The UConn-Nova rivalry just isn't anywhere near the Yanks-Red Sox even by today's watered down standards.
Have we ever had consensus on who UConn's biggest rival is?
It likely is consensus to think/plan/hope its Villanova going forward, but I don't think that's true at this point. UConn first has to contend for multiple regular season BE titles with them and regularly play in the BE tournament (so this year's semis definitely a start).
Likewise, pretty certain Villanova would not currently cite UConn as their biggest rival.
I remember posting something on the 'yard in Jay Wright's early years at Nova about a game in Gampel where he took the air out of the ball & created a rock fight. Half the boneyard railed that I dare criticize the golden boy. Wright remains universally respected if not liked. Boeheim is a villain (Syracuse may have been our biggest rival (but they always thought of Georgetown as theirs, obv now out of sight & mostly out of mind), Pitt was a rival when we had multiple coincident good years (also now gone) and various other NE teams want to be our rival but have never been consistently on UConn's level in hoops (BCE, Providence, UMass). Anyway, I just don't feel like UConn hates Villanova.