UCONN women win

[Chubby]

Men and women both win national titles in hoops. discuss.

[cartman]

been there, done that.

[Chubby]

not one school winning both titles the same year, 1st time ever.

[GoldenEagle]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney04/columns/story?id=1776409

[Chubby]

hopefully it will happen (as much as I root against UCONN, but they are big east)

good article.

[sabotai]

It's not that big of a deal considering that woman's basketball only has 2 teams (that are any good). It'd be a huge deal if woman's basketball was anywhere near as deep as men's basketball.

[cartman]

My bad. I think my hereditary Alzheimer's is setting in at the tender age of 31. I could have sworn that UConn had already won both in the same year. They've only both played in the Championship game the same year, and both been ranked #1 at the same time. I should have had that extra pint of bitter with dinner... :)

[tucker342]

My guess is that they'll win

[sachmo71]

Did this happen, or if not, when will we find out?

[Chubby]

Did this happen, or if not, when will we find out?
toniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, tonight....

[sachmo71]

toniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, tonight....
Thanks. I'll be watching 24, and then High School Reunion, but if there is some game left after that, I may even watch. Go Badgers!

[ScottVib]

Games winding up now... if UConn hits their free throws they should pull it off.

In addition to both teams winning the titles for the first time ever... both teams will go from pre-season #1 to NCAA Champions.

If they hold on that is.

[Young Drachma]

It's cool to see UConn do the double. I mean, that and I don't like Pat Summitt. Winningest women's coach or not. She's using steroids and that's just wrong.

hehehe..

[EagleFan]

That is a freaking joke. UConn played all home games right up until the final four and they weren't even the top seed in their bracket (where you could at least attempt to justify it by saying they earned it).

[Easy Mac]

Pat Summit is mean. So is Gino. But my lady is a UConn fan, so I acquiesce.

[Young Drachma]

This almost makes up for losing the Whalers. Almost.

[Easy Mac]

5 bucks says they ask the women's team about how cool it is that both the men and women won, but no one asks the mens team whenever they are interviewed within the next month.

[ISiddiqui]

Wow... great year for UConn... and I want to stick to the ACC again (even though Tennessee is from the SEC)... Go Big East!

[Young Drachma]

5 bucks says they ask the women's team about how cool it is that both the men and women won, but no one asks the mens team whenever they are interviewed within the next month.

True dat.

[Bosco]

That is a freaking joke. UConn played all home games right up until the final four and they weren't even the top seed in their bracket (where you could at least attempt to justify it by saying they earned it).

You don't watch women's basketball much do you? The high seeds always play close to home in the women's game for the first two rounds. Its because they simply won't have fans going to the games unless the popular teams are near their fanbases. Plus women's basketball is more popular in CT than any state in the country, it would be absolutely insane for them to try and have the East regionals in any place other than the Hartford Civic Center.

[lynchjm24]

5 bucks says they ask the women's team about how cool it is that both the men and women won, but no one asks the mens team whenever they are interviewed within the next month.

Mike and Mike on ESPN asked Okafor this morning if he was going to watch the game. He said of course he was.

The women players are pretty regular attendees at the men's games. I don't know how often the men show up, because I don't go to women's games. I would imagine they don't go often just because they would be bothered with autograph requests and whatnot even if they did want to go.

This doesn't make up for losing the Whalers. The NHL being a complete joke does take the sting out of that however. :)

[lynchjm24]

Plus women's basketball is more popular in CT than any state in the country, it would be absolutely insane for them to try and have the East regionals in any place other than the Hartford Civic Center.


Connecticut is an odd place. There was at least, if not more, buzz about the women's game then the men's game where I work. Even with the fact that the company I work for is about 65-70% female, it's still pretty strange if you ask me.

[Buccaneer]

That mean they will set twice as big fires than last night?

[Bosco]

Connecticut is an odd place. There was at least, if not more, buzz about the women's game then the men's game where I work. Even with the fact that the company I work for is about 65-70% female, it's still pretty strange if you ask me.

The women's fans are too lovey dovey for me, especially if they lose. There will never be a women's player treated the way Taliek was, even if Colon is more than deserving. And remember when the fans wrote letters to Jacobs because he had the balls to call out Sales on her bullshit record breaking score. I won't ever go to the women's games because I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of crying grandmothers yell about how much they love their Diana.

[Bosco]

That mean they will set twice as big fires than last night?


My best friend goes to school there and called me saying it was crazy. Flipped cars, the whole deal. I don't really get why things like this happen I mean what kind of celebration involves breaking your own stuff, but I doubt there will be anything like that after the women's game. Its more expected.

[McSweeny]

My best friend goes to school there and called me saying it was crazy. Flipped cars, the whole deal. I don't really get why things like this happen I mean what kind of celebration involves breaking your own stuff, but I doubt there will be anything like that after the women's game. Its more expected.

yep my brother is going to school up there, he said it was pretty nuts. Though he wasn't one of the ones arrested and he didn't see any flipped cars. Another one of my buddies goes to school up there as well. He probably DID get arrested. I'd kind of expect him to get really wasted and flip over his own car by mistake.

[sachmo71]

I'm happy for the Golden Swans. They made history!

[Butter]

You don't watch women's basketball much do you? The high seeds always play close to home in the women's game for the first two rounds. Its because they simply won't have fans going to the games unless the popular teams are near their fanbases. Plus women's basketball is more popular in CT than any state in the country, it would be absolutely insane for them to try and have the East regionals in any place other than the Hartford Civic Center.

That's all nice that people in CT love women's basketball, but it de-legitimizes the result as far as I'm concerned. There is a reason that the men's tourney won't allow a team to play on their home floor in the first 4 rounds... it is simply too much of an advantage to allow a "neutral" result.

I think that it is possible to have the first 4 rounds at neutral sites and still have the tournament be a success. There were more first round upsets in the women's tourney this year than the men's, and if played in neutral territory, I think the women's game has the potential to generate nearly as much excitement as the men's as far as the "anything can happen" mystique. I mean, Harvard beat Stanford a few years ago (in Stanford no less, the only 16 beating a 1 seed), and Xavier ousted the seemingly unbeatable Tennessee club a few years back as well. The potential is there, and with women raising the athletic bar all the time, I think the women's tournament can grow to be a big time national event.

[Bosco]

There is a reason that the men's tourney won't allow a team to play on their home floor in the first 4 rounds... it is simply too much of an advantage to allow a "neutral" result.

Since when is Bridgeport or Hartford UConn's home court? Didn't Syracuse play in Albany for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8? Were they not legitimate champions?

[Butter]

Since when is Bridgeport or Hartford UConn's home court? Didn't Syracuse play in Albany for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8? Were they not legitimate champions?

UConn hasn't had to play a tournament game out of state (aside from the Final 4) in... well, a long ass time. I don't think that's fair to everyone else.

[Bosco]

UConn hasn't had to play a tournament game out of state (aside from the Final 4) in... well, a long ass time. I don't think that's fair to everyone else.

I think it would be a better system to move the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 to a neutral court, but I don't know where else in the East you could put it besides Hartford and still have a draw. Plus the money they are able to get from those games is huge. For example, I think they close to doubled the ticket price for the Women's Big East tourney this year when it moved to Hartford from Rutgers. No other place in the country are fans so willing to pay for women's games.

[ISiddiqui]

That's all nice that people in CT love women's basketball, but it de-legitimizes the result as far as I'm concerned. There is a reason that the men's tourney won't allow a team to play on their home floor in the first 4 rounds... it is simply too much of an advantage to allow a "neutral" result.

Do teams deserve a reward for a good season? I think this is a good balance between the 'season means everything' of college football and the 'season means nothing in the tourney' of men's college basketball. The season does mean something in the women's tourney, you get home court.

[Butter]

I think it would be a better system to hold the games at thoroughly neutral sites for all rounds of the tourney, but unfortunately they're just not at that point attendance-wise yet.

On a separate note, does anyone think that if Diana Taurasi were hot... I mean, even just somewhat attractive, that UConn would've gotten more notice? I think they would've, and I think that's kinda sad.

[Butter]

Do teams deserve a reward for a good season? I think this is a good balance between the 'season means everything' of college football and the 'season means nothing in the tourney' of men's college basketball. The season does mean something in the women's tourney, you get home court.

The reward for a good season in men's basketball is a good seed and a chance to play closer to home than you would otherwise. Being a top 3 or 4 seed in the men's tourney makes all the difference. How many 5+ seeds have even made the final 4, let alone won the title? Duke has been riding this gravy train for years. Playing in Raleigh, or Winston-Salem, or Charlotte, and crapping out in the final 4 when they have to play someone tough on an actual neutral floor.

[lynchjm24]

UConn hasn't had to play a tournament game out of state (aside from the Final 4) in... well, a long ass time. I don't think that's fair to everyone else.


This is just plain wrong. Except for this year they haven't hosted a regional in Connecticut. They have played the first two games at Gampel many times, but the rounds of 16 and 8 were in many different locations.

As for teams playing at home - maybe you missed Wisconsin in Milwaukee as a 6 seed this year, or Texas playing at the Alamo Dome in the regional finals last year, or North Carolina going through Greensboro in 1998, or Syracuse playing in Albany in 2003, or Kansas playing in the distant locale of Kansas City just this year.

Hell St. Joe's played at the Meadowlands in the regionals this year. That's as close to Philadelphia as Bridgeport is to Storrs CT.

[ScottVib]

Another one from this years women's Tournament. 11 Seeded UC-Santa Barbara got to play in.... you guess it Santa Barbara... the Gauchos were able to use the home court to upset both the #6 and #3 seeds to advance to the Sweet 16.