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Message: [QUOTE="ctchamps, post: 4563671, member: 37"] Yes and thanks for the added detail. For discussion in this thread the salient points for a good rivalry are geographic proximity and similar successes. Syracuse fans naturally would bring in to any discussion that differential of their success but when we were at our prime and winning NCs that differential factor was meaningless and only stated to save face. So a third factor to the two listed above would be current relevancy. You can bet your bottom dollar the Syracuse fanbase is almost as upset about our success this year as they are about their current lack of success. So yes we are still rivals with Syracuse so long as both programs can be premier programs. But prior to our rise to success they looked at us the same way we currently look at St. Johns and Georgetown. My personal preference given our situation is that Syracuse becomes as irrelevant in basketball as say Boston College. We derive no benefit from maintaining them as a rival so long as we are in different conferences earning unequal media compensation. Every UConn fan should understand that the success of the BE programs in our geographic proximity is paramount to increasing the financial success of UConn athletics and hence UConn men's bb. Maintaining a rivalry with Syracuse is a net economic loss compared to rivalries that can be developed with Providence, Villanova, St. John's, Seton Hall and Georgetown. We want to develop intra conference rivals and hope programs in other comparable conferences within our geographical location die on the vine. That more than anything other than success will increase the potential in getting better future media contracts. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach