given Geno will need to add two more quality games with minimal options out there, I don't see any option but to keep playing and oh year, the fact that TV and fans still seem to care also means something.

 

[dabears17]

The first NCAA women’s tournament was in 1981. Tennessee played in 7 of the first 10 Final Fours and won 3 of them. I grew up in the Northeast with a friend going to grad school at UConn in the early 90’s and he is still teaching there.

I was living on Long Island in 1995. I was a huge Big East men’s fan and had heard of Tennessee and Stanford women’s basketball but I did not even realize UConn had a women’s team until that MLK game.

I noticed Pat seemed a little off during the 2009 Stanford Tennessee game. The UConn rivalry was always going to be contentious due to the personality of the coaches. I wonder how much of Pat’s reaction was due to the beginnings of alzheimer's.

I was at the 2008 Final Four and never thought I was witnessing Pat’s last championship.

 

[Beemer]

I want UConn to continue to play UT if only because of the warm, fuzzy feeling I get after UConn humiliates them - again and again. I don't care about the team, I just revel in the agony of the fans. And as an added bonus this year in their house in front of 13,000 orange folks.

Honestly this is the only reason I support UConn vs Tennessee. It's the same reason I support Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens (see my avatar!) even though the Canadiens have not won the Stanley Cup since 1993 and haven't made the playoffs {the real playoffs not the COVID season run] in several years. I hate that team with a passion. And I don't like Tennessee either so watching UConn beat the snot out of them is very enjoyable. Otherwise I'd say end it- UT is no longer and may never return to being a women's college basketball powerhouse. I'd rather see UConn play an up and coming program instead.

 

[Tonyc]

Strongly disagree, and I have little doubt that KJH & Geno will renew the series for the next two seasons. While last nights game got a little chippy, WBB needs rivalries like UConn-TN.

I do agree WCBB needs rivalry's like UConn Tenn however Aaliyah was fouled intentionally and ended up on the floor twice. The refs did not call a flagrant foul. Both players shouldve been thrown out of the game. I have to wonder if the refs were afraid to make that point because it was in Tenn. We can have rivalries with other teams. Yes both coaches didnt like the way the game was called but thats nothing new for UConn at Tenn. Pat did UConn a favor in 1995 and UConn did a favor for Tenn ESPN and WCBB when they agreed to renew the series.

 

[msf22b]

Tony

Like many, I agree that the refs "chickened out" in the Aaliyah call(s)
but you can't blame UTenn for that.

The series draws large, enthusiastic crowds, is followed by National TV
and our program gained from playing the game....

Even if it doesn't have the same meaning as it did in the past, if both coaches desire it to continue, it should.

Don't let the animosity of the past overwhelm your good sense.

 

[Tonyc]

Tony

Like many, I agree that the refs "chickened out" in the Aaliyah call(s)
but you can't blame UTenn for that.

The series draws large, enthusiastic crowds, is followed by National TV
and our program gained from playing the game....

Even if it doesn't have the same meaning as it did in the past, if both coaches desire it to continue, it should.

Don't let the animosity of the past overwhelm your good sense.

Im not blaming Tenn its a coincidence that it happens every time UConn plays at Tenn.

 

[Padutch5]

What a truly bad idea. Given the prevalence of idiot referees, UConn could see terrible refereeing that leads to bad play almost anywhere. Is the team going to drop rivalries just because of such a game? By that logic, UConn should have refused to play all those games against UCF, (aka, University of Chippy Fouls). Believe me, I totally agree with Tony's assessment of the alleged double foul. They went at one another (okay, that's a double foul) and then the TN player tossed in one more. THAT is why she should have been tossed).
Good refs could have had that game under control a lot earlier, and would not have allowed the foul-fest that was the second quarter. UConn-TN is a rivalry that should go on years into the future. Ultimately, it is good for the two teams and good for the sport.
It looks to me like if you're inclined to think the teams should never have played again, you'll think this fiasco is a reason to not continue. If you think the rivalry is important, you'll believe otherwise. This game changes nothing. It just gives the naysayers an excuse to advance their argument.

Geno built this program partially by taking on all comers. The real problem is whomever sets up the referees for the game. For quite some time, for big games in regular season and in the tournament we got the same ponytailed ref who could be counted on to make questionable calls against UCONN [sorry i dont remember her name].
the real problem in this game was refs who let the game get out of control.
this game is good in continuing to build women's basketball. In fact, id like to see it go back to Martin Luther King day where it received more attention as a national event.

 

[Carnac]

I was reluctant to comment on this but decided to anyway. Tony, I'm with you 100%!! I know it's not a popular position to take here in the yard, but I must be true to my feelings. I've read every comment in this thread and respect every poster and their opinion/take. I'm not going to belabor my take on this. It's not new. I've felt this way since 2008 when I first came to the yard.

I did enjoy reading the thoughts, opinions, and concerns of other Boneyarders though. I'll take what comes. If the series continues, so be it. I'm just a fan on the other side of the country that likes UConn WBB. I admit to not being overly concerned whether WCBB grows if UConn has to continue to play Tennessee. IMHO, the women's game has grown and will continue to grow whether UConn plays UT or not. It use to be UConn, and big gap, then everybody else. That gap has closed. Now there are a lot of other teams that are just as talented as UConn and can win the national championship and beat UConn if they have to. The fact that UConn has not won a national championship since 2016 proves that point. We're not favored to win it this year either.

The resumption of this series was done at the behest of ESPN (and its president at the time I believe), and no one else. Certainly not Geno. He had to be "politically correct" when addressing this topic in pressers and interviews. His bosses were on board with the resumption of the series, so he did not have any choice. I remember very clearly his take years ago when asked his thoughts on the series resuming the series. He was not in favor of it.

I guess it's as one poster said.......Pat agreed to play UConn when it was an unknown up-and-coming young program that helped put it on the map and gain national attention. Perhaps now is the time for a little payback. I'm not going to stop following UConn if this series continues, but like you, I could live without it.

I'm still basking in the afterglow of Thursday's win in a "less than welcoming" environment. What a remarkable achievement using only 7 players (Amari played for 1 minute). You know as I do there are still a lot of "old guard" LV fans that still hate Geno and anything UConn. I'm proud to be a UConn fan (win or lose) even though I'm 3,000 miles away. Keep your goggles on. Go Huskies.