so, who will be our next big made for TV rival?

[willie99]

TN is a distant memory, ND loses Skyler, Baylor loses BG, who's next?

I hope somebody rises to the occasion

maybe Louisville if they start to land some top recruits

 

[WNBARookFan]

Notre Dame will still probably wind up on our schedule, just perhaps not next year. ESPN loves the rivalry...I'm sure we'll see more of it.

Stanford, Maryland and Duke seem like top contenders. It's too bad we won't be in a conference with any of them though, as we can't necessarily say we'll have a "rivalry game" every year, at least not yet.

 

[meyers7]

TN is a distant memory, ND loses Skyler, Baylor loses BG, who's next?

I hope somebody rises to the occasion

maybe Louisville if they start to land some top recruits

Louisville looks to be our only competition in the AAC. (maybe Rutgers a little). But both only for 1 more year.

 

[jplotinus]

I like the way the topic question looks forward, not backwards. While it isn't my intention to start a knockdown, drag out, about conference affiliation, I do note that new rivalries are potentially possible from hitherto unlikely candidates. I am not saying the other AAC members are currently powerhouse rivals. I am saying all one or more of them have to do is get lucky and have a low or mid-level recruit blossom into an AA, like Angel McCaughtry did; or, have a late growth spurt and turn into a 6-6 center the way David Robinson did on the men's side going from a 6-5 high schooler into a 7-0 center at non-basketball powerhouse Navy.

Things like that are more likely to happen to the AAC because mid-level recruits will be prolly be more intrigued by the possibility of playing against uconn (and getting on teevee once or twice a year) even if they're not recruited by uconn, than before. This is just my opinion.

 

[TRest]

I liked hearing Muffet proclaim before the game that it was the best rivalry in Women's basketball. Guess what sweetheart, the best rivalry always involves UConn and an opponent, not necessarily you anymore.

 

[alexrgct]

Tennessee may not be old news for long. That game will end back on the schedule at some point.

 

[Phil]

TN is a distant memory, ND loses Skyler, Baylor loses BG, who's next?

I hope somebody rises to the occasion

maybe Louisville if they start to land some top recruits

Let's not count out ND yet. I thought they lost a lot last year, and would be happy to crack top ten.

 

[Drumguy]

I'd throw Duke into the mix. I know they got blown out with basically the same personnel but they have a lot of great talent.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Tennessee may not be old news for long. That game will end back on the schedule at some point.

I'd love to see the rivalry resume. I expect Tennessee to be really good in two years. I also expect them to rejoin Duke, Stanford and ND as semi-permanent fixtures among the Top 5. I would include UConn in that group but that would understate their exalted status!

 

[UcMiami]

Louisville gets I think three injured players back and only really loses Reid who was a shadow of her former self after all her problems, so they should be very good.
Rutgers - we'll see. I think CViv needs a truly dynamic scorer for her team to be successful and she hasn't had that in a while and not sure she has it next year.
OOC - Maryland, Duke, ND (?), UNC (?), Stanford (?), Cal (?), Kentucky (?), TN (?) PSU (?)

 

[Tenspro2002]

Stanford. They've been the only ones consistently close to our level over the last 5 years, and they're not going anywhere.

They have the historical pedigree as well.

 

[CCinCT]

The reason that the ND-UCONN rivalry got so big was that ND actually beat UCONN (and more than a few times !). ESPN and other networks will live on the 2-7 UCONN vs. ND record in the last 9 games as long as they can. Some other team will have to do something vs. the Huskies to generate another rivalry.

 

[Phil]

The reason that the ND-UCONN rivalry got so big was that ND actually beat UCONN (and more than a few times !). ESPN and other networks will live on the 2-7 UCONN vs. ND record in the last 9 games as long as they can. Some other team will have to do something vs. the Huskies to generate another rivalry.

I agree and that's why Stanford is in the mix. They've beaten us, and not just a one-off, and they look like they could be very good again next year.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'll go out on a limb and say it will be North Carolina. Have to believe after next year, UNC will do everything it can to get on UConn's schedule on a yearly basis. Playing UConn gets a team more publicity then any other team can get them & that includes the Lady Vols.

However, with that said, still need to play some games out on the west coast. Besides Stanford, I would like to see games scheduled against UCLA, Cal & possibly USC. Would like to see the team in California on an annual basis.

 

[CL82]

What's interesting is whomever it is, we won't be playing them 4 times a year, in all likelihood. That will give the game more of a big event feel. I have to say though that eveyone one of the ND games had a superbowl quality to them.

 

[Wonkster]

Louisville gets I think three injured players back and only really loses Reid who was a shadow of her former self after all her problems, so they should be very good ...

You forgot about this year's signees. I believe Louisville lost the recruiting battle for every Top 20 recruit (Russell, Greenwell, Chong, etc.) Did anyone notice any major talent headed to Louisville in this most recent class (2013)?

 

[SoCalCanine]

However, with that said, still need to play some games out on the west coast. Besides Stanford, I would like to see games scheduled against UCLA, Cal & possibly USC. Would like to see the team in California on an annual basis.

Oh, how I would LOVE for this to happen!!!!

 

[alexrgct]

The real answer for the next couple of seasons:

Probably no one. You can hype it all you want, but Uconn is the wrath of God right now.

 

[Sonny44]

Let's not count out ND yet. I thought they lost a lot last year, and would be happy to crack top ten.

Agree can never count them out.

 

[Sonny44]

I'd throw Duke into the mix. I know they got blown out with basically the same personnel but they have a lot of great talent.

Forget . They'll never give us a game.

 

[Sonny44]

Louisville gets I think three injured players back and only really loses Reid who was a shadow of her former self after all her problems, so they should be very good.
Rutgers - we'll see. I think CViv needs a truly dynamic scorer for her team to be successful and she hasn't had that in a while and not sure she has it next year.
OOC - Maryland, Duke, ND (?), UNC (?), Stanford (?), Cal (?), Kentucky (?), TN (?) PSU (?)

Of these only MD and ND could give us trouble.

 

[UConnChapette]

SMU? Tulane? Memphis? Just doesn't sound right.

 

[Sonny44]

I'll go out on a limb and say it will be North Carolina. Have to believe after next year, UNC will do everything it can to get on UConn's schedule on a yearly basis. Playing UConn gets a team more publicity then any other team can get them & that includes the Lady Vols.

However, with that said, still need to play some games out on the west coast. Besides Stanford, I would like to see games scheduled against UCLA, Cal & possibly USC. Would like to see the team in California on an annual basis.

Yes, let's tour the west coast; come home with an average MoV of 30+ points.

 

[rocky rococo]

I'll go out on a limb and say it will be North Carolina. Have to believe after next year, UNC will do everything it can to get on UConn's schedule on a yearly basis. Playing UConn gets a team more publicity then any other team can get them & that includes the Lady Vols.

However, with that said, still need to play some games out on the west coast. Besides Stanford, I would like to see games scheduled against UCLA, Cal & possibly USC. Would like to see the team in California on an annual basis.

That's the limb I was about to go out on, too. Hardly much of a limb, rather a trunk, with UNC adding 25-30 McD AAs over the next couple of years.

 

[JoePgh]

I believe that Muffitt has stated publicly that she would like to continue the series, but Geno couldn't accept for next year because UConn's schedule for 2013-14 is full. But I also saw something to the effect that ESPN is not willing to take No for an answer and is working behind the scenes to get the game scheduled anyway. It sounded like they might pay someone on UConn's schedule to defer their game a year so that UConn-ND could be scheduled and ESPN could broadcast it.

With their incoming freshmen led by Taya Reimer, and with Jewel Loyd and Natalie Achonwa returning, Notre Dame will be very good next year, and (given Muffitt's coaching success against Geno) should give UConn as much of a contest as anyone. I will bet that ESPN will somehow make it happen.

By the way, Louisville will NOT be in the AAC next year; they will be in the ACC. Remember that they got that last bid from the ACC that UConn was expecting (hoping?) to get.

Maryland should be very good, at least on paper, next year, with their guards healthy again and with Alyssa Thomas still around for her senior year.