UConn Basketball NCAA Trophy Tour

The UConn “twins” tour Connecticut
Photo credit: Jennie Mancinone

The UConn Huskies made history in April when both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won the NCAA tournament for the second time since 2004. This summer, Webster Bank sponsored a Connecticut tour of “The Twins”, a.k.a the NCAA championship trophies, wrapping up this past week in my hometown.

For the last five years, I’ve watched every season of UConn women’s basketball with my soon-to-be 95 year old grandmother. Living in CT, we’re lucky because until the broadcast rights got picked up by ESPN this season and SNY the year before that, Connecticut Public Television (PBS) aired almost every women’s game. Without CPTV’s passionate commitment, those games never would have seen the light of day, except maybe come tourney time on ESPNU.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the broadcast changes but I’ve got to admit, it’s nice to watch real commentary during timeouts instead of pledge drives. And while I love former UConn star Kara Wolters on SNY, I’m a huge fan of Kara Lawson, and it’s always a treat to hear UConn legend Rebecca Lobo commentating for ESPN. It’s also nice that the women’s game is able to reach a much broader audience.