UConn Basketball Completes Four-Year Sweep
April 6, 2016 11:37 AM Subscribe
The University of Connecticut Huskies have won their fourth straight NCAA Division I women's basketball championship, dominating Syracuse in the championship game 82-51. Power forward/center Breanna Stewart won the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four for an unprecedented fourth time (she was also the first freshman to win it, and the first player to win it three times). Stewart had promised two years ago that she would bring four titles home to Storrs, and she delivered.
Stewart will almost certainly be drafted by the WNBA's Seattle Storm and signed to a $95,000 rookie-maximum contract. If she wins every individual player bonus and her team wins the WNBA Championship, she will make slightly more for the 2016 season than men's NBA superstar Lebron James makes for playing half of a game.
Stewart will almost certainly be drafted by the WNBA's Seattle Storm and signed to a $95,000 rookie-maximum contract. If she wins every individual player bonus and her team wins the WNBA Championship, she will make slightly more for the 2016 season than men's NBA superstar Lebron James makes for playing half of a game.
The dynastic incredibleness of UConn basketball is simply hard to believe. I wonder if anything like it could have happened in men's basketball if not for the economic incentive to play a year or two and move on. With Tennessee, minus Pat Summit, declining, are there any real contenders to take the Huskies on in the future?
posted by Atreides at 12:34 PM on April 6, 2016
posted by Atreides at 12:34 PM on April 6, 2016
UConn seems analogous to the '92 Dream Team or something. It's incredible.
posted by dismas at 12:42 PM on April 6, 2016
posted by dismas at 12:42 PM on April 6, 2016
Atreides, I saw this article on Slate a few days ago that tried to answer that question, at least as far as UConn's future goes.
posted by tayknight at 12:45 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by tayknight at 12:45 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
It sort of did in Men's Basketball. UCLA won 10 championships out of 12 including 7 straight.
posted by mmascolino at 12:46 PM on April 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 12:46 PM on April 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
With Tennessee, minus Pat Summit, declining, are there any real contenders to take the Huskies on in the future?
UConn's three best players are about to graduate (Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck) so next year is the year to do it. I think UConn will still be a mighty team next year, but it will certainly be a bit of rebuilding year.
I have had the pleasure of following them for the entire Auriemma era because my parents are huge fans. Indeed, I've come to enjoy watching women's basketball far more than men's, at least in part because women's basketball always seems like a genuine team sport while men's often seems to be more of a bunch of guys in similar color jerseys trying to more or less do the same thing. If you watch enough, you'll see that there are many amazing women's teams out there. Its just UConn has been playing on an entirely different level for a decade.
An even more interesting women's basketball story this year has been the success of Oregon State, which went from having to create an entirely new team from try-outs (not recruiting) to final four this year in a remarkably short period of time.
There will be teams that beat UConn, but in the meantime, its nice to be able to be a fan of such a remarkable program.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:54 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
UConn's three best players are about to graduate (Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck) so next year is the year to do it. I think UConn will still be a mighty team next year, but it will certainly be a bit of rebuilding year.
I have had the pleasure of following them for the entire Auriemma era because my parents are huge fans. Indeed, I've come to enjoy watching women's basketball far more than men's, at least in part because women's basketball always seems like a genuine team sport while men's often seems to be more of a bunch of guys in similar color jerseys trying to more or less do the same thing. If you watch enough, you'll see that there are many amazing women's teams out there. Its just UConn has been playing on an entirely different level for a decade.
An even more interesting women's basketball story this year has been the success of Oregon State, which went from having to create an entirely new team from try-outs (not recruiting) to final four this year in a remarkably short period of time.
There will be teams that beat UConn, but in the meantime, its nice to be able to be a fan of such a remarkable program.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:54 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
That's quite a feat of athleticism. How much money has the university made from the efforts of these women, and how much have the athletes been paid?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:20 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:20 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
So impressive!
The day I made the connection between the pronunciation of UConn, the Yukon, and Huskies ... my life made so much more sense!
posted by ChuraChura at 1:21 PM on April 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
The day I made the connection between the pronunciation of UConn, the Yukon, and Huskies ... my life made so much more sense!
posted by ChuraChura at 1:21 PM on April 6, 2016 [4 favorites]
Apparently that's a euphonious coincidence. The team name of Huskies was adopted when it was still Connecticut State College.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:39 PM on April 6, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 1:39 PM on April 6, 2016 [6 favorites]
Most college sports, including women's basketball, don't make money and the players are unpaid. Arguably there are expenses that could be diverted to larger stipends, though...
posted by michaelh at 1:44 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by michaelh at 1:44 PM on April 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
The annoying thing about sports is that even tremendous athletic accomplishments can sometimes be boring. Dynasties are hard to keep going, especially in college where your whole roster turns over in five years. But it was boring when the Bulls won every championship, I'll bet it was boring when UCLA won seven straight, and it's boring that UConn is so dominant.
Hypocrite that I am, I'd probably feel differently if any of my favorite teams won four straight titles. But when I'm otherwise unaffiliated, I'll root for the underdog every time. It makes the world more interesting.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:15 PM on April 6, 2016
Hypocrite that I am, I'd probably feel differently if any of my favorite teams won four straight titles. But when I'm otherwise unaffiliated, I'll root for the underdog every time. It makes the world more interesting.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:15 PM on April 6, 2016
These days, UConn is the way that I let people know approximately where I grew up; it was about a half hour's drive from home. My grandfather actually founded their metallurgy department in the 50's sometime, and was the professor emeritus after he retired. I think there's even a building named after him. I also saw a lot of puppet shows there and took a lot of trips to see the piglets when I was a kid.
Ironically I never saw a basketball game. Although I can sing the first three notes of the UConn fight song (Uuuuuu-Connnnnn-HUS-kies!) and in fact this thread has gotten it stuck in my head.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:19 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Ironically I never saw a basketball game. Although I can sing the first three notes of the UConn fight song (Uuuuuu-Connnnnn-HUS-kies!) and in fact this thread has gotten it stuck in my head.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:19 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Amazing for UConn and Breanna Stewart and her teammates, but god those stats on pay for WNBA players are depressing. I don't watch sports at all so it's kind of hard to put myself on a women-only sports diet, but I think I can commit myself to touting their accomplishments on social media, as drop-in-the-bucket and ineffectual as that may seem.
posted by drlith at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by drlith at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Regarding gender disparity in pay in sports, the U.S. women's soccer team filed a wage discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. We will be watching that case with great interest.
posted by chrchr at 5:27 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by chrchr at 5:27 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Are dynasties in college hard to keep going ? (I'm mostly thinking out loud about this, because I've been wondering about this for a while .. ) Unlike professional sports where there are drafts, salary caps and other methods used to try and make the sport competitive, colleges are only bound by the number of scholarships they can offer.
I can imagine coaches will always trot out the line "don't you want to play with winners ?" line for recruits, and the best recruits will, of course, want to.
So what mixes it up ? The darkhorses that might not be top recruits as they leave HS, but in college manage to step their game up to the next level ? Or as part of a team, the team is greater than the sum of the parts ? Or top recruits, but think they'll stand out more at a different college ?
posted by k5.user at 5:36 PM on April 6, 2016
I can imagine coaches will always trot out the line "don't you want to play with winners ?" line for recruits, and the best recruits will, of course, want to.
So what mixes it up ? The darkhorses that might not be top recruits as they leave HS, but in college manage to step their game up to the next level ? Or as part of a team, the team is greater than the sum of the parts ? Or top recruits, but think they'll stand out more at a different college ?
posted by k5.user at 5:36 PM on April 6, 2016
Regarding gender disparity in pay in sports, the U.S. women's soccer team filed a wage discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.
Discussing it over here.
posted by Etrigan at 5:45 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Discussing it over here.
posted by Etrigan at 5:45 PM on April 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
With the NBA rules for college men, there's no way a Men's team will ever match this. Which is sad.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 8:37 PM on April 6, 2016
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 8:37 PM on April 6, 2016
The NYTimes thinks UConn will face much stiffer competition next year.
Are dynasties in college hard to keep going ?
I think it depends on how you define dynasty. Define it as winning the championship every year or almost every year and I think that's just really tough in college sports these days. Define it as having a great, contending team every year, then yes, yes it is possible. After all, success breeds success and certainly helps with recruiting. In some ways having the one and dones leave gives you the chance to fill your roster with new talent. Under the old regimes where players stayed three or four years, prospective freshmen had to consider when and if they would get playing time. There was the nature choice of playing a little for the best team or potentially playing a lot for a somewhat less desirable team.
posted by mmascolino at 7:08 AM on April 7, 2016
Are dynasties in college hard to keep going ?
I think it depends on how you define dynasty. Define it as winning the championship every year or almost every year and I think that's just really tough in college sports these days. Define it as having a great, contending team every year, then yes, yes it is possible. After all, success breeds success and certainly helps with recruiting. In some ways having the one and dones leave gives you the chance to fill your roster with new talent. Under the old regimes where players stayed three or four years, prospective freshmen had to consider when and if they would get playing time. There was the nature choice of playing a little for the best team or potentially playing a lot for a somewhat less desirable team.
posted by mmascolino at 7:08 AM on April 7, 2016
> I have had the pleasure of following them for the entire Auriemma era
Me too! I went to grad school in Connecticut, and I remember the first time I heard "UConn" I thought they were talking about Yukon (where my father was stationed during WWII, so it was a familiar name to me), and was mightily embarrassed. I remember when Lobo was coming up, and how exciting it was. Watching them romp was a real pleasure, and I wish this had been posted before the game; it would have been fun to live-blog it with fellow MeFites instead of just talking to my wife and the cats about it.
> I'll bet it was boring when UCLA won seven straight
No it wasn't; I was going to college in LA during that era, and it was as much of a thrill to watch Wooden's players do their thing as it is to watch the Huskies. True excellence is never boring.
posted by languagehat at 7:32 AM on April 7, 2016
Me too! I went to grad school in Connecticut, and I remember the first time I heard "UConn" I thought they were talking about Yukon (where my father was stationed during WWII, so it was a familiar name to me), and was mightily embarrassed. I remember when Lobo was coming up, and how exciting it was. Watching them romp was a real pleasure, and I wish this had been posted before the game; it would have been fun to live-blog it with fellow MeFites instead of just talking to my wife and the cats about it.
> I'll bet it was boring when UCLA won seven straight
No it wasn't; I was going to college in LA during that era, and it was as much of a thrill to watch Wooden's players do their thing as it is to watch the Huskies. True excellence is never boring.
posted by languagehat at 7:32 AM on April 7, 2016
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:47 AM on April 6, 2016 [4 favorites]