Is UCONN Too Good?

by CSP Guest Writer Peter Williams

As water cooler discussions explode this week about the upset of No. 1 Kansas on Saturday, it is fair to say that the record breaking UCONN Women and their historic march to possibly another championship will be far from a hot button topic.  With their 72^nd consecutive victory and yet another Big East Title, the number one Connecticut women enter an NCAA Tournament that is now seen as more of a formality than it is a wire to wire competition. Since the onset of their ridiculous tear through the world of women’s college basketball, the UCONN women have brought much notoriety to a sport whose coverage is often cast to the annals of mainstream media.  While the streak is clearly impressive, it begs the question: what if this were a men’s team?  Is their dominance ultimately detracting attention from the game because they are too good?  Is it possible that mainstream media is not exposing the team enough, or is women’s basketball simply not respected outside of a niche community of fans?

In 1964, John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins began their historic championship streak, winning ten national titles years 11 not to mention putting together an 88 game winning streak from ’71-’74.  UCLA’s run elevated the college game and ultimately planted the seed that has since grown to become the thrilling tournament of today.  In many ways, UCONN’s run has proven to have a similar effect on the women’s game as nearly each NCAA tournament game is now nationally televised.  We are now seeing players like UCONN studs Maya Moore and Tina Charles physically dominate the national field, a physical dominance hardly seen before in the women’s game.  Yet, despite this undeniable domination, their run still seems to perpetually remain in the shadows of the national media spotlight.  The UCONN women have become the face of their sport and yet the continuation of their streak remains a secondary concern of national media outlets and mainstream basketball fans.  From a literal standpoint, ESPN broadcasts the majority of the women’s NCAA tournament on its secondary network, ESPN 2.  These broadcasts are highly overshadowed by the madness taking place on CBS.

Is this fair?  Obviously not, but these facts certainly speak to an apathetic attitude that, despite the run of the UCONN women, has not been eradicated in the national sports community.  While unfortunate to say, it can hardly be denied that if it were a perennial men’s powerhouse entering this year’s tournament 72-0 over two seasons, the hype would be uncontrollable.  A modern day John Wooden and Lew Alcindor combination would undoubtedly be receiving front page notoriety on a daily basis as March Madness ensues, surely lifting the coaches and players to a new level of collegiate stardom.  Yet, sadly enough, we find a team with all the credentials overshadowed by a widespread apathy.

Maybe it’s that they are just too good.  Maybe their streak has led the nation to assume the outcome of the tournament, thus causing interest to drop off.   Not only have they won 72 straight games, but all 72 wins were by double figures.  Let me repeat that.  All 72 wins have come by at least 10 point margins, which means that the team may not have had to “gut  out” a tough win.  Louisiana State coach Van Chancellor doesn’t think the Huskies are too good and is against the theory that their dominance is bad for the sport.  She believes that the UCONN run “is one of the greatest things ever to happen to women’s basketball” stating that “fans are more aware of UCONN’s winning streak than almost anything else we’ve done in the women’s game.”  While this seems to be the consensus within the basketball community, fans continue to overlook the meaning of the accomplishments of Geno Auriemma and the UCONN Huskies, thus hindering the women’s game as it tries to escape its stagnant stance.

Is it the lack of above the rim action combined with the perceived inevitable tournament outcome that continues to leave fans uninterested?  It’s a saddening certainty.