Still I thought the growth in the depth of talent in the women's game over the last 5 years had made it impossible for any one program to go undefeated again, much less roll off 69 consecutive double-digit wins.
It's no secret what's going on in Storrs.
The best coach (Geno Auriemma) with the best players (Maya Moore, Tina Charles, etc.) is the best team. UCLA used the same formula to run off its 88-game winning streak in men's basketball that ended in 1973. But those UCLA teams didn't lap the field the way UConn has.
Since losing to Stanford in the national semifinals in 2008, the Huskies have played every perennial power except Tennessee, which dropped them from its schedule.
They've smoked them all.
This year already, they've won at No. 13 Texas by 25; against No. 2 Stanford by 12; at No. 11 Florida State by 19; against No. 7 North Carolina by 41; against No. 3 Notre Dame by 24; at No. 7 Duke by 33, against No. 8 West Virginia by 33; against No. 24 St. John's by 14; at No. 12 Oklahoma by 16; against No. 11 Georgetown by 18, and then the latest victory over Notre Dame.
With more girls than ever playing basketball at a high level, you would think that competitive balance would prevent such a disparity in results.
In my Small Opinion . . .
At least ESPN.com didn't blatantly question our intelligence with its list of the Top 50 soccer players of the 2010 World Cup.
With the worldwide-leader and its broadcast parent company ABC airing the proceedings from South Africa in June, it makes sense to drum up local interest by hyping a player from the United States.
The USA is a growing power and putting a homeboy at the end of the list isn't so far fetched that it insults the knowledge of American soccer fans.
But Landon Donovan?
I know the 28-year-old midfielder has been the face of Team USA and Major League Soccer for nearly a decade, but he is not one of the 50 best players in the World Cup.
He's not even the best player on Team USA.
