NCAA WBB: Is UConn’s success good for the game?

The UConn Huskies are well on their way to yet another NCAA WBB National Title.

Is the UConn women’s basketball team really becoming a negative for the sport?

Geno Auriemma’s squad has won five out of the last seven National Titles, including three straight over Notre Dame (twice) and Louisville, and nine (NINE!) consecutive berths in the Final Four. Auriemma now has 10 total National Championships and could clinch the most titles by a college coach – he would pass John Wooden – if the Huskies cut down the nets in April.

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And UConn is nearly impossible to beat. Not only did they down Mississippi State by 60 in the Sweet 16, they have beaten every opponent by at least 10 points this season. They dropped 100 points five times over the course of the year and the Huskies exploded for 91 points on number two Notre Dame back in December.

Instead of enjoying the success and giving props to a program that has been built into a powerhouse, some believe this is a determinant to the women’s game as a whole.

Of course, this tweet found it’s way to Auriemma, who decided to rip all the critics.

“When Tiger (Woods) was winning every major, nobody said he was bad for golf,” Auriemma said in a press conference. “Actually, he did a lot for golf. He made everybody have to be a better golfer. And they did. And now there’s a lot more great golfers because of Tiger.

“We don’t appreciate people for how good they are and what a good job they do – we always have to compare it to something. It’s only in women’s basketball. It’s the only sport where that happens.”

While Auriemma does make some good points, Woods had competition on the PGA Tour and Wooden had plenty of battles in men’s basketball. Woods and Wooden never dominated their respective sports like the Huskies are dominating women’s basketball.

Just think of it this way, anytime the Huskies step on the floor there is no doubt about who is leaving the arena victorious. Between Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, Gabby Williams, Moriah Jefferson, Kia Nurse, Kate Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, there is no question that the Huskies have 10 times more talent than the opponents they face on a nightly basis.

The last time the Huskies lost a game was November of 2015 against Stanford in overtime on the road. They have won 22 straight NCAA Tournament match-ups and 73 games overall.

That’s just flat out ridiculous.

Sports are supposed to be about drama and unpredictable results. There is very little of that in women’s college basketball and yes, it is effecting the game in a way.

But then there’s the other side of the argument. Why don’t other teams step up and take their level of play to another level? Sure, UConn has five-star recruits and a Hall of Fame coach but not all the five-star talents can play in Storrs. Why can’t Notre Dame, Stanford, Baylor or South Carolina find lightning in a bottle for one night?

And most importantly, why do the Huskies have to be punished for the differential in play? Why do they have to be shredded to pieces because there is no more Sky Diggins and Brittney Griner for star power?

Auriemma is 100 percent right when he mentioned that fans under-appreciate and overlook success. Remember the head man at UConn built this program from the ground up – they had no titles before he came to campus – and he deserves credit for that.

His Hall of Fame credentials shouldn’t be discredited, his players shouldn’t be disregarded because they are too dominant and women’s basketball shouldn’t be completely shunned off the map due to a team that is making history.

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So while UConn may not be “helping” the game with their undeniable success, they aren’t exactly “hurting” it either.