Geno Auriemma's Teary-Eyed Paige Bueckers Postgame Glance Has UConn Fans Emotional
The UConn Huskies women's basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2025 NCAA Tournament with their 91-57 win over South Dakota State on Monday night.
While this is certainly a significant result for UConn, the evening was made even more emotional because it marked the final time that beloved star guard Paige Bueckers would be playing at UConn's Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in her college career.
After the game, Bueckers (who tied her career-high with 34 points in the contest) addressed the home crowd, discussing how much this time with the Huskies has meant to her and how grateful she is to have spent these past five seasons where she's at.
Bueckers, head coach Geno Auriemma, and Azzi Fudd all spoke during the team's postgame press conference. The final question addressed to the players was for Bueckers, asking about her emotions about her final game in that arena. After her eloquent response about how much UConn has meant to her, the camera followed Bueckers leaving the podium.
The camera then panned to Auriemma seated next to her, who looked visibly emotional, even teary-eyed, watching her walk away before his part of the presser.
The Bleacher Report women's sports Instagram account posted a video of this moment with the caption, "Coach Geno was emotional as Paige Bueckers was leaving the presser 🥹💙".
Other UConn fans are noting this rare emotional moment from Auriemma on X. One fan posted the video and wrote, "😭😭😭that's his grandbaby😭😭SOLD AS A SET. PLEASE DO NOT SEPARATE."
😭😭😭that's his grandbaby😭😭SOLD AS A SET. PLEASE DO NOT SEPARATE. pic.twitter.com/pWS2Afbbuy
— Ntsika (@Snipershot30) March 25, 2025
Another added, "poor grandpa going through for real 😭💔".
poor grandpa going through for real 😭💔
— samar (@apsamar_5) March 25, 2025
There's clearly so much mutual respect and adoration for these two UConn legends, who are looking to capture the team's first National Championship since 2016.
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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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