Why Call Geno?

I'm not a huge fan of women's hoops, pro or college. For that matter, I'm not a big hoops fan period.

But I do know one the greatest basketball players I've seen over the last decade, male or female, is Diana Taurasi.

The former UConn and current Phoenix Mercury women's basketball star recently tested positive for a banned substance while playing in a pro league in Turkey. It was her "A" sample which provided the positive result. While a request to run her "B" sample has yet to take place, it is forthcoming, but Taurasi has been placed on provisional suspension pending those results.

According to the story on SI.com, calls were placed to UConn coach Geno Auriemma and had yet to receive a response.

Why? I'm not asking as to why hasn't Auriemma not responded, but why on earth would someone feel the need to contact him. If Taurasi was still a player at UConn, I completely understand. Yes, she is a former player. I know that's the connection here.

Even if Auriemma were to respond, I'm positive he would be a bit surly and/or terse with his response. We all remember his now famous pseudo rant when approaching John Wooden's record for consecutive wins within college hoops. That attitude would project through in any statement or comment.

And the timing couldn't have been worse. Auriemma and his current crop of Lady Huskies were in pursuit of that landmark victory.

Let the coach and his players enjoy their feat, and holiday season, in peace. While I'm sure he's concerned of the news regarding Taurasi, his opnion on the matter is reserved for he and Taurasi. Not anyone else.

The Dynasty Keeps Rolling

In baseball, you have the New York Yankees. In the NBA, it's the Boston Celtics. The Montreal Canadians in the NHL. UCLA and John Wooden in men's basketball. Penn State in women's volleyball. Just some examples of dynasties in sports.

Add the Connecticut Lady Huskies to that list...again.

After yet another beatdown, the UConn women broke their own record for most consecutive wins in women's college basketball. They even broke their own record which was 70. It now stands at 71 with the Big East Conference tourney final against 9th ranked West Virginia coming tonight at 7:00 PM. A win would not only make it 72, but it would also give UConn the automatic bid for the NCAA women's tournament.

Like they need that automatic bid.

The one constant in both streaks has been head coach Geno Auriemma. If you get a seal of approval from Bob Knight, you've pretty much received the ultimate approval.

In assessing the miraculous run, one fact should just punch everyone, the average margin of victory of almost 33 points a game. The closest was 10. Not a single digit win. They have not even really been pushed.

All this dominance brings about a big question. Is this good for women's basketball? Anytime a team is as dominant as UConn has been, the question will be asked.

One place people look is the ratings...and they are up. View those numbers and you're immediate response is "yes". We live in a society where numbers mean so much. The increase in ratings could be a boost in ad dollars, but I have a feeling those figures are a bit skewed.

More people are watching, but they're are watching the game for two reasons. One is because it's the UConn women. The second is a byproduct of the first. They want to see if the streak will continue. It leaves all involved holding that dreaded double-edged sword.

Instead of asking if this streak is good for women's basketball, we might want to ask this: How will the interest be after UConn loses? They will eventually lose a game. That will be the true measuring stick of exactly how popular women's basketball is or if it is growing in interest.

I'm sure a few new fans have jumped on board. The previous UConn teams of the early 2000's is one reason why women's basketball holds an audience still today. It's the casual hoops fan that needs to be roped in and held. It's similar to the situation the NHL has found itself thrust into since the Olympics and the high ratings the gold medal final between the US and Canada produced.

I have no doubt that if the Lady Huskies continue this historic run all the way to the final, it will pave even more roads for women's basketball.

Just for the record, UConn has played West Virginia once this season. The final score was 80-47.

But what if they drop a game before the NCAA championship game? Will these "new fans" stick around?