Whose our biggest rival?

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Grammar is our biggest rival

Unforced errors, nearly always.

 

[Kolumbo]

Once UCONN joined the Big East in football the best rivals were in both football and basketball - Pitt, Syracuse, WVU, Cincy, Louisville, and even Rutgers and USF were good football rivals. Without football, it just seems like a partial rival. I don't see a great rivalry until UCONN joins a conference and if it ends up being the ACC then there will be some renewed rivalries there and some great new ones.

 

[ucp990411]

Whoever we play next

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Syracuse is no longer a rival.

We are not in the same conference.

We are not scheduling them.

We beat them in recruiting Akok Akok, which deeply wounded them. Always wish Akok well for that.

We out recruited them for Andre Jackson shortly after that.

Syracuse was not considered a serious threat in the recruitment of Donovan Clingan.

Until something significantly changes, Syracuse does not matter.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Syracuse, and it’s not even close.
The fruit will always be skulking around the corner, and every time we play them I want nothing more then to make like Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian- “ “crush my enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women”!

 

[bendm]

Syracuse, and it’s not even close.

who?

 

[TerryBoyz]

1 Nova - we want to replace them as the elite team in the conference
2. Providence- closest conference rival and a long history
3. Syracuse- just a lot of great games and our fan bases really don’t like each other

 

[CONN78SEJ]

l know who Khalid El-Amin would say was our biggest rival.

Pittsburgh

 

[Doctor Hoop]

OK, I'm going to be the outlier on the board on this, but really, that's not the first time.

Syracuse isn't on my list of despised. My brother went there ... and there's a more complex backstory that I'd rather not get into here. Suffice it to say that I have ties to the school. Plus, even though we lost, I was in MSG for the entire 6 OT game roller coaster ride and will remember it forever. Yes, I enjoy beating Syracuse, consider them a rival, but I don't hate 'em.

For me a rival has to be both a frequent opponent and on relatively equal footing. There isn't one currently other than 'Nova, with Creighton a close second given our record in those games. St. Johns and Providence bring up the rear - The Johnnies if they improve, Providence with more strong years than just one.

 

[LPM1991]

Syracuse & Providence

 

[alphasigko]

Still 'Cuse by a mile... Wish we had a home & home arrangement every 2 years, or every year at MSG.

 

[bcisco]

Who’s (who is) ?………..

 

[Ratso]

who?

Syracuse, and it’s not even close.
The fruit will always be skulking around the corner, and every time we play them I want nothing more then to make like Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian- “ “crush my enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women”!

only reason is because of MSG. not a rival to me. cuse/gtown has nothing to do with us. Our rival is/was anybody in the BE finals

 

[mussels]

The fact that its a legitimate question pretty much answers itself. (we don't really have one) Do you need to ask North Carolina fans who their biggest rivals are? Michigan or Michigan State fans?

A true rivalry requires a certain commonality, and/or geographic proximity. When you have two fan bases that frequently interact in their everyday lives, at work, in the neighborhood etc. you have a situation whereby having to hear about a loss, or getting to gloat about a win takes on a much more personal significance. Thrill of victory and agony of defeat all of a sudden become very real because you know you're going to hear about it from your obnoxious neighbor or that moron on the loading dock.

As a state with only one major university, and all of the other similar nearby state universities for one reason or another not competitive, we're pretty much going to have to be resigned to half hearted and shifting rivalries depending on recent win loss history.

Would say for now Providence is the best natural fit. If they can stay competitive it could really get some traction.

 

[Ratso]

our rival is anybody against us in MSG

 

[UconnAlum04]

Recently, I'd have to say the 1st round of the NCAAs

 

[Inyatkin]

We don't have one. Syracuse is the new Pitt or Miami -- former rivals.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It's Syracuse. Though the on court rivalry will fade as the years pass. Other teams at certain times have been rival 1B at points but nothing comes close

I can't imagine anyone under 40 actually considering Providence a rival given they've stink for the majority of those years and we didn't even play in the same league for nearly a decade. It feels very forced.

 

[Dean Wormer]

It's Syracuse. Though the on court rivalry will fade as the years pass. Other teams at certain times have been rival 1B at points but nothing comes close

I can't imagine anyone under 40 actually considering Providence a rival given they've stink for the majority of those years and we didn't even play in the same league for nearly a decade. It feels very forced.

I remember JC was asked the same question once and said pretty much the same thing, without actually saying it.
We haven’t played them regularly any more, but ask me who gets me hot and bothered between PC and Cuse? We haven’t had any meaningful games with PC, mostly because they’ve sucked. At our worst, we still didn’t care much about lil brother. Maybe that changes at some point, who knows?
Losing to PC is annoying, like being picked at by a mosquito. Losing to Cuse raises my blood pressure and increases the risk of stroke.

 

[BattersonBoyz]

The duality of the yard never ceases to amaze me

 

[BIIIG]

Lot of people saying Creighton, definitely think providence is higher up than them. Nova the defacto #1, but with Corey Floyd switching to providence, the location being driving distance, and Jay Wright retiring, I could see Providence taking the top spot over the next few years. Creighton has our number, yeah, but that's not what makes a rivalry. Providence visiting the XL center was a vicious environment. I dont know the last time ive seen the XL center that collectively drunk. Providence posters are throughout the boneyard, there's threads on here that have turned into analyzing providence recruiting. Twitter was riddled with UConn fans calling Providence phony all season after their escapes over depaul and other bottom dwellers. Creighton may be the better team, or the team UConn needs a win over more despearatley right now, but when it comes to actual animosity, bad blood, butting heads, Providence is def the #2 big east rival right now, if not top dog.

 

[Drytortugas]

Kids in school now haven’t seen a UConn-Syracuse game, have they?

 

[Inyatkin]

Syracuse wouldn't choose us, so how could we choose them?
We don't have a top rival, and it's fine

 

[gtcam]

Hatred wise its Cuse and Duke with PC getting close
NBE - it's Nova but let's see what happens sans Jay W- I have a lot of respect for McDermott so I can't say Creighton. I would love it to be Gtown, hoping Pat brings them back. With that slimeball coaching at Xavier, that makes me despise that team - no rivalry but out of mind

 

[gtcam]

Kids in school now haven’t seen a UConn-Syracuse game, have they?

If they haven't seen that classic OT game, they haven't been watching any TV
It was nerve shaking enough being there!