UConn's rarified air...

[J-dog]

Other fan-bases will continue to point to UConn's APR issue, lack of a power conference affiliation, or anything else they can come up with to try an diminish UConn's dominance in the last 16 years…

This is to be expected with any program that has had the success that UConn has realized.

When UConn won it all in 1999, most of the country (opposing fan-bases) loved UConn for beating Duke. The lesser programs looked at UConn & said why not us? The blue bloods were happy that Duke didn't add to their championship totals & didn't really perceive UConn as any threat to their standing within the college basketball landscape…

Well, 15 years & 3 more championship later (total of 4), the Huskies have taken their spot as THE premier college basketball program since that 1999 championship.

UConn will never again be that plucky little program that other fan bases will root for to bring down those perennial college basketball power houses. And good riddance to that…

I'd much rather be the hated because that means the program has reached a level of success that everyone else wants to realize.

Right now in college basketball, there is UCONN & then there is everyone else...

 

[JaYnYcE]

North Carolina is still ahead of us, Kentucky 8 and UCLA with 11 national titles I believe. I hope I live to see us tie UCLA one day. Then again, UCLA can win a few more and create an even bigger gap.

 

[J-dog]

No one is ahead of us in the last 16 years...

 

[CL82]

North Carolina is still ahead of us, Kentucky 8 and UCLA with 11 national titles I believe. I hope I live to see us tie UCLA one day. Then again, UCLA can win a few more and create an even bigger gap.

That's the rub isn't it? They'd have to win more. Over the last decade and half, no one comes close to our success. Tough to find a metric that is more meaningful than that.

 

[Mots010]

North Carolina is still ahead of us, Kentucky 8 and UCLA with 11 national titles I believe. I hope I live to see us tie UCLA one day. Then again, UCLA can win a few more and create an even bigger gap.

UK's 4 championships in the 40s and 50s mean about zilch to people outside of Kentucky. Those are in closer to Helms territory than anything.

 

[prankster]

North Carolina is still ahead of us, Kentucky 8 and UCLA with 11 national titles I believe. I hope I live to see us tie UCLA one day. Then again, UCLA can win a few more and create an even bigger gap.

That kind of thinking is just so last century.....

 

[JaYnYcE]

we just beat a team to win our 4th title, which put us at half of the amount that they have. what we've done in the past 15 years is awesome but we need to separate ourselves a little more. If we can pass NC I'd feel a lot better since that would at best put us in the top 3 schools w/ the most national titles.

 

[J-dog]

we just beat a team to win our 4th title, which put us at half of the amount that they have. what we've done in the past 15 years is awesome but we need to separate ourselves a little more. If we can pass NC I'd feel a lot better since that would at best put us in the top 3 schools w/ the most national titles.

During the last 16 years while Uconn has won 4 national titles, only Duke, Florida & NC have more than one (2 each)…

Additionally, those 4 championships stopped Duke, Florida & Kentucky from adding to their totals… That is separation & that is dominance that no other school can claim...

 

[Gurleyman]

If you take from 1960 on - UNC, Kentucky, Duke, and UConn are all tied for second with 4 titles. UCLA has 11.

If you take from 1975 (or 1973 on, which is when the NCAA formed it's current Division I, II, III format), we're tied for first.

If someone is using titles from 1956 to make UConn seem like less of a power, they are reaching.

 

[mcs333]

New era for record keeping. Should start in 1985 when the tournament went to 64 teams. This year will be thirty years. Sports writers need to start pushing for this. Most people know nothing about UCLA and John W. or Kentucky A. Rupp. Their records should be just foot noted. Also the three point shot started in 1986 which changed the game. A good comparison would be pro football. Pre Super Bowl era and current superball era and how records are kept.

 

[Huskybass]

In this Century, UConn has won three National Championships. No other school can match that. UConn clearly has a better current program than UCLA. In fact, if you use the last 5 years, no school has enjoyed the success that UConn has.

 

[J-dog]

In this Century, UConn has won three National Championships. No other school can match that. UConn clearly has a better current program than UCLA. In fact, if you use the last 5 years, no school has enjoyed the success that UConn has.

Their dominance goes back to 1999… That is even more impressive… In the current structure, it's hard to believe that another program will win 4 titles in a 16 year window anytime soon.

 

[Palatine]

North Carolina is still ahead of us, Kentucky 8 and UCLA with 11 national titles I believe. I hope I live to see us tie UCLA one day. Then again, UCLA can win a few more and create an even bigger gap.

If you're interested in stuff that happened last century, you might have a point.

 

[jleves]

If you take from 1960 on - UNC, Kentucky, Duke, and UConn are all tied for second with 4 titles. UCLA has 11.

If you take from 1975 (or 1973 on, which is when the NCAA formed it's current Division I, II, III format), we're tied for first.

If someone is using titles from 1956 to make UConn seem like less of a power, they are reaching.

This thought sums it up for me. I still wear Tshirts and Hats from the 99 Championship. I'm doubting people are wearing a lot of stuff they bought after winning a Helms title.

 

[Scoe]

Does a blue blood program need a HOF player we will have that with Ray.

 

[JaYnYcE]

you can't have selected history, or choose when you want to start counting championships. we're in good company, I just think we need at least 2 or 3 more.

 

[Gurleyman]

you can't have selected history, or choose when you want to start counting championships. we're in good company, I just think we need at least 2 or 3 more.

Kansas has 3 titles in its whole glorious history - you're tossing around that number like it's nothing.

Pre-1960, the NCAA was a tiny tournament, competing with the NIT for prestige. Pre-1975, only 1 team was allowed in per conference, leaving many contenders out of the picture entirely. It's a different era now. I mean, yeah, technically we're way behind UCLA and Kentucky, but we got to see all of ours on TV.

 

[UConn5]

I don't want to be the plucky program I want to be the one people are chasing. That's what we are and I'm happy about it. We win titles.

 

[Hoophound]

A few more Final Fours will be nice to add to the resume. Our 4 titles came in only 5 FFs where as it probably took Duke at least twice as many FF appearances to get to 4. Of course, I'm fine with winning every Final Four we go to, just saying that bulking up on appearances will enhance the titles.

 

[J-dog]

A few more Final Fours will be nice to add to the resume. Our 4 titles came in only 5 FFs where as it probably took Duke at least twice as many FF appearances to get to 4. Of course, I'm fine with winning every Final Four we go to, just saying that bulking up on appearances will enhance the titles.

Well, if I had my druthers I would keep the UCONN formula of of getting there & winning it all. No one remembers the team that came in second except for the fan-base of the team that won it all. Jack Nicklas came in 2nd in a slew of majors & no one cares… It's all about wins…

Additionally, I would just prefer to never experience the feeling of getting to the championship game & coming up empty… While we all are greedy for more championships, I'll take getting there 25% of the time & winning it every time.

 

[storrsroars]

Other than Cuse and BC, I pretty much don't care what other fan bases think. Those two, particular the first, are just so obnoxious and in such denial of their own futility, I'd simply like to rub their noses in it as long as possible.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but even Duke fans are appreciative of what we've done.

Anyway, onward and upward. It'll be nice to have more, but I do hope Ollie sticks to his "character guys" credo. All of our NC teams have been pretty easy to root for. But from a only a personal perspective, I had a hard time rooting as enthusiastically for the 2005-2009 teams. I just didn't like the kids as much. I hope we've turned the corner permanently on staying clean regarding all the BS from those years, academically and otherwise.

 

[KhalidElAmida]

Everyone knows that games after December are meaningless. That's why Cuse is the best program & JB is the best coach... Just ask any Cuse fan

 

[uconNYC]

Think Final 4s and NCs is just part of it. Fan base, history, legacy, arena, traditions also define a program. Are you ready to say the Miami Heat are a more storied franchise than the Knicks because the Heat have 3 championships and the Knicks only 2?

 

[Deadrody]

I don't get so caught up in the F4s. F4s are better than E8s, of course, but for some reason people tend to dismiss the E8s because F4s mean so much. UConn has been to 9 E8s over the last 20 years. 10 E8s over 25. That's a lot. And were it not for facing the eventual national champ 4 times, UConn would have 9 F4s in that 25 year period.

Uh... who are the 4 eventual champs ? UCLA in 1995, yes. Maryland in 2002, yes. In 1964 it was UCLA, not Duke. In 1990 it was UNLV, not Duke. In 1998 it was Kentucky, not UNC. In 2006 it was Florida, Not GMU.

I hate to throw reason and facts onto emotion, but.... Made it to 5 final fours, and without bad luck lets say 7 would be a good likelihood.

 

[uconNYC]

Uh... who are the 4 eventual champs ? UCLA in 1995, yes. Maryland in 2002, yes. In 1964 it was UCLA, not Duke. In 1990 it was UNLV, not Duke. In 1998 it was Kentucky, not UNC. In 2006 it was Florida, Not GMU.

I hate to throw reason and facts onto emotion, but.... Made it to 5 final fours, and without bad luck lets say 7 would be a good likelihood.

The 2006, 1996, 1994 and 1990 were Final Four calibre teams. Similarly, 2011 and 2014 were overachievers. If we take 1990 out of the equation (Duke was a team of destiny) then we pretty much have the number of FFs we should.