UConn-Tennessee rivalry
Encyclopedia
The women's basketball
rivalry
between the University of Tennessee
Lady Vols and the University of Connecticut
(UConn) Huskies is one of the fiercest rivalries
in college basketball
, and perhaps the only one to reach national consciousness out of the women's game. The matchup features two long-tenured and media savvy coaches generally acknowledged among the top five ever in their sport, over two dozen players who went on to play in the WNBA
, and two programs that have combined for 15 national championships. Their head-to-head matchups are consistently the top-rated games in the college women's field.
Until the 2006-2007 season, the two programs met annually in winter at one or both of the schools, but the rivalry is unique for having a third of its games occurring in the women's NCAA tournament
. Four times, the national championship has been on the line.
The schools started playing each other in 1995. As of early 2007, UConn leads the series 13-9, including 5-2 in the tournament and 4-0 for the title. However, the Lady Vols have won the last three games against UConn. On the day of every meeting, both schools have been ranked in the top fifteen in the Associated Press rankings
.
On June 8, 2007, it was announced the schools would discontinue the regular-season series.
and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
. Between them, they account for over 1,700 wins.
On the Tennessee side is Pat Summitt
, the all-time winningest NCAA Division I college basketball coach, male or female. Summitt has won eight NCAA women's tournaments, more than anyone else. She is the acknowledged dean of women's college basketball in the modern era. She has been the Naismith College Coach of the Year
seven times.
On the UConn side is Geno Auriemma
, who has won six of the last fifteen NCAA women's tournaments, four at the expense of Summitt in the finals. A media firebrand in the heart of ESPN
country, Auriemma has become the most accomplished coach in the last decade, at one point posting a 90-game winning streak. He has six Naismith awards to Summitt's eight.
The two have poured gasoline on the fire in press conferences, with Auriemma at one point calling Tennessee the "Evil Empire
". The two have apparently mended fences after some sparring, Auriemma noted in his autobiography, Geno.
, Kara Wolters
and Jennifer Rizzotti
, UConn's program was on the rise, beating Tennessee during the regular season and again for the title and an undefeated regular season. They would win another rivalry game in 1996.
The next three years belonged to Summitt, as the Lady Vols won four of the next five meetings with the Huskies en route to three straight national championships. The "Meeks"—Chamique Holdsclaw
, Semeka Randall
, and Tamika Catchings
—and point guard Michelle Marciniak
powered Tennessee past all rivals, including UConn.
On the horizon, though, were Auriemma's most dominant classes yet, and possibly the strongest lineup ever in the women's game. The starting five of Sue Bird
, Asjha Jones
, Swin Cash
, Tamika Williams
, and (for the latter part of the run) Diana Taurasi
gave UConn four of the next five national championships. In that run of 2000 to 2004, UConn crushed Tennessee in the rivalry, winning nine of the next eleven meetings, including the 2000, 2003, and 2004 championship games.
In the five seasons after Taurasi went to the WNBA, Summitt has rebounded with strong new players like Candace Parker
, and has won each meeting. UConn's program lacked a dominant scorer like Taurasi, and Tennessee made the most of this vulnerability. Since the cancellation of the annual game, both Tennessee and UConn have won a championship each.
With these results, the rivalry continues to be top-of-mind in the women's game. A matchup in the 2002 Final Four at the Alamodome
in San Antonio
was in front of the largest crowd in women's history (29,619). The 2006 regular-season game at Thompson-Boling Arena
in Knoxville
drew the largest crowd ever for a regular-season women's game (24,653).
After the 2007 game, Auriemma noted that the rivalry, while still intense, has lost some of its edge because of increasing parity in the women's game. As an illustration, 2006
was the first time since 1999
that neither UConn nor Tennessee had made the Final Four. He remarked, "In some sense, a small sense, it's still the Red Sox and the Yankees. It still is. But there's still a lot more good things going on in college basketball now. That's just the reality of it."
* indicates overtime game
and Vols men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl
agreed to a home and home basketball series in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. Ironically, in the 2010-11 season game, Summitt's son Tyler was on the Volunteers' roster.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
rivalry
Sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
between the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Lady Vols and the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
(UConn) Huskies is one of the fiercest rivalries
Sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
in college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, and perhaps the only one to reach national consciousness out of the women's game. The matchup features two long-tenured and media savvy coaches generally acknowledged among the top five ever in their sport, over two dozen players who went on to play in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
, and two programs that have combined for 15 national championships. Their head-to-head matchups are consistently the top-rated games in the college women's field.
Until the 2006-2007 season, the two programs met annually in winter at one or both of the schools, but the rivalry is unique for having a third of its games occurring in the women's NCAA tournament
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
. Four times, the national championship has been on the line.
The schools started playing each other in 1995. As of early 2007, UConn leads the series 13-9, including 5-2 in the tournament and 4-0 for the title. However, the Lady Vols have won the last three games against UConn. On the day of every meeting, both schools have been ranked in the top fifteen in the Associated Press rankings
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
.
On June 8, 2007, it was announced the schools would discontinue the regular-season series.
The coaches
The rivalry is notable among team sports in that it almost unerringly focuses on the sidelines rather than the floor. The two coaches are far and away the best known and best paid in their sport, with both being in the Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors men and women who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA...
. Between them, they account for over 1,700 wins.
On the Tennessee side is Pat Summitt
Pat Summitt
Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division...
, the all-time winningest NCAA Division I college basketball coach, male or female. Summitt has won eight NCAA women's tournaments, more than anyone else. She is the acknowledged dean of women's college basketball in the modern era. She has been the Naismith College Coach of the Year
Naismith College Coach of the Year
Naismith College Coach of the Year Award is an award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987...
seven times.
On the UConn side is Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
, who has won six of the last fifteen NCAA women's tournaments, four at the expense of Summitt in the finals. A media firebrand in the heart of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
country, Auriemma has become the most accomplished coach in the last decade, at one point posting a 90-game winning streak. He has six Naismith awards to Summitt's eight.
The two have poured gasoline on the fire in press conferences, with Auriemma at one point calling Tennessee the "Evil Empire
Evil empire
The phrase evil empire was applied to the Soviet Union especially by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who took an aggressive, hard-line stance that favored matching and exceeding the Soviet Union's strategic and global military capabilities, in calling for a rollback strategy that would, in his words,...
". The two have apparently mended fences after some sparring, Auriemma noted in his autobiography, Geno.
The games
The two schools first met on January 16, 1995, when televised women's basketball was a rarity. At this high point, with dominant players such as Rebecca LoboRebecca Lobo
Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin is an American television basketball analyst and a former player in the professional Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 to 2003...
, Kara Wolters
Kara Wolters
Kara Wolters is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player.Standing at six feet and seven inches , she was appropriately nicknamed "Big Girl". She is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA...
and Jennifer Rizzotti
Jennifer Rizzotti
Jennifer Rizzotti is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player, and current Division I coach. She is the daughter of Tom Rizzotti and Carol Rizzotti.-College:...
, UConn's program was on the rise, beating Tennessee during the regular season and again for the title and an undefeated regular season. They would win another rivalry game in 1996.
The next three years belonged to Summitt, as the Lady Vols won four of the next five meetings with the Huskies en route to three straight national championships. The "Meeks"—Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...
, Semeka Randall
Semeka Randall
Semeka Chantay Randall is a former collegiate and professional basketball player who is the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats...
, and Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Devonne Catchings is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and Turkish team Galatasaray. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler, and defender. After playing at Adlai E...
—and point guard Michelle Marciniak
Michelle Marciniak
Michelle Marciniak is a former All American collegiate and professional basketball player, who played point guard in the Women's National Basketball Association . As a floor general, Marciniak competed for two National Championships during her three year career at the University of Tennessee...
powered Tennessee past all rivals, including UConn.
On the horizon, though, were Auriemma's most dominant classes yet, and possibly the strongest lineup ever in the women's game. The starting five of Sue Bird
Sue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
, Asjha Jones
Asjha Jones
Asjha Takera Jones is a professional basketball player. She plays the power forward position for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.-Early years:...
, Swin Cash
Swin Cash
Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
, Tamika Williams
Tamika Williams
Tamika Maria Raymond is an Assistant Coach at Kansas University. She was a professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA...
, and (for the latter part of the run) Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
gave UConn four of the next five national championships. In that run of 2000 to 2004, UConn crushed Tennessee in the rivalry, winning nine of the next eleven meetings, including the 2000, 2003, and 2004 championship games.
In the five seasons after Taurasi went to the WNBA, Summitt has rebounded with strong new players like Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...
, and has won each meeting. UConn's program lacked a dominant scorer like Taurasi, and Tennessee made the most of this vulnerability. Since the cancellation of the annual game, both Tennessee and UConn have won a championship each.
With these results, the rivalry continues to be top-of-mind in the women's game. A matchup in the 2002 Final Four at the Alamodome
Alamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
was in front of the largest crowd in women's history (29,619). The 2006 regular-season game at Thompson-Boling Arena
Thompson-Boling Arena
Thompson-Boling Arena is multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B....
in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
drew the largest crowd ever for a regular-season women's game (24,653).
After the 2007 game, Auriemma noted that the rivalry, while still intense, has lost some of its edge because of increasing parity in the women's game. As an illustration, 2006
2006 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
-Albuquerque:-Bridgeport:-San Antonio:-Cleveland Regional:-Albuquerque Regional:-Bridgeport Regional:-San Antonio Regional:-Final Four – TD Banknorth Garden :...
was the first time since 1999
1999 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 12, 1999 and concluded on March 28, 1999 when Purdue won its first national championship in any women's sport. The Final Four was held at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California on March 26 - March 28, 1999. Purdue defeated...
that neither UConn nor Tennessee had made the Final Four. He remarked, "In some sense, a small sense, it's still the Red Sox and the Yankees. It still is. But there's still a lot more good things going on in college basketball now. That's just the reality of it."
Results
Winning team is shown in bold.| Date | Winner | Score | Site | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 16, 1995 | UConn | 77-66 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena... , Storrs, CT |
UConn 1-0 |
| April 2, 1995NCAA national championship game NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season... |
UConn | 70-64 | Target Center Target Center The Target Center is an arena in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is sponsored by Target Corporation. The arena has a capacity of 20,500 people. It contains 702 club seats and 68 suites.... , Minneapolis, MN |
UConn 2-0 |
| January 6, 1996 | UConn | 59-53 | Thompson-Boling Arena Thompson-Boling Arena Thompson-Boling Arena is multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B.... , Knoxville, TN |
UConn 3-0 |
| March 29, 1996NCAA tournament game NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season... - Final Four |
Tennessee | 88-83* | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum The Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum, the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium... , Charlotte, NC |
UConn 3-1 |
| January 5, 1997 | UConn | 72-57 | Hartford Civic Center Hartford Civic Center The XL Center, formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center, is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, USA. It is owned by the City of Hartford and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group under contract with the Connecticut Development Authority... , Hartford, CT |
UConn 4-1 |
| March 24, 1997NCAA tournament game NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season... - Elite Eight |
Tennessee | 91-81 | Carver-Hawkeye Arena Carver-Hawkeye Arena Carver–Hawkeye Arena is a 15,500-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Iowa City, Iowa. Opened in 1983, it is the home court for The University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the university's wrestling, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. It was named for the... , Iowa City, IA |
UConn 4-2 |
| January 3, 1998 | Tennessee | 84-69 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 4-3 |
| January 10, 1999 | Tennessee | 92-81 | Storrs, CT | tie 4-4 |
| January 8, 2000 | UConn | 74-67 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 5-4 |
| February 2, 2000 | Tennessee | 72-71 | Storrs, CT | tie 5-5 |
| April 2, 2000NCAA national championship game | UConn | 71-52 | Wachovia Center Wachovia Center The Wells Fargo Center is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... , Philadelphia, PA |
UConn 6-5 |
| December 30, 2000 | UConn | 81-76 | Hartford, CT | UConn 7-5 |
| February 1, 2001 | Tennessee | 92-88 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 7-6 |
| January 5, 2002 | UConn | 86-72 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 8-6 |
| March 29, 2002NCAA tournament game - Final Four | UConn | 79-56 | Alamodome Alamodome The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S... , San Antonio, TX |
UConn 9-6 |
| January 4, 2003 | UConn | 63-62* | Hartford, CT | UConn 10-6 |
| April 8, 2003NCAA national championship game | UConn | 73-68 | Georgia Dome Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the... , Atlanta, GA |
UConn 11-6 |
| February 5, 2004 | UConn | 81-67 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 12-6 |
| April 6, 2004NCAA national championship game | UConn | 70-61 | New Orleans Arena New Orleans Arena New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.... , New Orleans, LA |
UConn 13-6 |
| January 8, 2005 | Tennessee | 68-67 | Hartford, CT | UConn 13-7 |
| January 7, 2006 | Tennessee | 89-80 | Knoxville, TN | UConn 13-8 |
| January 6, 2007 | Tennessee | 70-64 | Hartford, CT | UConn 13-9 |
Other sports
Though the Connecticut Huskies and the Tennessee Volunteers no longer play each other in the regular season for women's basketball matchups, the rivalry has now begun to spread into other sports as the two schools have agreed to play each other in other matchups in the future. On September 4, 2008, UConn and Tennessee agreed to a home and home series in football for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Nearly a year later on July 22, 2009, Huskies men's basketball head coach Jim CalhounJim Calhoun
James A. Calhoun is the head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team. His teams have won three national championships , played in four Final Fours , won the 1988 NIT championship, and have won seven Big East tournament championships...
and Vols men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl
Bruce Pearl
Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's team. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he obtained his first position as an assistant basketball coach. He was the first coach to lead...
agreed to a home and home basketball series in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. Ironically, in the 2010-11 season game, Summitt's son Tyler was on the Volunteers' roster.