89 is not 88

First off, I want to say "Congratulations" to the UConn women's basketball team for winning 89 straight games by defeating #20 Florida State this past week. It is an unbelievable streak that tops the 88 game streak John Wooden's UCLA teams put together from 1971-1974. Of course, ESPN has covered the streak nonstop and I have seen analysts debating which streak is greater. I've heard it both ways but here's my take on the whole thing: I believe UCLA's streak is far more impressive but at the same time the two are not comparable. It's apples and oranges.

UCLA won 88 games in men's basketball during the early 70's which is a remarkable feat that may never be topped. I don't think UConn's streak will be broken for a long time unless Geno can do it again...if they ever suffer a loss. The reason UCLA's streak is so much more impressive is because the men's game is far more competitive than the women's game. Often the 25th ranked team can beat a top 10 team in men's basketball but in the women's game there is no parity. Year in and year out, UConn and Tennessee stay at the top of the polls and a handful of schools such as Stanford, Baylor and Duke remain competitive but UConn has never had a real threat. Baylor gave them a game at the beginning of the year but in UConn's last two games against ranked opponents they beat #10 Ohio State and #20 Florida State by 30+ points. The women's game just isn't as competitive as the men's game and that's why UCLA's streak will always stand out as the premier winning streak in college basketball.

That said, these two streaks are hardly comparable. The men's and women's game are two different things and therefore they are both impressive in their own sense. I can't stand to see people say UConn's is more impressive because the final number isn't everything. What's impressive is the competition the team played and where they won them at. So in my mind, John Wooden's teams still hold the honor for the most impressive win streak.