Will Women's Basketball Ever Grow Up?

While the UConn men were making their miraculous run through the Big East tournament and then summarily dismantling Bucknell in the first second of the NCAA tournament, all anyone on the women’s side of things was talking about was the UConn women matching up with Tennessee.

In three weeks. Maybe. If they both win four games first.

WOO!!! UConn vs. Tennessee!!! Pat vs. Geno! Go crazy!

Yeah, I don’t think so. There’s one person in women’s basketball who I know hasn’t even mentioned the game – Geno Auriemma.

Why? Two reasons. One, Auriemma (like every coach) subscribes to the one-game-at-a-time philosophy. There’s nothing wrong with that. But the second reason is even more important: Auriemma’s (and therefore by extension his team) are looking at a title, not a semifinal victory.

It’s not a surprise the media would focus on the potential UConn vs. Tennessee matchup in the Final Four, but it’s a sad commentary on the state of the women’s game. Everyone knows women’s basketball doesn’t have the depth of talented teams as men’s basketball. And that’s to be expected. Women’s basketball is still building. The first NCAA tournament wasn’t until 1982 and it only expanded to 64 teams in 1994.

Maybe most importantly, the grassroots organizations (AAU, summer camps, development camps) that are so important to building competition at the youth level even before college haven’t been in place nearly as long as in the men’s game.

But still, what’s taking so long?

I feel like I’ve been making the arguments of that last paragraph for most of my (admittedly young) life. Notre Dame winning the title in 2001 was supposed to usher in a new era of competitive basketball. It didn’t. As we know, UConn ran off a run of unparalleled success (five titles in 10 years) and Tennessee cleaned up most of the others in a repeat of their own. The other two titles (besides Notre Dame) in that span were Baylor (2005) and Maryland (2006).

Ironically, in the decade before Notre Dame’s victory there were actually six different champions – one more than the most recent decade.

We are now approaching the start of what will be the 30^th tournament in women’s basketball history. And what’s the first thing out of people’s mouths when the brackets are released? Not, “Oh, look at that first-round matchup,” or even, “wow, this region is stacked with three or four good teams.”

No, the overwhelming sentiment is – UConn vs. Tennessee in the Final Four. Geno vs. Pat!!! WOOO!

This meaningless side story actually has gotten more play than what the eventual national title matchup will be. So, yes, the sport is growing, but in maybe no other year more than this one it is evident just how much further there is to go.