UConn is a Blue Blood

[tzznandrew]

Winners and Losers of the NCAA Tournament Championship Games

UConn is the men’s champ after completing one of the most dominant March Madness runs in history. And we’re still thinking about the wild women’s final between LSU and Iowa. Here are the winners and losers from the final two games of the NCAA tournament.

www.theringer.com

There is no rhyme or reason connecting UConn’s basketball titles: 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, like the handiwork of a drunk darts player. They have missed eight of the 23 NCAA tournaments since their first title: about 33 percent of the time, they are not one of the top 68 teams, and about 20 percent of the time, they are the best team.

 

[tzznandrew]

Hence my use of the 40 and 50 year benchmarks above.

I also think it undersells about a decade of UConn success (taking away 3 E8s and 5 S16s) to start at 1999. Start 30 years ago, at 1985, or 50 years ago. But to start at exactly our first title feels like we're gaming the stats...even though you have to go back to 1991 for anyone to have the same championship success as us—and no one is better unless you go back to 1970.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I don't expect us to fall off the map the way we did under KO.

I'm not sure we can expect a 1994-2009 type of run (10 #1/#2 seeds, 13 #5 seeds or better), but we should at least be able to make the Tournament 8-9 out of 10 years, a protected seed over half the time, and a legit contender every 2-3 years.

 

[bendm]

Final rankings until next year's sweet 16 run.

Since 1975: (Championships x 57%) + (Final Fours x 28.5%) + (Sweet Sixteens x 14.25%)

1) UNC- 11.11
2) Duke- 10.83
3) UK- 9.12
4) KU- 7.98
5) UConn- 6.98
5) Lville- 6.98
7) UCLA- 6.69
8) MSU- 6.40
9) IU- 5.55
10) Cuse- 5.27
11) Nova- 4.98
12) Zona- 4.41
13) UM- 4.27
14) UF- 4.12
15) Ark- 3.56
16) Gtown- 3.27
17) UNLV- 3.13
18) UVA- 2.84
19) Marquette- 2.28
20) NC St- 1.84
21) Baylor- 1.56

 

[uchusky32]

Yes, no one can question this any longer. Results matter.

 

[thatguyed]

Anyone who disagrees may respectfully kiss Jonathan's furry butt

 

[thatguyed]

Final rankings until next year's sweet 16 run.

Since 1975: (Championships x 57%) + (Final Fours x 28.5%) + (Sweet Sixteens x 14.25%)

1) UNC- 11.11
2) Duke- 10.83
3) UK- 9.12
4) KU- 7.98
5) UConn- 6.98
5) Lville- 6.98
7) UCLA- 6.69
8) MSU- 6.40
9) IU- 5.55
10) Cuse- 5.27
11) Nova- 4.98
12) Zona- 4.41
13) UM- 4.27
14) UF- 4.12
15) Ark- 3.56
16) Gtown- 3.27
17) UNLV- 3.13
18) UVA- 2.84
19) Marquette- 2.28
20) NC St- 1.84
21) Baylor- 1.56

Relevant but nobody remembers Sweet Sixteens unless you're a mid-major. Do it again with Champs at 80% and Final Fours at 20%.

Then do it again based on the last 25 years.

 

[visitor123]

I honestly don't care about being called a blue blood. I'd rather be discussed/debated as the best basketball program over the last 30 years or so.

 

[bendm]

Relevant but nobody remembers Sweet Sixteens unless you're a mid-major. Do it again with Champs at 80% and Final Fours at 20%.

Then do it again based on the last 25 years.

sweet sixteens are the best indicator of consistent quality. of good but not great teams. making it to the second weekend is a big deal and defines a successful season IMO. that was our goal going into the year. plus you cant expect to make a FF run every year (and win the whole dang thing whenever you do unless you're UConn).

if we just consider Chips and FFs since 1985 when the tourney expanded to 64 then yes we'd rank second to Duke but the national media will never give us that much credit.

but even when factoring in sweet 16s since 1975 our status as a blueblood is undeniable. 5th behind the big 4 of unc, duke, uk, and ku, and ahead of ucla and iu. that's good enough for me.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

No team will ever do again what UConn has done the last 25 years. NIL and the Transfer Portal are going to really fragment the market and spread talent around.

From 1980 to 2009, 12 non-major conference teams (Big East, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, SWC, Pac 12) made the Final Four. Three of those were later vacated (Calipari and 1985 Memphis), and most of the rest were Tarkanian and Louisville. In the next 13 tournaments there have been 11 non-major teams in the Final Four, and Butler (2010 and 2011) and Gonzaga (2017, 2021) were the only repeats. It is a surprise, not a shock, when San Diego State makes the Championship game.

Throw tradition out the window. Kids want to get paid, and they will go where they can play because that gets them paid. It will be really hard to build and maintain dynasties in this environment. UConn may be the last blue blood.

 

[jibsey]

I can't even imagine the level at which Hurley is going to be able to recruit now.

This is a great thought and while I hope it’s true it didn’t happen after 2014 in a way that worked. We had other headwinds I know but I’d like to see some of these schools that sign up top 10 picks to be backups lose them to us for a change.

 

[tuvent08]

This is a great thought and while I hope it’s true it didn’t happen after 2014 in a way that worked. We had other headwinds I know but I’d like to see some of these schools that sign up top 10 picks to be backups lose them to us for a change.

I think that's going to happen a bit more often (assuming that we don't switch conferences and our coach totally loses interest in performing his job). The $EC types are never coming here anyway, but I think Danny gets into a lot more rooms now.

 

[housekeys]

The best thing about this whole "blueblood" thing is, it allows the other school fan bases to join the banter. Participate in the UConn moment. The UConn sphere. The UConn reality. The UConn meta world. Love the exposure.

The topic alone is bigger than the opinions being expressed!

 

[mauconnfan]

I was driving to a customer of mine this morning at about 7:45-8:15 for an 8:30 appointment. I was listening in on Babs and Evan on Mad Dog Sirius and their question was "Is UConn a Blue Blood". Well a UNC fan called in said not close, a Hoosier fan called in not close, UCLA, Kentucky same response. Now Babs was calling us a Blue Blood and disagreeing with Evan and those callers.

Well I had time, I called in and got on I wasn't happy and was very passionate.. Babs loves me and Evan said this "guy from mass made some very valid points which we haven't discussed as of yet...". Basically asked does a Blue Blood need to be 50-60 years of success, and what was the parity in basketball when Adolph Rupp and John Wooden were coaching? They also were relegated to UConns last 25 years I changed the vision for them to the last 33 years despite no FF until '99. Explaied the Dream Season and how close, how close when UCLA won their only one in the last 25 -30 years and pointed out how much better wer have been overall than any other Big East team overall since '90. Elite 8s up the ying yang, 17-1, 16-2 years and #1 and #2 seedings quite often through our heyday of the 90s-2000s. Explained the reason the Indiana guys, the UNC guys and the Kentucky guys say no is because we own them now. We beat tham as well as Duke when it counts - WE ARE A BLUE BLOOD period!

 

[Husky25]

I've watched so many clips on YouTube where talk show hosts and interviewers are trying to reassure Hurley, or Calhoun, or Geno that UConn is a Blue Blood, that I can hardly stand the term at this point.

I don't think UConn is a Blue Blood and I don't care.

UCLA hasn't done anything in nearly 30 years and they have a single NCAA Tournament championship in nearly 50 years. Why are they still so revered? The Wooden era was certainly notable and I don't begrudge its celebration. Heck, I used a Wooden-ism with my son yesterday at karate. OTOH, the the game of basketball was totally different back then, let alone the Tournament. The vast majority of programs could only recruit their immediate surrounding area and if the exposure was anything like it is today, Sam Gilbert might have triggered the death penalty.

Anyone who watched Titanic even once knows how Cal and the rest of Rose's family thought of Kathy Bates' character. Blue Bloods hate the Nouveau Riche as much as commoners resent them escaping their level, and I'm loving every minute of it!!!

A la Tommy Lasorda, I bleed UConn Blue in terms of my allegiance, but don't call them Blue Bloods.

 

[HooperScooper]

UConn was crowned on Monday night in a coronation that verified once and for all the status of this college hoops powerhouse.

It was debatable heading into the Final Four.

It's undeniable now.

The Huskies have as many national championships as Duke. And Indiana. They have more than Kansas, Villanova, Louisville and on and on.

This is a blue blood program. If you needed a fifth title and a 5-0 record in national championship games to believe it, then believe it. No program has a better record on the ultimate stage — no one is even close. When UConn gets to the first Monday in April, it wins.

Seems the 5th title in the last 24 cemented it for most people. Kind of like when people were debating who the greatest QB of all time was. When Brady had 5 Super Bowl championships, and even 6, there were some who said Montana was better. Once Brady won his 7th there was no debate.

Now elite, UConn joins college basketball's blue-blood programs after winning its fifth NCAA Tournament title

Only UCLA, Kentucky and North Carolina have won more national championships than the Huskies after they won the 2023 NCAA Tournament

www.cbssports.com

 

[gsmooth]

It’s a conundrum. I’ve rooted for UConn (and X and Creighton) and I pull for the conference, but I certainly have mixed feelings on tonight.

As I root for UConn I also think of the insufferable fans becoming more insufferable. As we compete as programs it’s another title in the count, and would now own the reigning title as well. San Diego State is a great underdog. Would you be pulling for Nova tonight if we were playing San Diego State?

In the end I’m still pulling for UConn and the Big East tonight, but with some mixed feelings. Win or lose, UConn as a program has already achieved Blue Blood status.

Interesting you bring this up. Last year, I pulled for Nova in the Final Four, but it was very half heartedly knowing they could tie UConn in titles and that it could continue to grow. But in the end I would pull for Nova against any non-Big East team. Plus Mr GQ, Jay Wright, is not only a top notch coach, but a great guy.

 

[Orc]

I tend to be visual so I like this graphic.
View attachment 86801
Bye Kansas! Hello Indiana and Duke, for the time being. Watch out UNC, UConn is coming for you next.

Many of those titles won by other teams from decades ago were when the tournament only had like 10 teams competing.

 

[Zissou]

Many of those titles won by other teams from decades ago were when the tournament only had like 10 teams competing.

Harder to get in though. This year UConn wouldn’t have made a 10 team tournament.

 

[Sick Puppy]

This'll keep you up and hard for a while.

 

[Martin]

Not that it means much but there was only one time I rooted against Nova in the tournament. Fortunately the good guys took apart a higher rated Nova squad that night and went on to win it all.

I was the only one (of a small group) that wanted Nova to beat Georgetown in '85. They all felt it would be better for the conference if Georgetown won and established themselves as an all time great program. I felt they weren't what people thought and having a second school win a title would help the conference more.

This was the year that I discovered CBB. I remember my friend’s dad let our friend group all pile in to his living room and watch. He was normally a jerk but nice that night. I decided to root for Nova, why not cool name for a school plus my friend’s dad wanted Georgetown.

 

[Scoe]

Haha this idiot.

 

[mauconnfan]

Haha this idiot.

Wow Rob Parker is a moron lol!

 

[jostar1]

 

[Waquoit]

I still say we're not getting enough style points. UConn was playing the beautiful game with all those assists.