Should UCONN be considered a blue blood? SI.com

[Obrero]

I'm too lazy to read all of the posts on this thread, but, my first thought is this:

I hate the question. Why should we care about "bluebloods", or feel like we have to bang on the door to be allowed into that club? That's an old, irrelevant category that means very little in today's college basketball scene. (Much like UCLA under John Wooden, great achievements that belong to another era.) We're making history now, creating a new club. Like Jay Bilas said, those other programs should be asking whether they belong in Uconn's category!

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Not a knock at all, but the most gut wrenching losses happened in the 90s imo. Losses really sting when you haven't been to the promised land before....and you get your heart ripped out. In 2006, we still had 1999 and 2004.

Absolutely 2006 sucked too, but at the same time, UCONN was playing like garbage in that tournament for some reason.

6OT I didn't care too much about because it was a sick game, and it's one of those things where a bounce or 2 decides the outcome, less so than the players.

2009 sucked, but it wasn't completely unexpected it without Dyson. Hate losing in the FF, but am proud they got there.

As a Sox fan that experienced 03, I get where you're coming from. Hence my qualifying by saying the games I'm old enough to remember.

The 06 team was loaded regardless of how they played, imo the best uconn team not to win a title.

The 09 team certainly wasn't nearly as explosive without Dyson but when besides 04 have we been the favorites in the final 4?

 

[intlzncster]

As a Sox fan that experienced 03, I get where you're coming from. Hence my qualifying by saying the games I'm old enough to remember.

The 06 team was loaded regardless of how they played, imo the best uconn team not to win a title.

The 09 team certainly wasn't nearly as explosive without Dyson but when besides 04 have we been the favorites in the final 4?

Ha, that's a good point.

 

[TheChamps990411]

http://hoopshabit.com/2014/04/18/college-basketball-uconn-huskies-considered-blue-blood/

This again?

 

[TheChamps990411]

One thing that kind of annoys me is everyone keeps bringing up "since 1999" as if we came out of nowhere that year and won a national title. So we`re "new blood" which is disregarding the fact that UCONN has been an elite program since 1990. We were a constant sweet 16 elite 8 team before we won it all in 99. Dukes a blue blood but they won their first title in 91` so were they a blue blood after that first title or even before that? Was it after their 4th? Is being blue blood measured by titles or sustained success?

UCONN IS A BLUE BLOOD whether anyone wants to admit it or not they are. They are the top program in mens basketball right now and its not close. You cant have a list of blue bloods and leave a team out that has as many titles as duke and more than kansas. I dont know what blue bloods means but we are a blue blood and 4 titles is all the proof you need.

Go look at national titles not just since 99 but since 1990

BLUE BLOODS
Ucla 1 title
UK 3 titles
UNC 3 titles
INDIANA 0 titles
DUKE 4 titles
KANSAS 1 title

UCONN 4 titles

 

[PcketknfNiels]

One thing that kind of annoys me is everyone keeps bringing up "since 1999" as if we came out of nowhere that year and won a national title. So we`re "new blood" which is disregarding the fact that UCONN has been an elite program since 1990. We were a constant sweet 16 elite 8 team before we won it all in 99. Dukes a blue blood but they won their first title in 91` so were they a blue blood after that first title or even before that? Was it after their 4th? Is being blue blood measured by titles or sustained success?

UCONN IS A BLUE BLOOD whether anyone wants to admit it or not they are. They are the top program in mens basketball right now and its not close. You cant have a list of blue bloods and leave a team out that has as many titles as duke and more than kansas. I dont know what blue bloods means but we are a blue blood and 4 titles is all the proof you need.

Go look at national titles not just since 99 but since 1990

BLUE BLOODS
Ucla 1 title
UK 3 titles
UNC 3 titles
INDIANA 0 titles
DUKE 4 titles
KANSAS 1 title

UCONN 4 titles

I don't think people realize that we're going on 25 years at this level of success. That's long enough to merit blueblood inclusion.

 

[jibsey]

Let the teams with only 1 or 2 titles argue bout whether they are blue bloods.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I don't think you can take that away from them though. I know that if it happened at UCONN, we wouldn't discount it one iota. That's part of being a good program: players developing chemistry,wanting to fight for championships, and wanting to play for their coach.

You could say we caught lightning in a bottle too, in a different fashion.

Florida is definitely NOT on UCONN's level, but you have to give Donovan a lot of credit. Florida is most definitely a football school, in football country, and Donovan has built a year in year out contender down there. He's made people care about the basketball team. He's 35–12 in the NCAAs and won his first title within 10 years of starting at Florida.

IMO BD is one of the best coaches in America.

Yeah, BD is a great coach. Still doesn't mean that they deserve to be in the conversation for top programs of all time (and you're seeing that more frequently now). That was my point of the post. Cincinnati has a much better claim in that, but everyone would think I'm nuts by suggesting that. It just shows you how overrated the Florida program is today.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I should point out that Florida has produced a ton of NBA players. In fact, they have the most in the playoffs currently. It's a good program. But in terms of success and top programs of all-time, they're not in the top 10. Probably not even in the top 15. Alright, enough bashing Florida from me.

 

[Huskybass]

I would rather say that UConn is an elite program. UCLA and Indiana are no longer elite programs. No other program has matched UConn's success over the past 5,10, or 15 years. Duke also has 4 titles since 1990, but we have bitch slapped them pretty good under the bright lights.

 

[Palatine]

UConn is the best, the premiere, the top basketball program of the 21st century. Bleed any color you want. UConn is the best of this era.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Yeah, it's funny that Duke is all uppity about winning its first title a whole 8 years before us. They made four Final Fours, and lost in the title game 2x before K showed up. A solid, if unimpressive history.

thats's one less Final Four than us tho. they have a longer history than us.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I would rather say that UConn is an elite program. UCLA and Indiana are no longer elite programs. No other program has matched UConn's success over the past 5,10, or 15 years. Duke also has 4 titles since 1990, but we have bitch slapped them pretty good under the bright lights.

We've definitely have had more luck finishing than Duke has during the same time...though I would imagine that any Husky fan would be pretty stoked if we had their success during the same time too. Without a question, UConn is an elite program today. Very few schools can say that. I think that Duke...unfortunately...is still in that category

 

[freescooter]

Seems to me that when you are one of the elite programs, you really need to step back before you're no longer elite. Programs like Indiana, UCLA they do just enough to stay in the conversation, so they are still considered among the elite. To be a blue blood, though, you need to go back to the early days of the game and be elite there. Frankly I'm not sure Duke qualifies, but teams like North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA, Kansas, they all do. As long as they continue to play the sport at this level, they'll be blue bloods. But they may not be elites any more. Duke and UConn I put in the same category as elite programs. Louisville too probably. But none of us have the deep history of success. But if I had a choice, I'd take UConn's elite status over UCLA or Indiana's blue blood status.

 

[IMind]

thats's one less Final Four than us tho. they have a longer history than us.

I don't think our fans don't give enough credit to UConn as a historical program. We have more NCAA appearances prior to 1980 than Duke does. UConn has 13, Duke has 8.

I'm not saying we're a better program than Duke... actually our history matches Duke very closely. We've both been good in the same eras (1950s-1960s)... almost exactly. Our down periods coincide very closely as well.

 

[intlzncster]

Yeah, BD is a great coach. Still doesn't mean that they deserve to be in the conversation for top programs of all time (and you're seeing that more frequently now). That was my point of the post. Cincinnati has a much better claim in that, but everyone would think I'm nuts by suggesting that. It just shows you how overrated the Florida program is today.

I definitely agree with the first bit, and your overall conclusion.

The second bit I'd add after the word "overrated" the word "historically". But not in terms of relevance right now. I think it's a Top 5 program in the nation right now. I also didn't think it was fair to discount their two titles (which was my main point), in terms of judging their resume. A title is a title, as we claim in 2011. You can pick apart a number of titles, but at the end of the day, no one else beat them.

BD has a lesser version of UCONN's 30 year tragectory going. Obviously they're not likely to reach UCONN level. But if BD wins one more, with a new club. All of a sudden they become part of the "best programs" conversation.

 

[UMass]

I like and agree with the sentiment of a lot of posters here....just keep winning NC's and don't give a rat's a## what ESPN, Goodman, or any other of those "experts" call you. UConn is on the verge of doing something very, very special over the next few years. KO is an amazing coach and this will definitely not be his only NC. You guys will have the blue bloods wishing they could get into the new blood club!

 

[Rondogg]

09 is a feeling id rather not repeat. Looking back on it now, it's a successful season, but it took me a while to get over it.

Me too. We lost what was a home game to MSU when the entire country was rooting for poor depressed Detroit. Beating them at MSG was incredibly sweet revenge.

 

[TheChamps990411]

The thing about Uconn that `11 and now `14 has established is the country and even us as fans must assume this program has a chance at a national title every year. NO ONE thought we`d win in `11 and many assumed it would be a down year and we won it. Many of us thought at best this was an elite 8 team and after the way we ended the season many thought we`d be lucky to win a game or two in the AAC tourney and the same in the NCAA`s. Is this not what elite programs do?
Jim Calhoun is one of the all time great college coaches of all time. At worst top 7 and now KO is off to an incredible start in his coaching career. His first year was very successful with a team that had to find something to play for and in his second he pulled off one of the most unbelievable runs in recent memory. This program is the best program in the country right now and for 25 years has stood shoulder to shoulder with the elite and in recent years has now stood head and shoulders above the rest. Why is this programs status even a discussion? If this were Duke with the same exact run the discussion wouldnt be if they were elite or a blue blood but is this the greatest run since the UCLA dynasty of the 60`s.