Question Of The Day: Could The UConn Women’s Basketball Team Beat A Division 1 Men’s Squad?
As you can imagine, the arguments we have in the Dime office are often and varied. From what NBA players you could score on in a game to 100, to who has more lifetime notches on his belt than Charlie Sheen, anything is fair game. But with college basketball taking over our lives, there was one debate that got especially heated yesterday surround the following question: Could the UConn women’s basketball team beat a Division 1 men’s squad?
Before you jump to any conclusions, let me give you the facts:
- UConn currently has an NCAA-record winning streak of 72 consecutive games
- UConn is a perfect 14-0 against top-10 ranked opponents during its current 72-game winning streak
- UConn has won each one of those 72 games by double digits
I’m not going to say what answer I gave just yet, as I’ll respond in the comments below, but keep in mind that there were people on both sides of the fence. With 347 schools in 32 Division I basketball conferences, we’re talking about beating any of them in one game.
What do you think? Could they do it?
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March 10th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Heckler says:
yes.
…………..
March 10th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Bilbo Jones says:
Hell to tha naw and they wouldn’t beat D-2 school either. Come on now you guys are really tripping. lol This is coming from a former D-1 basketball player.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
JRog says:
Could they?….of course, anything is possible given the right circumstances. Is it likely, doubtful. True they are more athletic than the teams they play against, but playing against guys is a whole different game. The guy team would be extra-motivated because they wouldn’t want to be the team that lost to a women’s team.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
LP says:
Yes…the UConn men’s team:-)
March 10th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
LP says:
Yes…the UConn men’s team:-)
March 10th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Adam Flomenbaum says:
No – Not one single team – In fact, give me a DII or DIII school with 2 starters over 6’6”- 230 and i’ll take them too.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Aron Phillips says:
@Heckler
You think that the UConn women could beat a men’s D-1 team? Which one? What’s your thought process?
March 10th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Patrick Cassidy says:
ZERO chance. Even the worst D1 men’s team in the country would be too big, too strong, too fast for UConn to deal with.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Heckler says:
@ AP–
good basketball is good basketball. makes no difference if its Mens or Womens. a good team is a good team; and they have proven themselves to be a good team (and program).
if they played a 30 game Mens schedule, I believe they could get about 4 wins vs D1 Mens comp.
sheeeeit, they probably could beat the Minny TimberWolves or the Nets tonight!
March 10th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
shake&bake says:
NO! There is no chance that they could beat a men’s team. Bigger, stronger, faster. They would have a hell of a time trying to score.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
miller126 says:
NO. This is a stupid question, hell no. Men jump higher, run faster, and are waaaay stronger than women. I don’t care how good they can play together and have good fundamentals or whatever people like to say about the womens game. No woman is gonna outrun John Wall or Denis Clemente, no woman is gonna outjump Stanley “Sticks” Robinson, no woman is gonna get a shot over Demarcus Cousins or any other dude over 6’8″. I can guarantee when any chick comes down the lane to do some kind of “layup” no dude is gonna let her get near the goal, they’re either gonna a) kill the poor girl b) swat the shot into the nosebleed section or c)just pick the chick up and run with her down the court and slam dunk the chick and the ball
March 10th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
kylemac says:
A (male) college friend of mine played on the UConn Woman’s Basketball practice squad. Essentially, Geno brings in a team of guys – guys who couldn’t or didn’t walk-on to the Men’s team to scrimmage against the girls.
This guy played high school basketball but wasn’t a standout by any means. From his reports to me (I never watched practice or anything) he said that his team ran through the Woman’s team. He was about 6-2 and his main gripe was that Geno didn’t let them play physically, which makes total sense. That withstanding, he once claimed the Woman’s team never beat them once (which I assume is a little over the top).
This was during Diana Taurasi’s time on the team. He also said the girls could definitely hoop, and Diana was lights out.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
nerditry says:
The only way that the women could do it is fantastic team basketball. They may get beat on the boards or on fast breaks, but at worst I think they could be competitive as they play together as well (or better) than any team men or women in the country.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Naw! Come on now, Word of GOD Academy might end their streak lol.
Most def. would not happen. No disrespect to females but my homies and I chopped this up some time ago.
The scales would have to be obsurd in order for them to win. Like 5 on 2 obsurd lol.
Sorry that ain’t happening.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Big Island says:
link to answer: nope.com
March 10th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
RC says:
We all know that men and women in sports are not equal. Lets face it. Other wise there would be no seperate mens and womens divisions in every sport. Geez even billiards the women cant beat men in the world championships. And thats not even a game of strength, speed and athleticism. And you gonna ask about basketball? The worst D1 team can crush the UCONN womens team by 40 points.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
RC says:
We all know that men and women in sports are not equal. Lets face it. Other wise there would be no seperate mens and womens divisions in every sport. Geez even billiards the women cant beat men in the world championships. And thats not even a game of strength, speed and athleticism. And you gonna ask about basketball? The worst D1 team can crush the UCONN womens team by 40 points.
The right answer to this question is NO
March 10th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
sweetv0mit says:
they definitely cant… not knocking on those women, they just wont be able to go head to head… its kinda like asking the recent wnba champion, phoenix mercury if they can beat the nets…. the nets will win but definitely gonna be tight lol
March 10th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
RunSFC says:
possible. physically and size wise, the men would/should dominate. I’d expect the women to get killed on the boards and in the post. however, if the women are hitting their 10-12 ft jumpers all day, it’d be an interesting game. women tend to be more fundamentally sound on the j since they can’t rely on pure athleticism around the rim.
bear in mind, these are the best college women in the nation so they’d make it interesting to watch.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
silky says:
are you guys even serious?
put these joke links away till april fools
March 10th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
danocasa says:
Yeah, as much as I considered saying that they could beat one team, i really dont think they could. They would have to have a 100% field goal percentage. They would never get a rebound, get beat down the flooe every time. I think their point guard is like 5 foot nothing. How would she see the floor with guys who are like a foot taller, faster, and way stronger guarding her? And if the guys team threw on a trap? Disasterous. I dont think the girls would get completely mopped, but a twenty to thirty-piecing would be a safe assumption. the guys would crush them simply based on pride.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Azad says:
I think a better question is, could the Uconn women’s team beat the best high school team in the country? Or what about an average high school team?
I am a fan of a pretty terrible D1 basketball team (Michigan) who is drastically undersized, and they would STILL be way bigger than Uconn-how are the women even going to score? who can create a shot?
March 10th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
JBaller says:
I think UCONN’s women could beat most of the guys posting on here! But I don’t think that they could beat an actual DI Men’s team. I bet they have better fundamentals than many men’s teams, but they wouldn’t be able to compete in a physical game.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Big V says:
Agree with Azad. The high school question is a more apt one. That said, no way do they beat a top HS team.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Kevin says:
I once had this argument with a girl from school with Holdsclaw from Tennessee. Then I showed her a clip of Holdsclaw playing some random dude from the Y and he was killllllling her. And she was just as nice as any girl baller I’ve ever seen.
The answer is no. And no Candace Parker could not play in the NBA.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
srb says:
this was the question of the day like a month ago in Connecticut
March 10th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
Absolutely not.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
danocasa says:
just checked the roster on the uconn website, tallest girl on the team is 6’4″ (and we all know those roster heights arent legit). Maya Moore (the all world forward) is only six feet tall! just like azad said, whos creating a shot? are this girls setting monstorous backpicks on a team of guys where there is great potential that the point guard is bigger than their center? Nope.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
miller126 says:
My first comment got erased! Go figure….
March 10th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
jmiller says:
hell f@#king no
March 10th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
miller126 says:
never mind, now its back
March 10th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
GimmeDemSocks says:
maybe in a cooking contest…
March 10th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
josh says:
i think they could take Oklahoma and UNC into overtime! just this year though! haha
March 10th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Azad says:
Even guys who would be considered relatively unathletic in the college game would be like the most dominant inside players in the world against Uconn women. Jon Scheyer would probably pull down 25-30 rebounds in a game.
What if we put John Wall, Evan Turner, and Cole Aldrich out on the court against the starting 5 of Uconn women’s team. Who you guys got?
March 10th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Jason says:
This was a topic on local radio last week. A caller told this story.In Pennsylvania High School their Senior women’s team had just won the State Championship. They scrimmaged the freshman boy’s team from their high school. The caller was one of the freshman. The boys won 70 to 8 after four 10 minute quarters.
The way he explained was the woman’s game is not the same game. Women doesn’t have jumpshots. The guys were effectly 6 inches taller due superior jumping ability. The boys were stronger, faster and bigger. And these boys were 3 years younger. The boys team just switched on every screen because the strongest, biggest woman post player couldn’t post the smallest guard on the boy’s team.
It was this guys opinion that an average HS team would overmatch the UConn woman’s team.
On a personal note, once at college I was playing pick ball. We were playing 3 v 3. Two women who claimed to have collegiately elsewhere wanted to play and they brought their boyfriend. All 3 were about 6’1″ or 6’2″. I was a skinny 5’7″ and about 140. It worked out I was guarding a 6’2″ woman. Well 6’2″ vs 5’7″- she thought should could post me all night. She tried 6 or 7 times in a row. She couldn’t back me down. And when she tried shoot a turnaround I blocked it several times in a row. She kept getting more and more angry. I just don’t see how any women’s team could overcome their physical disadvantages.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
datdood says:
i got in an arguement with a girl who played d1 ball, and i told her she wouldn’t even be able to score on me once. we played 1 on 1 and i beat her 15 to 0, without really trying. i’ve had more trouble scoring on the high school kids i coach. You think that guys that are in shape and bigger, stronger, faster, and more atheletic than me would lose??? trippin. UCONN would get absolutely destroyed.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
BB says:
No chance. Butw hich ball are they using? A women’s ball or a men’s ball? It might keep it closer if its a women’s ball.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
thenatural says:
I remember this one time when there was a discussion on lowering the women’s rim… Enough said.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
GoEasy says:
not a chance. please…
March 10th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
James says:
Ask the Uconn players how they fare against the male scout team during practice. The athleticism makes all the difference. Ask Kyle McAlarney…
March 10th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
sh!tfaced says:
HELL NO. In a 3-point shoot out, a game like HORSE and the like, maybe. But in an actual game with all the physical shit under the boards and in defense? Ain’t no way.
March 10th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
K Dizzle says:
I was bored and actually did research before I posted.
Worst D1 squad is Alcorn State. They RPI is 347 outta 347 and they’re 2-29 on the season. The teams they beat beat better teams leavin em dead last. Best player is a 6’8 240 lbs post named JaMarkus Holt who averages 11 and 8 with 1 blk. Starting point is a kid called Jonathan Boyd and he goes 6’3 175 so bigger than Tina Charles with one less inch and he puts up 11 and 1 assists per. This team is terrible.Nobody averages more than 1.3 assists a game 3rd best player is a stringbean frosh forward named Francis who goes 6’8 189 and he puts up 10 and 6. NOBODY on the team shoots 50% from the field and most, including the two best players are in the 30s…….
That bein said, they would KILL the UCONN women. Looking at just the size disadvantage of the point guard being bigger than Charles. They won’t be able to guard a 6’8 240 post player and no disrespect, but very few women can create their own shot against taller, faster and stronger defenders who are just waiting to block the shot. I played against some of the best women players in university and these girls MURDER the comp. They play great team ball, set solid screens, crisp passes, great shooters, some will even crack your ankles if you get cocky and overplay to one side, but 3 on 3 against some intramural cats lookin for a run and there was no competition. No post ups, no open looks and NO rebounds.
This question is always interesting to think about, but let’s be real for a minute.
No chance…
March 10th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Rod says:
They would definitely beat NJ Institute of Technology
March 10th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
AllthatJazz / Amar says:
It’s not like this is tennis w/ billie jean king.
Like everyone else said: size and athleticism of the men’s team would kill this uconn squad.
While the UCONN ladies would LOVE to win against the boys, you know that the coach of every men’s team they’d play would have the guys absolutely terrified to lose to a women’s team. So even the motivation to win would be in the favor of the guys.
Reality isn’t a disney movie — otherwise the hockey mom from alaska would be president right now.
March 10th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
life-p says:
I think they will give the Nets a go!
March 10th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
isotope says:
I think they could win. One thing you guys arent considering is fouls. The guys being more physical could work against them. Imagine a male post player against a female defender. He tries to muscle his way in and his move throws her on the floor; offensive foul. On the other side of the court, most blocked shots involve some contact. That contact would force a weaker/shorter woman to the floor and then to the free throw line.
Also the height might be disadvantage. Ever try to dribble around someone 8″ shorter than you? A lower center of gravity and easy access to the ball could lead to so many steals if the ball handler isnt skilled enough.
Now if the refs let them play physical (which will never happen) the women don’t stand a chance. If not, the UConn women stand a chance against some mediocre men’s teams.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
EN FUEGO says:
Maybe not a D-1 team. But what about a pro team? I’m Filipino and I know for sure they could beat a PBA team in their sleep. Even an All-Star selection doesn’t stand a chance. As passionate as we are about basketball, our pro teams suck big time. We all have delusions of beating China and being on top in hoops in Asia. But we gotta be real, it ain’t gonna happen. The PBA here is a damn joke.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Isotope
Fouls are considered and not even close to a equalizer.
The females I watch scrap way harder and dirtier than the guys do. Dude post players bang for position and set crushing picks to get a man open, but females are VIOLENT all thru the squad. Guards hold, scratch, whatever for the advantage. Guys get into the mode of lookin good while breaking an opponent down. Girls don’t care. You wanna know why Brittany Griner clocked that girl? Watch the game and see how she was being defended. Borderline assault. The same way college dudes guarded Shaq at LSU.
No matter how the game is called, the girls don’t stand a chance. A offensive post can’t uproot a defender, but the defender can’t prevent a post from sittin under the basket and postin up.
If I’m 6’8 240 and got a 6’4 160 female guardin me, I don’t need to charge. I’ll walk to the block, take a big step into the paint, turn around and set up. EVERYTIME
March 10th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
cru_thik305 says:
no way, it will never happen. i would go on to say that a women’s team couldn’t beat a men’s team going 5 on 4. the average man is probably just as athletic as the women’s UConn team, so that would mean that a d1 player would be like a 100 more athletic. lets not forget how good you have to be to even PLAY D1. The worst player on the worst d1 team could easily dominate womens college basketball.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
k-smooth says:
Answer of the day: No
March 10th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
isotope says:
@KDizzle: If the girls are smart all they have to do is allow themselves to fall over when you move them out of their spot. She gets in his path on his way to his spot under the basket and does her best Scola impersonation and the whistle blows. Remember it’s easier to draw charges in college ball.
The girls you’re talking about fight and play aggressive because they have to. They’ll find a way to get an advantage. Geno is a good enough coach. Maybe get under the skin of one of the male players bad enough for him to get ejected.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
sweetv0mit says:
@Rod I was thinking the same thing… But I wasnt sure if NJIT was D1 so I didnt comment about it lol
March 10th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Chris says:
Maybe another question could be, how good of a men’s team would the 5 best female ballers in the world beat?
March 10th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Isotope
so you think the UCOnn womens team, who have won 72 straight games, would just start flopping and diving rather than competing and playing basketball?
Then they’ll somehow frustrate a male player so much hat he’ll get ejected on something like techs?
……..agree to disagree
Prairie View or Alcorn St by 20
March 10th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
whitecollar says:
Let me help…
As kylemac was saying, Geno does bring guys in to play/practice with the girls.
I graduated from UConn 2 years ago (Maya Moore’s frosh year), and practiced with the girls team during my Sr. year.
To keep it brief, I was impressed, but NO they could not beat a men’s team. In this time of conference championships, even some of these men’s teams who’re the top teams in their respective conference’s look terrible (sorry William & Mary, it’s true). Although even these guys would be these or any group of girls.
I go 5’10 185, and have played my whole life. Before playing with the girls I spent 2 years playing with the guys, but skill is not the reason the guys would win 99 out of 100 times, it’s pure physicality.
Myself and the other guys would come in hungover, wreaking of booze, often on a couple hours sleep. On these days we could back the girls down from half court and take them where you wanted.
While I did find them to be better shooters then the guys and more athletic then I would have thought (Maya Moore could play D1 mens and Kalana Green) men would still beat them 99 out of 100 times.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Austin Burton says:
Addition to @kylemac and @whitecollar –
I covered Washington State University for two seasons, and I watched some of the women’s practices against the “scout team” guys. I knew a couple of the dudes; one of them played HS ball and the other didn’t. None of them were over 6-1 or 6-2. From what I recall, the scrimmages weren’t a blowout one way or the other, and WSU was a bad Pac-10 women’s team. You could tell the guys weren’t being as physical as they could’ve been, but the girls held their own.
I wouldn’t rule it out that the UConn women could beat a bad D-1 men’s team. Everyone keeps citing “bigger, stronger, faster,” but how many times do we see more athletic teams on every level get beat by teams that play better team basketball, that shoot the ball better, that play a team defensive scheme?
March 10th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
DeezNutz says:
WHAT!? Yeah right! They good and good for them for their streak and everything but come on Dime lets not get carried away here.
March 10th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
K Dizzle says:
“but how many times do we see more athletic teams on every level get beat by teams that play better team basketball, that shoot the ball better, that play a team defensive scheme?”
All the time when men vs men, but even then, you don’t need ahleticism to play hard, rebound, box out, set picks, fight thru them and hit open shots.
On the other hand, a fundamentally sound and athletic women’s squad would still be hardpressed to beat a “bad” men’s team that can still overpower in the blocks, that can outjump when blockin shots and rebounding, that can outrun to the ball, recovering on defense, breaking out on the fastbreak.
Point blank tho, there’s a reason we’ree only speculatin about how they’d do against the very worst D-1 men’s squads even though they might be the best college women’s team of all time…
I’m out
March 10th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Colton says:
simply put
possibly yes, probably no
March 10th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Ryan says:
No chance, the top few high school guys teams could beat them…it’s just a different game
March 10th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
e says:
okay… dime are you losing your minds of course not they couldnt beat a top boys high school team
March 10th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Chicagorilla says:
As much as i am a big supporter of womens basketball and good basketball in general. No way in hell would this happen. In a real game, real enviorment.
UCONN women vs D1 = D1 blows them out by 20 every time
UConn women vs d2 = D2 blows them out 90% of the time but never losing
UCONN women vs highschool team = UConn women would win unless there is a true D1 talent on the boys high school side.
Now if you put an All-world team of women and played them vs a D2 team, they may actually win those games assuming that the D2 teams tallest player is 6’8 or so.
Any college team with a 6’10 male player and avg men players will win off physical ability. Its just nature.
But if you put guys on the court of equal athletic ability, these girls would win because they are talented.
March 10th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin
Oh and as much as i would love to believe it…the womens game doesn’t have that much more fundamentals. like i’ve said before, I coach girls basketball. While you will see a few here and there, once they compete against boys, the are avg at best athletically and that wouldn’t be enough vs a low level D1 or even a D2 team with avg size and strength.
the woman who has the best chance of playing against men isn’t the Candace Parker 6’4 center type. It’d be the 6′ Mya Moore who can play PG. Or the 5’6 quick guard like Ivory latta who may not score, but can pass and distribute. plus she has help on defense (if they try to post her up) and that’ll only matter if the opposing Pg has post up skills.
So you may be able to put a Turasi, Parker, Griner, Mya Moore, Slyvia Fowels, S.Augustus on a boys team one at a time and yes they will hold their own…D1 (mid-major) or D2. They will not dominate though and you could only have one on the court at a time.
March 10th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
haslem says:
in one exhibition game no way. but over 30 games maybe they start getting there chops up and steal a win. size, hops and strength would clearly be an issue. but maybe even speed as well. I dunno what bottom of the barrel D1 teams are like but I’m sure they all have a couple 6’9+ guys on each team. Heck Canadian college teams have some big guys
March 10th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Chicagorilla — Don’t get me wrong, I’m not that guy who goes around saying women’s basketball is generally more fundamentally sound than men’s. I can watch and appreciate the women’s game (much better in person than on TV), but I know their fundamentals are often the same level or worse. But if you do have a women’s team that executes at a high level versus a sloppy men’s team with a losing culture, it could be close.
Here’s a question: If you took a good but not dominant HS boys team like, say, Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) — they have one All-American in 6-9 G/F Terrence Jones, one D-1 caliber forward who’s like a 6-6 White Shawn Marion, and nobody else that great — and put them against UConn’s women, who wins?
March 10th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
russ says:
hell they could probably beat the means team at their own school this year!
March 10th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Buck says:
No way. From just a skills and fundamental standpoint yes, but when you factor in athletic ability, height, strength and explosiveness it is not even close.
March 10th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Buck says:
@ Austin Burton- the High School Boys team wins. Terrence Jones lights them up by himself, throw in another decent player and it’s a blowout. Honestly, who does UConn have to deal with a 6’9 manchild? It’s like asking a shooting guard to guard Shaq (back in the day).
March 10th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
D.H. says:
I will give you an example from another sport. The Canadian Women’s Gold medal hockey team in preparation for the Olympics played a bunch of Junior Men/Boys teams. They did not win one game. They lost to a team of 17/18 year olds. These are the best female hockey players in the world and they couldn’t beat a bunch of teenagers from Northern Canada.
My answer is NO. Women cannot beat Men in sports.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
dejavu says:
haha this is ridiculous….even if its the worst D1 team on their worst shooting night it wouldn’t even be close..the men would just have to dump the ball inside post up all night n its over….the UConn’s starting center is prolly the height of an average mens 2 guard….plus the women would get swatted at all night long…it be like watching volleyball…..
I can’t believe dime is actually publishing this…lol
March 10th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
DB says:
Yes I’m pretty sure they can beat Alcorn state or bryant university!
March 11th, 2010 at 12:56 am
rjohns23 says:
The better question is could they beat a “High School” team. Like most people previously said, the mens college basketball teams are just too athletic. Basketball is more of an athletic sport. Against a High School, the team most likely will not be all that athletic.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:04 am
big mo says:
Their tallest player is what???6’2, right…do you know what it is like to have your point guard being bigger than the other teams center??they really need to do this… Since the players on the worst d1 team would be angry from all that losing, it would be nice to see them take their frustrations off on the uconn women…
March 11th, 2010 at 8:36 am
JAY says:
The argument is whether or not the best women’s team team can beat any men’s team…. so I guess that includes the worst men’s team too. My answer is a resounding “HELL FUCKIN’ YES!!!”
People in here talking about “the men are more athletic, faster, and stronger than the women”… but if a team (men or women) is horrible, with horrible players, and a terrible coach, it don’t matter how big or strong they are. Remember the US Scream Teams?? They were the biggest, strongest, fastest teams at those world championships but they got KILLED. They couldn’t guard Greece who were much smaller, and much slower than the US Team. Yes, I know the Greece team was a men’s team but i’m just proving my point that size and athleticism don’t mean anything if the other team is operating like a well-oiled machine.
In short, the UConn Womens’ team would beat the worst D1 Men’s team.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:23 am
K Dizzle says:
@ Jay
There is nothing worse than exaggerating to make a point.
Unfortunately, Greece didn’t “KILL” the USA. The Final score was 101-95.
They couldn’t guard Greece because those guys had been playing together for years and ran crisp sets while the US was put together overnight still thinkin it was ’92. There was a reason USA Basketball made guys commit to a 3 year sched in order to be picked and Spain still hung around till the final minutes in ’08. Also, the US wasn’t bigger or stronger than Greece. The point guard, Spanoulis, was the smallest Greek player and at 6’4, hes bigger than Iverson, Marbury, and Bibby. Their frontline was as big as the US and their biggest player, “Baby Shaq” at 6’11, 315 lbs was bigger than Duncan, J. O’Neal and Stoudamire…
Comparing professional mens teams to each other in a 6 point game means nothing.
George Mason got to the Final Four when nobody knew who they were, because all things being equal, good basketball with equal athleticism will get you a win.
In short, Greece vs USA means nothing as far as UConn women beating ANY D1 mens squad.
March 11th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
danocasa says:
haha damn k dizle did you have to run over jay like that?
heres the rundown:
would the uconn women (tallest player: 6’4″) ever score in the paint against even an AVERAGE-to-SMALL sized mens team? No. The men wouldnt ever have to jump to try and defend shots, so post moves would never work because the men would never be out of position. So the girls would have to rely on jumpers. But none of them have the required combination of quickness, ball handling, balance, and especially strength (not to mention a quick shot release) to create their own shot. So how would they get open? With cuts and screens and ball movement. Are the uconn women (tallest player: 6’4″, shortest player: 5’4″) setting crushing backpicks and cutting across/down the lane against a team where the smallest player would be roughly the same size as Uconns biggest player? Not to mention that all the men would be way stronger, jump WAY higher, be faster, and quicker. The girls would need a 100% field goal percentage just to score in the double digits, because theyre not getting any rebounds.
And to whoever is saying that the girls who have a chance because the big bad boys would knock over the wittle itty bitty girls, what the hell is that about? The guys wouldnt have to jump to block shots, and wouldnt have to use their hand to stay in front of anyone. The girls arent LBJ, and no ref would give them a call because a little contact threw the little girl to the ground. And even if the refs did give the girls the calls, it wouldnt even be close to enough help to stop the girls from getting crushed.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Claw says:
Div 1, no way. Girls are better shooters than guys but not nearly as athletic and would be hard pressed to get a shot off.
Artie Lang (short and fat) from the Howard Stern show almost beat a Div 1 woman player 1 on 1 and he was drunk! Drinking Jack/Cokes during the game and he lost 15-12.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Sporty-j says:
I know that that they are doing there thing. But UCONN womens team doesnt have any great 3 point shooters this year. They just beat a lot of teams up in the paint which means that a division 3 team would even kill them. I like the center and the shooting guard all-american girl but i think the womens team for Uconn that featured DIANA T would put this team to sleep 9 out of 10 easily if not 10- out of 10. I think there dominance is because there just arent any other dominant teams out there and most of all superstars like years past. These women now are soft if you ask me and its more of a mental thing from what im seeing but they are good. But never compare this womens team to a bunch of grown men. They would get hurt and dunked on all game. All you have to do is watch them and see that if you can shut down there 2 all-americans you have a 30% chance. I would make them shoot and let the rest of there players beat me…
March 11th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Mr. BBall says:
same kind of analogy. When I went to college our girls team was pretty good. Like tops in the conference. I however didn’t even play high school ball. But we were playing with a few of the girls in a game of 21. One of the girls was one of the best on the team. What happend…EASY
No comparison. D1-D2-D3 all over Uconn chicks.
Maybe they would give average high school boys teams a run.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
paul muratori says:
As good as they are-and they are awesomely talented–just the height and size disparity would not let them compete for a full 20 minutes. So….no
March 12th, 2010 at 12:08 am
the taint says:
Hell na! come on they cant even dunk dude a division 3 school would spank them
March 12th, 2010 at 1:48 am
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin,
In the case of that HS boys team with one AA, and one D1 player. It would come down to coaching and i’d bet that Geno would have a much better game plan that whoever coaches at that school. Plus the girls will play harder, they don’t know any other way. So yes, the UCONN womens team would win that game 50% of the time. It would actually be fun to watch. You got me thinking now, I may have to bring a few boys teams in the scrimmage my girls.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:11 am
kingralf says:
In no atheltic sport like soccer, football, basetkball or what so ever do women have a chance of winning against a mens team.
e.g. german soccer bundesliga or national teams teams(highest league in germany and one the worlds best national team) often train against mens/boys teams who are aged 16+ and play in the worst men´s league (it would be like a division 7 in basketball). they just don´t have a chance.
imho even good (not even great) hs teams would win against uconn´s womens team.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:42 am
leeroy says:
I think the women’s Uconn team would even have a hard time against some of the better AAU squads out there. No offense.
March 24th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Luke Ross says:
A better question is What women team has the best chance of beating UCONN in the tourment, and dont say none, because anyteam can play bad for one game. and upset are a part of the game, i say Tennesse going beat them in the semi fiNAL
March 24th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Wally Zebco says:
Oh please any men’s team play them so people would learn.
March 24th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Dr.Knowledge says:
No one would allow this to happen. To actually be able to compare the difference between boy’s and women’s abilities would ruin women’s sports.
Better to have people debate this than show it.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
triint says:
Girls basketball is a joke compared to mens…..and average high school team could beat the Uconn women…and no….no girl can play with men even if it is 6″8 Britany Griner…she would get completely dominated on every aspect of the game…she would struggle to even get one rebound
April 15th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
austin says:
Put a amare stoudemire or equal size and skill on any men’s team full of average street guys and the men would win 99 out of 100 times. They wouldn’t get a rebound, they would get posted all night or day. Then put a guy who has moderate passing skills in there and it’s all over, the men would never loose.