On Saturday afternoon, the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy shared a Tweet that erupted in a negative way. Shaughnessy wrote: "UConn women beat Miss St. 98-38 in NCAA tourney. Hate to punish them for being great, but they are killing women's game. Watch? No thanks." In response to UConn's, blow out victory over Mississippi State in the Sweet Sixteen, a Husky fan would expect nothing but positive feedback from a sports' writer. Up until this point, journalists have only praised the dominant UConn Huskies, as they have proved that they are not only the best women's team in the game, but one of the best teams in general, regardless of gender or sport. Proven virtually unbeatable, the Huskies deserve that respect from viewers. It was for this reason, that Shaughnessy's Tweet garnered explosive media attention. Not only did UConn Head Coach, Geno Auriemma, address Shaughnessy's comments in a passionate way, but media personalities wasted no time in responding to what seemed to be a negative attack on the progress being made in the women's game. Both Jay Bilas and Holly Rowe of ESPN jumped at the opportunity to defend the Huskies. Shaughnessy went as far as to write an article defending his point, clarifying his controversial Tweet, but sticking to his initial opinion. While some are defending Shaughnessy, there are still many issues and inaccuracies in his Tweet. The UConn Huskies are pushing the boundaries of women's basketball, and it is only forcing other teams to get better.

The dominance of UConn is nothing uncommon, and don't think that the gap between them and other teams hasn't been addressed before. Every year, come March, the question is always raised: Who will be the team that challenges the Huskies this year? Holding ten national championships and on the brink of an eleventh, the Huskies are accustomed to being number one. At one point, one begins to wonder if it is even fair that the other teams in the nation have to compete with a program that is visibly on a different level. This is where Dan Shaughnessy's Tweet becomes relevant. The Huskies' dominance can be viewed one of two ways: their separation is ultimately hurting the game as the whole, or it is helping the game grow. While the space that UConn has created can be viewed negatively, it is only going to assist in developing the game over time.

The University of Connecticut Women's Basketball Team after a victory against Texas, Monday, March 28, 2016

UConn forces the other teams in the nation to be better. Almost every team that has played UConn looks at the game like it's an opportunity. It's a chance to play the best program in the nation, and to compete with a team that has advanced the quality of the game. In Monday's Elite Eight game, Texas competed with UConn. Although the final score had the Huskies winning by 21 points, it was by no means a blow out victory. For majority of the first half of the game, the Longhorns were efficient. They were forcing the Huskies to make mistakes and play their best basketball. Although the score started to slip away from them as the game progressed, the Longhorns gave UConn a fight. Just one year ago, Texas faced the UConn women in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, and lost by 51 points. In just one year, the Longhorns have shown a 30 point improvement. As a team, Texas has forced themselves to get better. Their motivation? They took a 51 point loss on a national stage. Any huge defeat like that would make a good team want to be better. As dominant as they are now, the UConn Huskies are pushing the boundaries of women's basketball, and making other teams reach their standard.

The Huskies celebrate Morgan Tuck for making the All-Tournament Team in the Bridgeport Region

In reality, there isn't a good excuse as to why the other teams in the nation are falling so far below the Huskies. It is true that UConn is extremely talented. It's a team composed of the nation's best player, Breanna Stewart, the nation's best point guard, Moriah Jefferson, Canadian Olympian Kia Nurse, and the extremely versatile and steady Morgan Tuck. These are only four of Connecticut's skilled lineup. UConn also has access to freshmen Katie Lou Samuelson, and Napheesa Collier, both who were McDonald's All-Americans last year. That being said, UConn isn't really a deep team. Throughout Monday's game against Texas, Geno Auriemma only went about seven players deep for majority of the game. As talented as they may be, UConn isn't as deep as one would expect them to be. That means that their large margins of victory are not completely reliant on talent. In fact, UConn's success is truly due to their work ethic and ability to execute. Other teams in the nation have just as much talent as UConn, and are not reaching their standard. For example, the University of Tennessee is nearly composed of McDonald's All-Americans. On paper, Tennessee should be a powerful team. However, this year Tennessee has had its worst record as a program, and overall lacked in team chemistry. This shows that UConn is more than just top recruits, they are a well oiled machine.

Coaches have the opportunity to go watch a UConn practice and see what they are doing to be the best team in the country. Believe it or not, the Huskies are not just trying to be the lone victors in the game of women's college basketball. Ideally, they are raising the standard and hoping that other teams join them there. So while it may seem that UConn blowing out an opponent is hurting the game and creating an unequal separation, they are actually challenging the other team to rise to the occasion and meet their standard of excellence.

The Huskies are creating a new standard in women's college basketball. They continue to push the boundaries and reach new limits every season. Their execution is formidable, and they are ultimately forcing the advancement of the game. So while now it may seem that they are taking away the competitive spirit of the game, it is making the rest of the nation step up to the plate. Women's basketball is getting better because of the UConn Huskies. So let's not punish them for being great, let's celebrate them.