alexrgct
RIP, Alex
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As everyone knows, the UConn-Tennessee regular season game was disbanded in 2007. How close have the two teams since come to meeting in the tourney? Well, let's recap..
2008
What happened- Uconn lost in the national semis to Stanford, thereby preventing a showdown with the LVs for the national championship.
How close the teams came from playing each other- couldn't have been closer.
2009
What happened- the LVs struggled mightily all season and lost in the very first round of the tourney to Ball State.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not in the remote vicinity
2010
What happened- Tennessee lost in the regional semis to Baylor.
How close the teams came from playing each other- kind of close. Tennessee, had they defeated the Bears, would have had a winnable game against Duke, and had they won that, would have faced UConn in the national semis. But Baylor did beat them pretty handily.
2011
What happened- The Lady Vols were upset by Notre Dame in the regional finals
How close the teams came from playing each other- extremely close. If Tennessee wins that game, UConn and Tennessee would be playing in the national semis.
2012
What happened- Tennessee lost to Baylor in the regional finals.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not especially. Tennessee would have had to beat Stanford- who'd defeated the LVs soundly during the regular season- in the national semis, and UConn narrowly lost to Notre Dame in OT on its side of the national semis.
2013
What happened- Tennessee lost to Louisville in the regional finals.
How close the teams came from playing each other- pretty close. The LVs would have had to beat Cal, who was certainly a beatable opponent, in the national semis, before a hypothetical showdown for the NC.
2014
What happened- Tennessee lost to Maryland in the regional semis.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not at all. UConn and Tennessee were on opposite sides of the bracket, and the LVs would have had to beat Louisville and Notre Dame to make it to the national championship game.
In summary, there have some near and some not-so-near misses, but in two seasons (2008 and 2011), the two squads were within a stone's throw of squaring off and rekindling the historic rivalry.
And the punchline: we're very, very close yet again. Tennessee's nearly miraculous escape from Gonzaga means that they get another run-in with talented Maryland. However, of the four #1 seeds, Maryland is the most eminently beatable. UConn is the #1 team in the land, South Carolina is 2-0 against Tennessee already (even if one of the games was pretty close), and Notre Dame also beat Tennessee in the regular season. Maryland, meanwhile, does look a bit less formidable. As for UConn, the only thing keeping the Huskies from the Final Four is #7 Dayton.
Now, I'm not saying it's guaranteed the two programs with 17 combined national championships will play for the first time in eight years. However, I am saying this may be close as it's been to happening in seven.
2008
What happened- Uconn lost in the national semis to Stanford, thereby preventing a showdown with the LVs for the national championship.
How close the teams came from playing each other- couldn't have been closer.
2009
What happened- the LVs struggled mightily all season and lost in the very first round of the tourney to Ball State.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not in the remote vicinity
2010
What happened- Tennessee lost in the regional semis to Baylor.
How close the teams came from playing each other- kind of close. Tennessee, had they defeated the Bears, would have had a winnable game against Duke, and had they won that, would have faced UConn in the national semis. But Baylor did beat them pretty handily.
2011
What happened- The Lady Vols were upset by Notre Dame in the regional finals
How close the teams came from playing each other- extremely close. If Tennessee wins that game, UConn and Tennessee would be playing in the national semis.
2012
What happened- Tennessee lost to Baylor in the regional finals.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not especially. Tennessee would have had to beat Stanford- who'd defeated the LVs soundly during the regular season- in the national semis, and UConn narrowly lost to Notre Dame in OT on its side of the national semis.
2013
What happened- Tennessee lost to Louisville in the regional finals.
How close the teams came from playing each other- pretty close. The LVs would have had to beat Cal, who was certainly a beatable opponent, in the national semis, before a hypothetical showdown for the NC.
2014
What happened- Tennessee lost to Maryland in the regional semis.
How close the teams came from playing each other- not at all. UConn and Tennessee were on opposite sides of the bracket, and the LVs would have had to beat Louisville and Notre Dame to make it to the national championship game.
In summary, there have some near and some not-so-near misses, but in two seasons (2008 and 2011), the two squads were within a stone's throw of squaring off and rekindling the historic rivalry.
And the punchline: we're very, very close yet again. Tennessee's nearly miraculous escape from Gonzaga means that they get another run-in with talented Maryland. However, of the four #1 seeds, Maryland is the most eminently beatable. UConn is the #1 team in the land, South Carolina is 2-0 against Tennessee already (even if one of the games was pretty close), and Notre Dame also beat Tennessee in the regular season. Maryland, meanwhile, does look a bit less formidable. As for UConn, the only thing keeping the Huskies from the Final Four is #7 Dayton.
Now, I'm not saying it's guaranteed the two programs with 17 combined national championships will play for the first time in eight years. However, I am saying this may be close as it's been to happening in seven.
