UConn/Tennessee Home & Home Likely Not Going to Happen

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I don't think the people who gave you a like understood your sarcasm...
There is seriously no one on planet earth who thinks that a WBB game is any leverage to get a UT football team to EH...is there?

It wasn’t leverage. I kill Benedict for a lot but this is a play to sell tickets - which he needs to do. There is no way in hell Tennessee is coming to East Hartford unless one of you hijacks their charter and lands it on the runway.

I don’t think UT is ever coming to EH more than the next guy. Just saying a game in general. Knoxville, EH, NYC, the moon. Even just put this thing to rest with a paycheck. The fact that we’ve been dicked around on this football series for a decade and have been refusing to play UT for some old beef (I don’t follow WBB super closely but I think they didn’t renew the deal close to the end of Summit’s career because they “wanted to focus on more in-conference rivalries” which is pretty dumb considering you play those teams anyways. I think there was also some saltiness re: Maya Moore dissing UT for UConn) but that we seem to be giving up on both those things in one fell swoop is frustrating. It’s a play to sell tickets? The women have regular games with ND, Louisville, USCe, Stanford that generate tons of buzz and sell out. Makes us look weak. I get that it’s apparently for some kind of charity but if we didn’t reach some kind of finality even if it’s just a monetary settlement he failed.

 

[Irishfan]

When you look at Tenn's OOC football schedule, I dont think we look that out of place.

2018

• 09/01 - West Virginia (at Charlotte, NC)
• 09/08 - ETSU
• 09/15 - UTEP
• 11/03 - Charlotte

2019

• 08/31 - Georgia State
• 09/07 - BYU
• 09/14 - Chattanooga
• 11/02 - UAB

2020

• 09/05 - Charlotte
• 09/12 - at Oklahoma
• 09/19 - Furman

2021

• 09/04 - Bowling Green
• 09/11 - Pittsburgh
• 09/18 - South Alabama

2022

• 09/03 - Ball State
• 09/10 - at Pittsburgh
• 09/17 - Army

2023

• 09/02 - at BYU (or Sept. 1)

2024

• 09/07 - Oklahoma

2025

• TBA

2026

• 09/12 - at Nebraska

2027

• 09/11 - Nebraska

I have no doubt that UT might be interested in playing Connecticut in football. But it will not be based on anything other than what is best for UT football.

 

[CL82]

Yes. Tennessee likes women’s college basketball, but they would never make a move affecting their football team based on WCBB.

Obviously, but they have a contract that we are pressing them to fulfill, and their WBB program brand has been lagging since we stopped playing them. What AD would try to get a money making game or two out it? FWIW, UConn WBB used to draw in excess of 20k in Knoxville.

 

[CL82]

I don’t think UT is ever coming to EH more than the next guy. Just saying a game in general. Knoxville, EH, NYC, the moon. Even just put this thing to rest with a paycheck. The fact that we’ve been dicked around on this football series for a decade and have been refusing to play UT for some old beef (I don’t follow WBB super closely but I think they didn’t renew the deal close to the end of Summit’s career because they “wanted to focus on more in-conference rivalries” which is pretty dumb considering you play those teams anyways. I think there was also some saltiness re: Maya Moore dissing UT for UConn) but that we seem to be giving up on both those things in one fell swoop is frustrating. It’s a play to sell tickets? The women have regular games with ND, Louisville, USCe, Stanford that generate tons of buzz and sell out. Makes us look weak. I get that it’s apparently for some kind of charity but if we didn’t reach some kind of finality even if it’s just a monetary settlement he failed.

Here's the backstory.

The WBB thing with Tennessee stems back from the SEC at UT request filed an 80 something page complaint against UConn filled with garbage like accusing Taurasi and Bird of impermissible recruit contact for UConn. Bird and Taurasi were were playing in Russia at the time. The complaint also accused UConn of providing an impermissible meal to a recruit on a different occasion because the Tarausi who was eating Mickey D fries offered on to her. The complaint actually attached several pages of Boneyard posts from the WBB board. UT also made some unsavory accusations about Moore and her mom. The only sanction that resulted from it? A secondary, because a WBB staffer made a call regarding a then publicly available ESPN tour.

After the complaint was shown to be nonsense, Summitt cancelled the series but kept up a whisper campaign saying that UConn was a dirty program. There was speculation that this would hurt UConn taking them out of the limelight. It reality UConn continued to thrive and built new rivalries while UT has struggled to regain its former stature. Their new coach has asked to resume the series. Auriemma had said that he would but only once UT acknowledged that the accusations were false and apologized to Moore, her mom, and the state of Connecticut.

Yesterday that changed. My suspicion is the AD Dave asked Geno to schedule the game as part of a resolution of the UT issue. We will see if we get an announcement on that. I'd imagine that it would happen in the next couple of weeks, if at all.

 

[Guapo]

Man, I really hated Pat Summit

Chiefin' ain't easy

 

[huskymedic]

Yesterday that changed. My suspicion is the AD Dave asked Geno to schedule the game as part of a resolution of the UT issue. We will see if we get an announcement on that. I'd imagine that it would happen in the next couple of weeks, if at all.

My suspicion is that the Baketball Hal of Fame called in a favor from a Geno first...

 

[CL82]

My suspicion is that the Baketball Hal of Fame called in a favor from a Geno first...

Maybe, he's been pretty resistant up to this point though.

 

[huskymedic]

Maybe, he's been pretty resistant up to this point though.

He also softened a bit after PS became ill and passed (mortality checks can do that).

 

[CL82]

He also softened a bit after PS became ill and passed (mortality checks can do that).

No doubt, but he turned down the Warlick's request after Summitt has passed.

 

[huskymedic]

Seemingly had nothing to do w/ football and everything to do w/ Geno, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Pat Summitt Foundation:

Mike Anthony: UConn-Tennessee Rivalry Renewed, But Geno Auriemma Still Not Over Past

>>It just means it’s a game that works for both programs, an idea that had been kicked around for the past couple years, and that Auriemma sees enough good in the involvement of the Hall of Fame and the Pat Summitt Foundation, with a portion of proceeds benefitting both. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I’ve always thought that a lot of things were said and there was an awful lot of insinuations, things that everybody’s read about, people dissected it over and over, so whether we ever played the game or not didn’t matter to me one bit,” Auriemma said Wednesday. “We’ve kind of moved on and gone our separate ways so there was no interest on my part in beating down the doors and saying we have to have this game. I couldn’t care less whether we had the game or not because I did feel like there’s got to be some sort of acknowledgement, anyway. But I think you and I both know that’s probably never going to happen. No one is going to admit to any of that. If the Hall of Fame hadn’t gotten involved — the level of respect I have for them, and how the game is going to be handled, I decided it’s worth doing.”<<

 

[huskymedic]

Jeff Jacobs: Geno says Tennessee allegations still sting, but he’s glad series benefits good cause

>>Nor does the resumption of the series have anything to do with influencing Tennessee to honor a two-game football contract with UConn.

“Mostly it was the Hall of Fame wanting to do something,” Auriemma said. “It had been batted around for a few years. You could never find the right balance of where, when and all that. “Neal Eskin (senior associate athletic director) did an amazing job of coordinating all this. He worked with the Hall of Fame. They came up with a plan.”<<

 

[HawkHusky]

Bummer. I was hoping it was a sign that AD Dave and the Tenn AD were having a quality dialogue.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Jeff Jacobs: Geno says Tennessee allegations still sting, but he’s glad series benefits good cause

>>Nor does the resumption of the series have anything to do with influencing Tennessee to honor a two-game football contract with UConn.

“Mostly it was the Hall of Fame wanting to do something,” Auriemma said. “It had been batted around for a few years. You could never find the right balance of where, when and all that. “Neal Eskin (senior associate athletic director) did an amazing job of coordinating all this. He worked with the Hall of Fame. They came up with a plan.”<<

Once again Jacobs reading the yard. Once again AD David Benedict is a wuss

 

[TMB4405]

I like AD Dave but honestly if this was announced right now and has absolutely nothing to do with the football situation then I also have lost a little respect forfor him and Uconn. We have little leverage and this was basically all we had.

 

[Alum86]

Upon arrival, Tech's players reportedly thought Memorial Stadium was a high school stadium. Not joking.

True. They were laughing at us. They had to pee at Gampel

 

[BlueDogs]

I like AD Dave but honestly if this was announced right now and has absolutely nothing to do with the football situation then I also have lost a little respect forfor him and Uconn. We have little leverage and this was basically all we had.

...or few really care about WBB outside of a few niche areas and there was no leverage. Hell, with a MBB championship in hand the Big12 couldn’t have cared less.

 

[TMB4405]

Not sure what you are saying. Agree that WBB has limited national appeal, however in Tennessee I would think there is a lot of interest in playing Connecticut. So that would be leverage.....no?

 

[Chief00]

Bummer. I was hoping it was a sign that AD Dave and the Tenn AD were having a quality dialogue.

Chief thinks it is related. Not saying Geno doesn’t love the HOF etc but Neil did the leg work.

 

[CL82]

Seemingly had nothing to do w/ football and everything to do w/ Geno, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Pat Summitt Foundation:

Mike Anthony: UConn-Tennessee Rivalry Renewed, But Geno Auriemma Still Not Over Past

>>It just means it’s a game that works for both programs, an idea that had been kicked around for the past couple years, and that Auriemma sees enough good in the involvement of the Hall of Fame and the Pat Summitt Foundation, with a portion of proceeds benefitting both. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I’ve always thought that a lot of things were said and there was an awful lot of insinuations, things that everybody’s read about, people dissected it over and over, so whether we ever played the game or not didn’t matter to me one bit,” Auriemma said Wednesday. “We’ve kind of moved on and gone our separate ways so there was no interest on my part in beating down the doors and saying we have to have this game. I couldn’t care less whether we had the game or not because I did feel like there’s got to be some sort of acknowledgement, anyway. But I think you and I both know that’s probably never going to happen. No one is going to admit to any of that. If the Hall of Fame hadn’t gotten involved — the level of respect I have for them, and how the game is going to be handled, I decided it’s worth doing.”<<

You called it Medic. I hoped that it would be part of deal to get UT to honor there contract to played us home and away, the timing seemed about right, but the Jacobs ask Geno point blank and he said said that no one approached him.