UConn Is the Best Ever

I know I promised you a Top 10 Games of 2010 entry, but that's coming your way tomorrow.  Today I want to talk about the UConn-Stanford women's basketball showdown.  The Huskies put their NCAA-record 90-game winning streak on the line tonight against the #8 Cardinal, the last team to beat them (in the 2008 Final Four).  (Stanford is only ranked #8 because of losses to DePaul and Tennessee last week, but should move up regardless of the UConn result after an 89-52 thumping of #4 Xavier.)

I've got news for all the people who want to downplay UConn's streak and insist that the UCLA men's teams from 1971-74 that held the previous record of 88 were better: You're wrong!  Even if UConn had lost to Baylor earlier this season (which they probably should've), ending the streak nine game short, this team is better than those UCLA squads.  A quick look at the stats will show you why it's not even close:

Average margin of victory: UConn-33.4, UCLA-23.4
One-point wins: UCLA-2, UConn-1
30-point wins: UConn-51, UCLA-28
Wins by 10 or less: UCLA-15, UConn-4

I don't have the specifics for every team's ranking during UCLA's streak, but UConn is not only playing Top 10 teams, they're beating them by 30!  Sure UConn's schedule includes gimme home games against schools like Holy Cross and Sacred Heart, but the Huskies repeatedly play one of the most competitive schedules in the country (and goes on the road!), which is more than I can say about those UCLA squads.  UConn has already played Baylor and Ohio State, takes on Stanford tonight, and still has games against Top 10 teams North Carolina, Duke and Oklahoma.  Not to mention conference games against quality teams like Notre Dame and West Virginia.  And the only reason UConn hasn't played Tennessee during the streak is because the Lady Vols terminated their agreement to play annually in 2007, and they haven't met in the NCAA Tournament since the 2004 National Championship Game.  (The last time the two teams played, Tennessee won at UConn, 70-64, on Jan. 6, 2007.)

My point is UConn is taking on anyone, anywhere and beating them all by ridiculous margins.  UCLA barely had to leave LA during its streak, even during the NCAA Tournament.  The Bruins also played the same teams over and over again, beating each of the other seven Pac-8 schools (Arizona and Arizona State didn't join the Pac-10 until the mid-70s) six times each!  During its streak, UConn has beaten Louisville four times (including the 2009 National Championship Game) and Stanford three times (once in the Final Four, once in the National Championship Game).

Now, Geno Auriemma never should've said that people only care because UConn broke a men's record, but his basic thesis is that the Huskies deserve their due regardless.  It's like the '72 Dolphins cracking the champagne when the last undefeated NFL team loses because they know their record won't be broken.  UConn has broken the record, and doesn't look like it's going to stop winning anytime soon.  Junior Tiffany Hayes is 90-0 in her collegiate career.  Maya Moore, the best player in women's basketball, has a career record of 126-2 (UConn went 36-2 in Moore's freshman year).  Teams like this don't come around very often, so let's just celebrate UConn's greatness instead of constantly comparing them to UCLA.