UConn Women's Basketball: 89-Game Win Streak IS Telling

On January 28, 1974, Notre Dame, fresh off a college football National Championship, collided with the immovable object and irresistible force combined: UCLA's indomitable basketball program. A team that up until that point had won an astounding 88 straight games.

Down 17 at halftime and 11 with 3:30 remaining, the Irish roared back to win 71-70. Notre Dame's victory over UCLA ended one of the most impressive feats in sports history. An accomplishment most thought would never be toppled in any sport, let alone by a women's team.

This evening, the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team steamrolled the 22nd-ranked Florida State Seminoles 93-62, winning their 89th consecutive game, breaking the hallowed mark of the Bruins.

When and where this streak will end is far beyond anyone's guess. Four of their next six games are against ranked opponents, with Duke looming down the road.

I'm posting this column to refute a posting by CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyle, who significantly downplayed what the Lady Huskies accomplished. I also want to preface this by stating that every team I am about to mention deserves every accolade they have received in the past.

This is in no way an attempt to diminish the outstanding achievements of men's sports to build up a women's team.

It is merely to point out that, while many, many people, Gregg included, want to point to a severe lack of competition in women's basketball—and you would get zero argument from me there—as the sole reason UConn was able to achieve this, I want to take a look at numerous past champions from men's professional sports and ask, where exactly was the competition, and in the case of the NBA, where is it still?

Since 1980 (30 years), only eight NBA teams have won a championship. L.A. won back-to-back in '87-88, as did Detroit in '89-90. Chicago won the next three, followed by two straight for Houston and then three straight again for Chicago. San Antonio won right after, then L.A. won three straight.

And I'm pretty positive L.A. won the past two championships as well. Tough competition there if only a handful of teams can win a title.

Does Gregg have a problem with the Celtics winning eight straight from 1958-1966?

I'd also like to point out that it is pretty much universally accepted that if Michael Jordan had not retired, the Bulls would have won eight straight championships. No one can think for a second that a healthy Bulls team, and it certainly could have been possible that a season-ending injury could have occurred to a major player, would not have obliterated Houston both years they won the crown.

What about the Yanks: 1936, '37,'38, '39 and then again in '41. Four straight years and five out of six. Then they won five straight from 1949-1953, including a 1947 win just two seasons prior.

Should these be discounted?

The competition couldn't have been that stiff if they were able to peel off streaks of four straight and five straight championships.   

These are two professional men's sports. Isn't the competition in men's pro sports supposed to be much more arduous than this?  

Spare me this lame argument that what the UConn women's team just accomplished is chump change. What all of these teams achieved deserves the highest praise, UConn's included.