UConn –Duke A Rivalry?

 This week our Art Benedict gives his insight into the UConn vs. Duke rivalry. Art knows his UCONN Basketball!!!!

Article by Art Benedict   
 

So it’s been a little while now since the 2014-2015 UConn men’s basketball team lost 66-56 to the Number 2 team in the country, the Duke Blue Devils. Water has gone under the bridge. Duke is still Number 2 in the country and the Huskies have found a little bit of that swagger that won them the National Championship last season. Since that loss UConn has gone on to defeat Columbia 80-65 behind a career high 21 points from Rodney Purvis and 20 points from Ryan Boatright,  and a rather easy win over in-state rival Central Connecticut (who are also aptly named the Blue Devils) 81-48 in which 5 Huskies were in double figures including Kentan Facey who had his first career double-double. So things have turned around a bit for UConn since losing to the Dukies, but when die hard UConn fans thing of Duke-UConn they don’t associate it with the recent loss. No, No, No!  If you bleed Husky Blue you have to go all the way back to 1990  in the Elite Eight. Still today the name “Christian Laettner” brings the hair on the back of my neck to attention. The Huskies looked like they were on their way to defeating the heavily favored Blue Devils and move on to the Final Four. They were 31-5 overall that season, and  12-4 in the Big East. They were the Big East regular season co-champs, and were Big East Tournament Champions over the likes of Georgetown, Villanova and Syracuse. But Laettner put up a last second shot that snuffed out the hopes and dreams of a Husky nation and a sudden end to a “Dream Season. On that roster that year for the Huskies were some very notable names. Chris Smith, Nadav Henefeld, Tate George, John Gwynn, Scott Burell, Lyman Depriest, and Steve and Tim Pikiell. Oh yes, and many people forget a young man who played basketball at Torrington High School and later went on to play in the NBA, Murray Williams, (yes, brother of Jordan) was on that highly touted team. Heck! Coach Calhoun hadn’t fallen off of his bike once before 1990.  And for Duke, outside of CL, there was Alaa Abdelnaby, Robert Brickley, Clay Buckley, Joe Cook, Bobby Hurley and Bill McCaffrey. But for Husky fans, it was all about Christian Laettner. But outside of that game, the Blue Devils would defeat the Huskies the following season 81-67 in the Sweet 16. But UConn turned it around on March 29, 1999 when it defeated Duke 77-74 at Tropicana Field to win the first of its four national titles.   And in 2004  they beat Duke 79-78 in the Final Four and went on to win the National Championship with a victory over Georgia Tech.

So does a rivalry exist based on just one player or a few wins and losses between two teams? Sometimes one school considers another being a rivalry. For instance, Providence fans look at UConn as a hated rival. UConn fans tend not to give the Friars much thought.  Kevin Freeman, who is now a UConn director of basketball administration was on that 1999 National Championship team and says, “All we had to do is win the one. So, I don’t know about the next 10 times. I don’t think you play anybody in college 10 times in four years. I’ll take the one.” “I think it’s a great rivalry, in the sense that every time we play it’s been a great game. The early 90’s games, the game we beat them and also in the 2000’s—it’s going to be a great game, it’s going to be fun for the fans, and it’s fun for us overall.”

And if you ask current head basketball coach Kevin Ollie? “ We have more historic rivalries with Syracuse and Georgetown, of course. But whenever UConn and Duke goes, you go back and relive the past, the Christian Laettner incident, all the different things that happened during our past when those two teams got together. A lot of memorable things in NCAA basketball history that came between these two teams when they got on the court.”

Duke however may see things a bit differently when it comes to UConn being a rival. They are in the tough ACC where they have their own rivalry’s in North Carolina and NC State.

One former Duke alumni when asked about Duke-UConn stated, “ We don’t really use that term “rival”. They’re (UConn) a team we definitely respect and have had outstanding teams, won national championships, and defeated us before. It’s a program you have a high level of respect for, and you have to bring your “A” game against.”

So there you have it. Rivalry or not, Duke currently boasts a 6-4 all-time advantage in games played against UConn, but Husky fans can rest on the fact that some of its greatest wins (and perhaps its toughest loss, thank you very much Christian Laettner) came at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. And none greater that that 1999 championship game.

Next week: UConn women- New Kids on the Block.