UConn vs South Carolina Still just another Game

[cbraarj]

While it is a great game to watch every year. With Top 5 schools with top of the line recruits and 2 high profile coaches. This is just another game and still hasn't reached rivalry level and I don't see it happening any time soon.
A rivalry with an out of conference school is hard to get started. Their games are really meaningless except for bragging rights for that year. It's a great game to draw fan interest in the Womens Basketball. The only thing it does is change the position in the polls for the following week.
Everyone knows the History how UConn and Tennessee became rivals in the 1995 season. The New Kids on the Block beat the Greatest Team, Coach and Program on MLK holiday to become No 1 in the Country for the first time ever! It still wasn't at rivalry status but the New Kids managed to get under the OGs skin! Then they met again in the NC game with most people picking the Lady Vols to win it all and they almost did. But the Huskies came back and won their first NC! THE Rivalry was Born! What a rivalry it was with the teams going back in forth with winning games and both teams winning NCs. What separted the 2 were the 4 times Connecticut beat them in the NC Game!
No other out of conference team has really developed a rivalry with UConn since Tennessee. Those 2 games also helped put Womens Basketball on the map!
Will and can UConn and South Carolina ever reach rivalry status. It is possible but right now it's just a great game between 2 great programs.

 

[MooseJaw]

Maybe, maybe not, a great game between 2 great teams yes, more than that defiantly. This game appears under Funk and Wagle's definition of slobbernocker, there were as many hard fouls as there were mystery fouls. Some times a gem sometimes a slog, for me so far the game of the year. As it turned out the 2 top teams in the country, 2 teams going after the same recruits both teams with a great recruiting class coming next year. A possible rematch in the big tourney coming up. Is it a Tenn vs UConn rivalry of the past or even what ND and UConn were? No, however a journey starts with the first step, we are way beyond the first step with more on the horizon.
No there is no rivalry like UConn\Tenn was and maybe there will never be again, my bet is that both teams want another piece of each other & so do I. This may have the legs it takes to make it a must see rivalry for the future.

 

[and one]

I don't see the UConn/ND rivalry as less intense than that with UT. ND and UConn were in the same conference, played a bunch of times, they beat us a bunch of times, Geno and Muffit got under each other's skins and were often # 2 and
1 when they played. Really a much better rivalry than that with UT.

 

[huskeynut]

UConn and Tennessee was without a doubt a rivalry. ND and UConn was a rivalry that became more intense than the one with Tennessee.

As to SC as a rival, the record stands in UConn's favor 9 to 1. Not sure its a rivalry - yet.

 

[SCGamecock]

It’s not a heated rivalry in the traditional sense, but it’s a fun series for bragging rights... and there's nothing wrong with that. Rivalries can and do change over time, something Husky fans should know well given their rivalries with Tennessee and Notre Dame. A great rivalry has great personalities (players and coaches), great moments (last minute shots, player skirmishes, etc.) and great competitiveness/continuity (continued meaningful games). SC v. UConn has the first big time, Geno and Dawn are titans in the game.. but doesn't really have the last two. We've only once met in a game of any real significance, so the winner and loser of this game hasn't really suffered because of the series.

I will say, UConn fans were rightfully dismissive of this series prior to last season. Many of them probably thought that SC would never beat UConn, so when it happened, especially in the fashion that it did happen, it was a gut punch for them. This year, there was a noticeable excitement from Husky fans prior to the game and once the Huskies won The Boneyard was downright celebratory in a way that I really haven't seen during a regular season game since I started posting here. UConn fans REALLY wanted that game, beyond just wanting a win I surmise. Judging from the number of topic threads created for that ONE game, Husky fans wanted the win for a variety of reasons..

I have noticed a growing vitriol on both sides. UConn is the traditional powerhouse. Geno is the Krzyzewski of Women's basketball, the coach that opposing fanbases respect but also hate with a passion. Everybody wants to beat UConn, not just South Carolina. SC fans have no real reason to hate UConn other than the fact that UConn is the best program in the sport. We want to be one of the best programs in the sport, and how do you do that.. by challenging the best program in the sport. That doesn't make it a rivalry, yet at least. UConn used to beat SC like a drum in games that would essentially be over after the 1st quarter. That's changing, which shows the elevation of SC as a program.. which could be something UConn fans are picking up on, a trajectory they once saw their own program make. I think a lot of the vitriol from Husky fans towards SC is due to the Gamecocks' growing clout in the sport.. it's not jealousy but more of a thing of wanting to smackdown an upstart. I think Dawn also has a role here. She's brash, opinionated and polarizing.. in other words, she's a lot like Geno. I think Husky fans subconsciously pick up on that as well, and a lot of the hate she receives from Husky fans boils down to that.

I don't know if SC v UConn will ever become a true rivalry. There are good ingredients. Both programs have elite coaches, elite players, passionate fanbases.. but something is missing and I can't quite put my finger on it. SC v Vic Schaefer's Miss State was well on it's way to classic rivalry status, those games had IT. Again, I don't know what it is but it's likely due to games that mattered. We knew Miss State, it was a conference race against them constantly, it was FUN, and we always knew it was going to be us and them at the end. It mattered. SC v UConn doesn't have that yet. Most SC fans only really care about UConn for three days - the day before the game, the day of the game, and the day after the game... after that, we have to immediately turn the page and focus back on SEC play where we play every game against teams that try to knock us back to purgatory.

A great series that should continue being played? Yes. A true rivalry? Not yet.

 

[MooseJaw]

It’s not a heated rivalry in the traditional sense, but it’s a fun series for bragging rights... and there's nothing wrong with that. Rivalries can and do change over time, something Husky fans should know well given their rivalries with Tennessee and Notre Dame. A great rivalry has great personalities (players and coaches), great moments (last minute shots, player skirmishes, etc.) and great competitiveness/continuity (continued meaningful games). SC v. UConn has the first big time, Geno and Dawn are titans in the game.. but doesn't really have the last two. We've only once met in a game of any real significance, so the winner and loser of this game hasn't really suffered because of the series.

I will say, UConn fans were rightfully dismissive of this series prior to last season. Many of them probably thought that SC would never beat UConn, so when it happened, especially in the fashion that it did happen, it was a gut punch for them. This year, there was a noticeable excitement from Husky fans prior to the game and once the Huskies won The Boneyard was downright celebratory in a way that I really haven't seen during a regular season game since I started posting here. UConn fans REALLY wanted that game, beyond just wanting a win I surmise. Judging from the number of topic threads created for that ONE game, Husky fans wanted the win for a variety of reasons..

I have noticed a growing vitriol on both sides. UConn is the traditional powerhouse. Geno is the Krzyzewski of Women's basketball, the coach that opposing fanbases respect but also hate with a passion. Everybody wants to beat UConn, not just South Carolina. SC fans have no real reason to hate UConn other than the fact that UConn is the best program in the sport. We want to be one of the best programs in the sport, and how do you do that.. by challenging the best program in the sport. That doesn't make it a rivalry, yet at least. UConn used to beat SC like a drum in games that would essentially be over after the 1st quarter. That's changing, which shows the elevation of SC as a program.. which could be something UConn fans are picking up on, a trajectory they once saw their own program make. I think a lot of the vitriol from Husky fans towards SC is due to the Gamecocks' growing clout in the sport.. it's not jealousy but more of a thing of wanting to smackdown an upstart. I think Dawn also has a role here. She's brash, opinionated and polarizing.. in other words, she's a lot like Geno. I think Husky fans subconsciously pick up on that as well, and a lot of the hate she receives from Husky fans boils down to that.

I don't know if SC v UConn will ever become a true rivalry. There are good ingredients. Both programs have elite coaches, elite players, passionate fanbases.. but something is missing and I can't quite put my finger on it. SC v Vic Schaefer's Miss State was well on it's way to classic rivalry status, those games had IT. Again, I don't know what it is but it's likely due to games that mattered. We knew Miss State, it was a conference race against them constantly, it was FUN, and we always knew it was going to be us and them at the end. It mattered. SC v UConn doesn't have that yet. Most SC fans only really care about UConn for three days - the day before the game, the day of the game, and the day after the game... after that, we have to immediately turn the page and focus back on SEC play where we play every game against teams that try to knock us back to purgatory.

A great series? Yes. A true rivalry? Not yet.

A rivalry is in the eyes of the beholder, not a rivalry, as you stated just look at what you posted 4 long paragraphs saying not yet. I differ, not in the mold of Tenn. or ND, but a budding start of what could be a 5-10 year donnybrook. All over the national scene, the dominate story on AT&T home page. as well as my Google feed. The media is pushing the narrative it has legs. The fire has been lit, lets see where it goes.

 

[oldude]

If you look at what SC has coming back as well as what they have coming in, and then look at the same things relative to UConn, it’s pretty clear these two teams will be at the very top of WBB for the next few years. In my mind SC is the natural replacement for ND as UConn’s top rivalry, just as ND once replaced TN.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Judging by Geno's giddiness and Dawn fighting back tears in the post-game pressers, I'd say the coaches are feeling it.

 

[fomalhaut]

The rivalry with Tennessee is far greater than the one with Notre Dame, which was very one-sided for long stretches.
Connecticut leads Notre Dame 38-13 despite losing 7 out of 8 between 2011-2013. For quite a few years Tennessee-Connecticut was virtually the definition of women's basketball. I also don't remember anyone on Notre Dame kicking someone in the head or hitting them in the back of the head with a basketball.

 

[oldude]

Judging by Geno's giddiness and Dawn fighting back tears in the post-game pressers, I'd say the coaches are feeling it.

My take on Dawn’s postgame comments was more a sense of shock on her part. She really didn’t expect to lose and was casting about for some explanation: we didn’t shoot it well, we turned over the ball too much and of course the ultimate excuse, they made us play with a Nike basketball.

 

[SCGamecock]

A rivalry is in the eyes of the beholder, not a rivalry, as you stated just look at what you posted 4 long paragraphs saying not yet. I differ, not in the mold of Tenn. or ND, but a budding start of what could be a 5-10 year donnybrook. All over the national scene, the dominate story on AT&T home page. as well as my Google feed. The media is pushing the narrative it has legs. The fire has been lit, lets see where it goes.

I just think this is actually a case where the competitiveness of the SEC works against SC. When Tennessee v UConn was the dominating rivalry in the sport, the SEC was different.. sure, there were some good Auburn, LSU and Georgia teams here and there but there was nowhere near the commitment to WBB across the board in the SEC as there is now. Tennessee had space to establish a rivalry with UConn because it was almost an afterthought that the Lady Vols were going to dominate the SEC.

Nowadays, while South Carolina does dominate the SEC, the margin of error in the conference is slimmer. There are just more good programs in the SEC now than back then. This current season has probably been one of the most competitive in quite some time, for example. A&M and Tennessee are 1 game back from SC as we speak. As long as the SEC is uber competitive, conference games are always going to be more important than an OOC game. And I think "importance" is the foundation of a rivalry. If the winner of a game doesn't matter then there are no real stakes involved. I think what took Miss State v SC overboard was meeting them in the national title game. All gloves were off after that. Perhaps UConn v SC needs the same.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Pretty cool:

 

[Alydar]

The rivalry with Tennessee is far greater than the one with Notre Dame, which was very one-sided for long stretches.
Connecticut leads Notre Dame 38-13 despite losing 7 out of 8 between 2011-2013. For quite a few years Tennessee-Connecticut was virtually the definition of women's basketball. I also don't remember anyone on Notre Dame kicking someone in the head or hitting them in the back of the head with a basketball.

You missed Arike Ogumike's double mugging of Dangerfield? That was worthy of Laetner.

 

[Alydar]

My take on Dawn’s postgame comments was more a sense of shock on her part. She really didn’t expect to lose and was casting about for some explanation: we didn’t shoot it well, we turned over the ball too much and of course the ultimate excuse, they made us play with a Nike basketball.

If they are that much different then maybe SC's win last year was due to UConn's unfamiliarity with the SEC ball.

 

[MooseJaw]

I just think this is actually a case where the competitiveness of the SEC works against SC. When Tennessee v UConn was the dominating rivalry in the sport, the SEC was different.. sure, there were some good Auburn, LSU and Georgia teams here and there but there was nowhere near the commitment to WBB across the board in the SEC as there is now. Tennessee had space to establish a rivalry with UConn because it was almost an afterthought that the Lady Vols were going to dominate the SEC.

Nowadays, while South Carolina does dominate the SEC, the margin of error in the conference is slimmer. There are just more good programs in the SEC now than back then. This current season has probably been one of the most competitive in quite some time, for example. A&M and Tennessee are 1 game back from SC as we speak. As long as the SEC is uber competitive, conference games are always going to be more important than an OOC game. And I think "importance" is the foundation of a rivalry. If the winner of a game doesn't matter then there are no real stakes involved. I think what took Miss State v SC overboard was meeting them in the national title game. All gloves were off after that. Perhaps UConn v SC needs the same.

No doubt so far, as I earlier wrote the media is on it, we are on it, we are going back and forth over the issue. Dawn has her fingers in, I know Geno is up for it. Yes your conference race is now more important to you, that doesn't mean in the next few years that the UConn SC game can't be the biggest rivalry and the best game in the country and will be everyone's must see game and the biggest of the year, not counting the NC. It's getting warmer the fires are being stoked, the best is yet to come. It doesn't have to be Tenn or ND for us there is room for a new challenge. Come into the light it can be the next best rivalry in WCBB.

 

[RedStickHusky]

those games had IT. Again, I don't know what it is but it's likely due to games that mattered.

Yep. Let us play again in the final four. Wash, rinse, repeat again next year. The only other thing that might help (mind you, I'm not advocating for this) would be a couple or a few more SC wins.

 

[eebmg]

Pretty cool:

Probably 50% tuned in for Paige.

 

[MooseJaw]

Probably 50% tuned in for Paige.

Tuned in for her but watched more than just Paige. You gotta have a headliner.

 

[pacific 44]

One important factor for Uconn fan interest in this Uconn- So.Carolina game was tournament placement. We don't have enough remaining games to sufficiently prove ourselves to the appropriate committees. This game might make us an overall number one seed if we win, whereas a loss could possibly place us somewhere as a number two seed. For So. Carolina, there are a bunch of games that can solidify their higher placement in the tourney.

 

[BostonBay]

Game was very important, imo. Based on a weaker strength of schedule for UConn (fewer games against elite teams), the win basically sowed up a #1 seed, probably a #1 overall seed if they win out, which they should. This could make a difference in terms of E8 & FF matchups. It also gives the players confidence they can beat anyone. No one will be a worse matchup for UConn than SC, because of their size & speed combo. Why they didnt feed Boston more is beyond me.

 

[CL82]

It’s not a heated rivalry in the traditional sense, but it’s a fun series for bragging rights... and there's nothing wrong with that. Rivalries can and do change over time, something Husky fans should know well given their rivalries with Tennessee and Notre Dame. A great rivalry has great personalities (players and coaches), great moments (last minute shots, player skirmishes, etc.) and great competitiveness/continuity (continued meaningful games). SC v. UConn has the first big time, Geno and Dawn are titans in the game.. but doesn't really have the last two. We've only once met in a game of any real significance, so the winner and loser of this game hasn't really suffered because of the series.

I will say, UConn fans were rightfully dismissive of this series prior to last season. Many of them probably thought that SC would never beat UConn, so when it happened, especially in the fashion that it did happen, it was a gut punch for them. This year, there was a noticeable excitement from Husky fans prior to the game and once the Huskies won The Boneyard was downright celebratory in a way that I really haven't seen during a regular season game since I started posting here. UConn fans REALLY wanted that game, beyond just wanting a win I surmise. Judging from the number of topic threads created for that ONE game, Husky fans wanted the win for a variety of reasons..

I have noticed a growing vitriol on both sides. UConn is the traditional powerhouse. Geno is the Krzyzewski of Women's basketball, the coach that opposing fanbases respect but also hate with a passion. Everybody wants to beat UConn, not just South Carolina. SC fans have no real reason to hate UConn other than the fact that UConn is the best program in the sport. We want to be one of the best programs in the sport, and how do you do that.. by challenging the best program in the sport. That doesn't make it a rivalry, yet at least. UConn used to beat SC like a drum in games that would essentially be over after the 1st quarter. That's changing, which shows the elevation of SC as a program.. which could be something UConn fans are picking up on, a trajectory they once saw their own program make. I think a lot of the vitriol from Husky fans towards SC is due to the Gamecocks' growing clout in the sport.. it's not jealousy but more of a thing of wanting to smackdown an upstart. I think Dawn also has a role here. She's brash, opinionated and polarizing.. in other words, she's a lot like Geno. I think Husky fans subconsciously pick up on that as well, and a lot of the hate she receives from Husky fans boils down to that.

I don't know if SC v UConn will ever become a true rivalry. There are good ingredients. Both programs have elite coaches, elite players, passionate fanbases.. but something is missing and I can't quite put my finger on it. SC v Vic Schaefer's Miss State was well on it's way to classic rivalry status, those games had IT. Again, I don't know what it is but it's likely due to games that mattered. We knew Miss State, it was a conference race against them constantly, it was FUN, and we always knew it was going to be us and them at the end. It mattered. SC v UConn doesn't have that yet. Most SC fans only really care about UConn for three days - the day before the game, the day of the game, and the day after the game... after that, we have to immediately turn the page and focus back on SEC play where we play every game against teams that try to knock us back to purgatory.

A great series that should continue being played? Yes. A true rivalry? Not yet.

Nice post. I largely agree. A few comments:

I don’t see Staley getting a lot of “hate” from UConn fans. In fact, an awful lot of people on this board are pretty complementary of Dawn and the program. Nor do I see a lot of people wanting “to knock the program back in the purgatory.”

Truth be told, we kind of like you guys. You are a good program, with a good head coach and talented players and, for the most part, polite, informed, and courteous fans that stop by our board. Now, that doesn’t insulate you when you do silly things like putting up the unanimous number one banner or Dawn complaining about the ball in our last game. Those are things that are always going to attract the attention and commentary of other fan bases.

I think that you may be misinterpreting a lot of the posts and this site after the game. A lot of them are less about South Carolina and more about 1) winning another one versus two match up and 2) our excitement over the development of our very young team and particularly Paige.

All that said, I agree with you it’s not quite a rivalry game but it is a good game that both fan bases, and women’s basketball fans in general, look forward to. I hope we keep the series going.

 

[AmeriConn]

I think it’s great start to becoming a rivalry team.

 

[eebmg]

Nice post. I largely agree. A few comments:

I don’t see Stanley getting a lot of “hate” from UConn fans. In fact, an awful lot of people on this board are pretty complementary of Dawn and the program. Nor do I see a lot of people wanting “to knock the program back in the purgatory.”

Truth be told him we kind of like you guys. You are a good program, with a good head coach and talented players and, for the most part, polite, informed, and courteous fans stop by our board. Now, that doesn’t insulate you when you do silly things like putting up the anonymous number one banner or Dawn complaining about the ball in our last game. Those are things that are always going to attract the attention and commentary of other fan bases.

I think that you may be misinterpreting a lot of the posts and this site after the game. A lot of them are less about South Carolina, say and more about 1) winning another one versus two match up and 2) our excitement over the development of our team and particularly Paige.

All that said, I agree with you it’s not quite a rivalry game but it is a good game that both fan bases, and women’s basketball fans in general, look forward to. I hope we keep the series going.

It is just natural as an opponent program starts to be a credible threat (on the court or recruiting), we will start finding fault and develop less than kind feelings. Some people more than others. That just adds to the fun.

 

[Essexdave]

The rivalry with Tennessee is far greater than the one with Notre Dame, which was very one-sided for long stretches.
Connecticut leads Notre Dame 38-13 despite losing 7 out of 8 between 2011-2013. For quite a few years Tennessee-Connecticut was virtually the definition of women's basketball. I also don't remember anyone on Notre Dame kicking someone in the head or hitting them in the back of the head with a basketball.

Oh. I bet Dangerfield would disagree with you.

 

[hoophuskee]

While it is a great game to watch every year. With Top 5 schools with top of the line recruits and 2 high profile coaches. This is just another game and still hasn't reached rivalry level and I don't see it happening any time soon.
A rivalry with an out of conference school is hard to get started. Their games are really meaningless except for bragging rights for that year. It's a great game to draw fan interest in the Womens Basketball. The only thing it does is change the position in the polls for the following week.
Everyone knows the History how UConn and Tennessee became rivals in the 1995 season. The New Kids on the Block beat the Greatest Team, Coach and Program on MLK holiday to become No 1 in the Country for the first time ever! It still wasn't at rivalry status but the New Kids managed to get under the OGs skin! Then they met again in the NC game with most people picking the Lady Vols to win it all and they almost did. But the Huskies came back and won their first NC! THE Rivalry was Born! What a rivalry it was with the teams going back in forth with winning games and both teams winning NCs. What separted the 2 were the 4 times Connecticut beat them in the NC Game!
No other out of conference team has really developed a rivalry with UConn since Tennessee. Those 2 games also helped put Womens Basketball on the map!
Will and can UConn and South Carolina ever reach rivalry status. It is possible but right now it's just a great game between 2 great programs.

It was more. Showing that UConn is NOT slipping. Thus TV execs still will want uCONN. Media will stay UCONN is beast. Recruits will still see UCONN as a beast. If they lost more "slipping."

Think of it this way-- Deb Antonelli = whether one likes her or not-- was sort of downplaying UCONN and/or Paige. If they lost that would have been more for Deb to push another agenda on a national level. But it wouldn't have stopped with just her.

Think of all the UCONN fans - great great - great fans and I'm not being sarcastic - who think Geno needs to change. Imagine if Boston for example dominated the game? There would end up being gradual talk of how maybe Geno needs to change recruiting. The young kids would "hear" this.

Then the talk about the conference. You lose in a game like this - then you'd hear the same flawed talk about how the conference is the problem.