Geno Auriemma Rips NCAA for Fake Student-Athlete Sentiment After UConn Final Four Win
UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma had a lot to be happy about on April 4, as his team produced a dominant win over the UCLA Bruins in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four to advance to the national championship game against South Carolina.
And while Auriemma was in good spirits after the game, this didn't stop him from putting the NCAA on blast for its travel schedule and gender discrepancy when speaking with the media postgame, as he has done several times throughout this NCAA Tournament.
"You know why they have regionals? So they can cut costs," Auriemma said, per an X post from No Cap Space WBB. "So they want to do it on the cheap, and then say, '[Look] how much money we're making, isn't the NCAA great, look at the new TV package we got. And you know how much money we're making?' Yeah, because we're short-changing the kids."
He later adds, "You have really true basketball people making basketball decisions on the men's side. And the only people that know that are people who have been to multiple men's and women's Final Fours and can sit there and list for you the differences. Not that anybody cares.
"And listen: This isn't sour grapes. Because I don't give a god-damn where we play, when we play, who we play, what town, because we've done it and we still end up here. So this isn't about 'Oh, Geno is complaining.' I'm not complaining about anything," he continued. "I'm just telling you the student athletes, their experience sucks compared to the men's experience."
Auriemma concluded his rant by mimicking the NCAA and saying, "'But we're in this for the student-athletes.' No, you're not. No, you're not."
UConn’s Geno Auriemma ripped into the NCAA’s two regional format tonight following his team’s win against UCLA.
— No Cap Space WBB (@NoCapSpaceWBB) April 5, 2025
No Cap Space’s full clip: https://t.co/RD1webNIeU pic.twitter.com/BxcpmMKjus
Auriemma deserves a ton of credit for being willing to speak his mind, despite who he might upset with his stance.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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