Top 5 historic wins

[UcMiami]

Do we include the March 23, 1991 win against Clemson at the Palestra in Philly to start the record 23 Final Fours? I think that was the year Geno and CD realized they could actually succeed at Uconn. Next season Rebbeca arrived and ...

 

[uconnfan68]

The first televised game I remember was vs Virginia in the Final Four. That’s when I made it a point to watch every game I could. Their style of play won me over.

 

[MSGRET]

Maya Moore at the end of the season in 2011. DannyK and UConn Ted doing the honors...
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I miss seeing DannyK and his photos of the game, I hope all is well. I believe that he was the one that also did the UConn chant. My favorite game is the 95 National Championship game, it was the first time I ever saw a Woman's college basketball game. It was on AFN when I was stationed in the Netherlands.

 

[Puppy Love]

One other thought…you have to count this amongst coaches‘ successes…making a product so good that people who never watched or cared about basketball felt compelled to watch it. It’s more than just the wins…it’s forty years of doing things the right way. I’m one of them, never watched basketball in my life until UConn went to the 1991 Final Four. Started watching and never stopped.

 

[ConnMotors]

That was the game at which then #1 ranked recruit Ann Strother decide to go to UConn. She was on her official visit and with the snowstorm raging she expected maybe 100 fans to show up. When she saw the packed house in the middle of a blizzard, she knew UConn was something special and committed before going back to Colorado.

I was at that game too

 

[UcMiami]

One other thought…you have to count this amongst coaches‘ successes…making a product so good that people who never watched or cared about basketball felt compelled to watch it. It’s more than just the wins…it’s forty years of doing things the right way. I’m one of them, never watched basketball in my life until UConn went to the 1991 Final Four. Started watching and never stopped.

I grew up loving the Boston Celtics of the 60s, so a little different. I liked that era of Men's basketball, but as the free agency and skills of the men sort of outgrew the game I just got bored with it. Then my dad got me watching the Uconn women whenever I came back to visit, and I fell in love again.

 

[Skeets]

No, Geno and the women’s team fans were much, let’s say, brasher in those days. Some fans had bumper stickers that said “UConn - Where men are men and women are champions” (stolen and adapted from Texas). Geno was Geno, 30 years younger and spicier than the much more mellow guy we know today. Geno and JC’s personalities just disn’t mesh

Calhoun was a well-respected, winning coach in a sport that was recognized nationally. Geno came in as a nothing in a sport that was a nothing. I suspect in Jim's mind they were never going to be equals and Geno probably didn't see it that way. Friction between 2 alphas...

 

[Skeets]

I don’t if it was ‘historic’, but the blizzard game is near the top of my list of UConn memories. When 15,000 people, all of whom should have had the sense to stay home (myself included), come out in a raging snowstorm for a basketball game, it’s pretty special.

There were 4 or 5 games played in raging snowstorms. For at least 1 of the games I84 was officially closed, but I didn't pay any attention (hey, you can't believe everything you hear). My favorite is when the roof of Gampel pavilion leaked and the guy had to get in a cage and go up 150 feet to the ceiling to stop the leak. That was incredible. The guy was a BA.

Another was a Tennessee game. Snowing like all heck. My wife insists that we park in the North garage. OK, at least I won't have to shovel the car out. We start trudging up hill to Gampel in almost knee-deep snow. We get about 1/2 way and she says "I can't make it". What ??!!?? I say it's just as far to get back to the car (although downhill) as it is to get to Gampel. I was not going to miss that game. If necessary I would carry her, but she made it.

 

[HuskyNan]

There were 4 or 5 games played in raging snowstorms. For at least 1 of the games I84 was officially closed, but I didn't pay any attention (hey, you can't believe everything you hear). My favorite is when the roof of Gampel pavilion leaked and the guy had to get in a cage and go up 150 feet to the ceiling to stop the leak. That was incredible. The guy was a BA.

Another was a Tennessee game. Snowing like all heck. My wife insists that we park in the North garage. OK, at least I won't have to shovel the car out. We start trudging up hill to Gampel in almost knee-deep snow. We get about 1/2 way and she says "I can't make it". What ??!!?? I say it's just as far to get back to the car (although downhill) as it is to get to Gampel. I was not going to miss that game. If necessary I would carry her, but she made it.

Yeah, we had 4 people in a van driving like lunatics up I-91 (also closed) just to get there on time. @Nuzzi We had to get to the game in Hartford - it was Tennessee!

 

[Skeets]

How about the game in Tennessee when at the end of the game Taurasi punched the padded basketball stanchion. When asked about it, in true Taurasi fashion, she said she just had to punch something orange. Always the BA.

 

[CL82]

Dan Hurley said he'd be at the game tonight. I would bet some of the team will be there as well. Times have changed, in a good way.

Except for one very narrow time span, there has typically been mutual respect and support between the two teams. More so than I think the fans, some of whom are oddly polarized about it, realize. When Jim Calhoun was sponsoring the "Calhoun Classic" golf tournament and semi annual alumni game, Svetlana Abromosiva called Calhoun to ask if it would be OK if she came and participated as well. His response was "of course, and anyone else who would like to come is more than welcome." For a few years at least, that reunion game became a reunion of both men's and women's players. Her phone call doesn't happen if she didn't have an pre-existing relationship with Coach Calhoun.

Both Calhoun and Geno have big personalities which occasionally bumped up against one another. Calhoun has often said that the fact that they were at different stages in their life, meant that they "weren't friends" but that didn't mean that they were enemies either.

One time when Jim Calhoun was asked "do you think that Geno could coach a men's team?" His response "I'd like to see it" drew laughs from the interviewer in the audience. In response to that, Jim looked out at the audience and earnestly said "No, I'm completely serious. I would like to see it. It wouldn't look like the women's team looks like, but (Geno) is really good and he would figure it out and be successful." He definitely has a lot of respect for all that Geno has achieved.

 

[UcMiami]

Thought ESPN took an interesting route to get to their top 12:

The road to the record: Geno Auriemma's 12 biggest coaching wins at UConn

NCAA titles. Record win streaks. Breakthrough moments. Now that Geno Auriemma has eclipsed the NCAA basketball record for most wins, we rank the 12 best.

www.espn.com

 

[CL82]

Dan Hurley is from Jersey. He gets Geno.

Hurley has been incredibly blessed to be surrounded by Hall of Fame coaches, and is smart enough to use them as a resource. His father is a legendary hall of fame high school coach, and obviously at Connecticut he has access to Geno and Jim Calhoun. Calhoun has often been seen sitting in the stands and taking notes during early season practices and Dan has him address the team every month or so. When he first came to Connecticut, in particular, Dan went over and picked Geno's brain. I've often wondered if Hurleys nonstop frenetic practices and beautiful motion offense might have at least some influence from Geno.

Hurley had a lot of resources and was smart enough to seek their opinions out and incorporate them into what he does. That's a part of what makes him great. Not everyone does that. In fact, his predecessor did just the opposite.

 

[cwh20]

How about the game in Tennessee when at the end of the game Taurasi punched the padded basketball stanchion. When asked about it, in true Taurasi fashion, she said she just had to punch something orange. Always the BA.

One of my favorite Taurasi moments was at Cameron Indoor. Duke was showing signs of being a contender in women’s hoops. The Duke students were fired up. UConn starts out fast and then Diana scores on a layup, smiles and looks confidently at the student section and does the phone motion, “Call me!” The Huskies never looked back. So great!

 

[BBallF]

Dan Hurley is from Jersey. He gets Geno.

Totally.