Syracuse vs Georgetown .... greatest Big East rivalry ever

[upstater]

The BE has been around for over 30 years. I don't see why people keep emphasizing the first 8 or 9 years over the rest.

I mean, G'town made one final 8 between 1989 and 2007! At one point in the 1990s the SJ and UConn games were hot. Now, not so much.

 

[Scot-e]

The only game where I route for Quse. Gtown Pe-Toowey! I spit on them.
I do have a bit of a issue- if I spit on all the teams I want to spit on I would need to pick up chewing tobacco. The list is getting long.

 

[Capt Tuttle]

Been going to the Big East Tourney for quite some time. Syracuse always has the most fans there. The team they always hated and feared was not Georgetown!

Then you haven't been going long enough. I went the first year at MSG and almost every year thereafter. I was there when UCONN sucked. I was there when UCONN beat SU in the finals. With the good natured heckling on the way out from UCONN fans, my retort, which brought unanimous if begrudging agreement, was that UCONN had a great year, SU has a great program. UCONN has of course grown into a stellar program and for the last half of the Big East, was its standard bearer in many ways. However, at least on the SU side, until you guys got all high and mighty and obnoxious, it was a friendly and respectful rivalry. On the other hand, every SU fan HATES Georgetown, at a DNA level. It goes back to Manley Fieldhouse, thugs like Michael Graham, a bad guy at the helm couching everything in racist terms, fights on the court and in the stands, etc.
SU never had that with UCONN. Now, we just expect hard fought tough games, and whoever wins, wins. Some of us even root for UCONN in non-conference play. No true SU fan ever roots for Georgetown, and we laugh at and mock their failures.
If you missed out on early SU-Georgetown, you really missed out on basketball mixed with hate. That's what makes a rivalry.

 

[ctchamps]

Then you haven't been going long enough. I went the first year at MSG and almost every year thereafter. I was there when UCONN sucked. I was there when UCONN beat SU in the finals. With the good natured heckling on the way out from UCONN fans, my retort, which brought unanimous if begrudging agreement, was that UCONN had a great year, SU has a great program. UCONN has of course grown into a stellar program and for the last half of the Big East, was its standard bearer in many ways. However, at least on the SU side, until you guys got all high and mighty and obnoxious, it was a friendly and respectful rivalry. On the other hand, every SU fan HATES Georgetown, at a DNA level. It goes back to Manley Fieldhouse, thugs like Michael Graham, a bad guy at the helm couching everything in racist terms, fights on the court and in the stands, etc.
SU never had that with UCONN. Now, we just expect hard fought tough games, and whoever wins, wins. Some of us even root for UCONN in non-conference play. No true SU fan ever roots for Georgetown, and we laugh at and mock their failures.
If you missed out on early SU-Georgetown, you really missed out on basketball mixed with hate. That's what makes a rivalry.

I'm not sure that's a definition of a rivalry or in the very least the only definition of a rivalry. Finding something in your opponent that you have hated and never letting go is more about animosity than rivalry. There is still hatred in Northern Ireland between religions. Greeks still hate Macedonians. Some people going back to WWII still hate the Japanese and so on. I'm not sure these are rivalries.

I will agree that rivalries have strong connections with passion although I'm sure the dispassionate amongst us will base their opinion about rivalries on intellectual factors alone. There are multiple reasons that cause us to consider someone a rival. Hatred is only one of them. Envy, jealousy, history, mutual respect, mutual success, proximity, tribal influence, all factor into what makes a rivalry. But many of us will argue that a rivalry is based on those criteria that causes us to consider an opponent a rival. That is an egocentric based view imo.

 

[mauconnfan]

Then you haven't been going long enough. I went the first year at MSG and almost every year thereafter. I was there when UCONN sucked. I was there when UCONN beat SU in the finals. With the good natured heckling on the way out from UCONN fans, my retort, which brought unanimous if begrudging agreement, was that UCONN had a great year, SU has a great program. UCONN has of course grown into a stellar program and for the last half of the Big East, was its standard bearer in many ways. However, at least on the SU side, until you guys got all high and mighty and obnoxious, it was a friendly and respectful rivalry. On the other hand, every SU fan HATES Georgetown, at a DNA level. It goes back to Manley Fieldhouse, thugs like Michael Graham, a bad guy at the helm couching everything in racist terms, fights on the court and in the stands, etc.
SU never had that with UCONN. Now, we just expect hard fought tough games, and whoever wins, wins. Some of us even root for UCONN in non-conference play. No true SU fan ever roots for Georgetown, and we laugh at and mock their failures.
If you missed out on early SU-Georgetown, you really missed out on basketball mixed with hate. That's what makes a rivalry.

This is typical of a Cuse fan although you meant to come in peace I can see and that's good. But I was at the Garden through all the worst years of UConn being the cellar dwellers and always ahd a good time. My best times were with Cuse fans who thoroughly enjoyed the after game evenings at the Penta, Blarney etc etc....having said that there were also a chosen few like most programs who kicked while you were down. I have no issues with that.....but to say UConn fans became obnoxious is ridiculous for the general fan. I was there throughout the good and bad and there was no difference ever. Always an obnoxious few as I said but that's all..........and the GTown hate is just that, does not make a rivalry. GTown hasn't been too good so I wonder where that fits into the world of rivalries for the Orange.

Now if you want obnoxious and kicking a team when they're down, stay on your board because you're fans have turned in that direction on the biggest way. A change of leagues and suddenly 90% a**wipes!! Sorry I know you tried to come in peace and I appreciate that but the fact you can is amazing considering how many Husky fans are allowed to make their points!!

Bet you're a nice guy and you seem to know your stuff but F Syracuse!!....I say it in good faith of course

 

[CL82]

Six Big East national Championships in it's history. Connecticut owns three of them. I'm sorry, who built what?

Add to that 15 regular season or tournament championships and it's pretty damn clear who built what.

 

[ctchamps]

Six Big East national Championships in it's history. Connecticut owns three of them. I'm sorry, who built what?

Add to that 15 regular season or tournament championships and it's pretty damn clear who built what.

You miss the point entirely. This is about rivalries which denotes a modicum of equality. Not dominance in which UConn has no peers.

 

[SubbaBub]

Then you haven't been going long enough. I went the first year at MSG and almost every year thereafter. I was there when UCONN sucked. I was there when UCONN beat SU in the finals. With the good natured heckling on the way out from UCONN fans, my retort, which brought unanimous if begrudging agreement, was that UCONN had a great year, SU has a great program. UCONN has of course grown into a stellar program and for the last half of the Big East, was its standard bearer in many ways. However, at least on the SU side, until you guys got all high and mighty and obnoxious, it was a friendly and respectful rivalry. On the other hand, every SU fan HATES Georgetown, at a DNA level. It goes back to Manley Fieldhouse, thugs like Michael Graham, a bad guy at the helm couching everything in racist terms, fights on the court and in the stands, etc.
SU never had that with UCONN. Now, we just expect hard fought tough games, and whoever wins, wins. Some of us even root for UCONN in non-conference play. No true SU fan ever roots for Georgetown, and we laugh at and mock their failures.
If you missed out on early SU-Georgetown, you really missed out on basketball mixed with hate. That's what makes a rivalry.

I remember and have to agree with this. When Gtown went into the tank, it was still a big game on both campuses and in the media even if they were only referencing JT's ghost.

Since UConn wasn't a player until the 1989-90 season. We missed out on big rivalries from those early days. I remember the state going bonkers because UConn was ranked 5th that year heading into a game at BC.

Post 1990, we had brief rivalries with GT (Allen/Iverson), Nova (Allen/Kittles), Pitt (Talik and Kemba) and Cuse (Gordon/Melo) but none of them were long lasting.

We are rivals with Cuse mostly because of the JB/JC thing and that in the last 10 years we've been the two best programs.

We are rivals with Pitt because of the BET battles in the early 2000's.

None approach UNC/Duke or OSU/Mich or even your basic intrastate rivalry like USC/UCLA.


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[UConnDad]

It's in New York, so not a huge stretch to say that they have the fan advantage lol, but Husky Nation has been known to take the Garden by force

Used to go to the with a big group for the Redmen/Husky games when they were played Saturday or Sunday. I believe it was Jarvis that made them change to weeknights because more of us showed up. It was almost like a home game.

 

[willie99]

it was a great rivalry until we made it a battle for 2nd place

in all seriousness, with JT Jr and in the 1980's, it was great