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Tennessee Lady Vols: UConn rivalry explosive as ever; never should have ended

By Caleb Calhoun

10 Jan 1999: Kellie Jollie #14 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers dribbling the ball down court while being guarded by Stacy Hansmeyer #20 during the game against the UConn Huskies at the Harry A. Campbell Pavillion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Tennessee Lady Volunteers defeated the UConn Huskies 92-81.
10 Jan 1999: Kellie Jollie #14 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers dribbling the ball down court while being guarded by Stacy Hansmeyer #20 during the game against the UConn Huskies at the Harry A. Campbell Pavillion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Tennessee Lady Volunteers defeated the UConn Huskies 92-81. /
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As the Tennessee Lady Vols get set to renew their rivalry with the UConn Huskies, it’s clear ending it originally hurt the women’s basketball Volunteers.

When Pat Summitt ended the Tennessee Lady Vols rivalry with the UConn Huskies over a decade ago, it was due to issues with his recruiting practices and centered around one player: Maya Moore. Now, in the year they are set to renew the series, issues revolving around personnel have kept the rivalry at boiling point.

This time, Geno Auriemma has the grievance. Back in November, he went on a rant against UT and the school’s culture because of an eligibility waiver for Evina Westbrook, who transferred from Rocky Top to UConn, being denied. The war of words even brought Holly Warlick, who was fired by the school last year, to come out and defend it.

Say what you want about who’s right, but the fact of the matter is this is proof of why the rivalry never should have gone away. Two head coaches later on one side, there is no love lost between the Tennessee Lady Vols and UConn Huskies.

Tension between these two schools is natural. Who could forget the Lady Vols upsetting the undefeated Huskies in 1996 en route to their second national title? What about every Vol fan’s frustration with Diana Taurasi finding every way in the book to beat them?

In addition to Taurasi, players like Rebecca Lobo, Candace Parker Sue Bird and the “Meeks” all made this rivalry worth watching. Summitt and Auriemma as the two towering figures in the game helped elevate the whole sport. And that’s why it never should have ended.

It doesn’t even matter that UConn has won six national titles and set a record for the longest winning streak ever since UT made its last Final Four. The fact that the Huskies are ranked No. 3 and 16-1 and in a much different place than the Lady Vols right now, who are 15-3 and ranked No. 23, doesn’t change things either.

Even with that, the animosity comes from both sides. All that is clear is that UT should have kept this rivalry going. They were the ones hurt by it ending, and the data on that is as clear as it could possibly be.

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One year after the last time these two schools played, the Tennessee Lady Vols would make their last Final Four, winning a national title in the process. After that, UConn won six in eight years, including four straight, and had winning streaks of 111 games and 89 games.

Everybody following what happened noted the monopoly Auriemma had on recruiting. Want to know who didn’t have that monopoly anymore? It was the Lady Vols. Sure, people might point to UConn using its proximity to ESPN as advantage. Well, UT can use the women’s basketball Hall of Fame being in Knoxville as an advantage.

The move when complaining about that was not to end the series and continue to let Auriemma exploit that advantage. All it did was make him and the Huskies more dominant. Now, Rocky Top has a ton of work to do to get back to where UConn was.

However, Auriemma’s animosity towards the school at the moment shows that it could get back there very quickly. And doing so would only help UT, which needs its connection to UConn and that rivalry to help catapult itself to being a dominant force in recruiting once again.

UConn may be way better right now. Kellie Harper has a ton of work to do to get the Tennessee Lady Vols to that level. But regardless of what happens in this game, the national coverage surrounding it is more important than anything. The fact that it remains contentious only further serves to benefit both programs.