Sue Bird Pours Cold Water on UConn Coach Geno Auriemma's Viral Paige Bueckers Glance

Former UConn Huskies star Sue Bird refuted Geno Auriemma's seemingly emotional NCAA Tournament press conference moment on March 24.

Sue Bird attends a ceremony to honor the Gotham FC 2023 NWSL Championship team on September 23, 2024. | IMAGO / Newscom World

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team's March 24 victory against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the second round of the NCAA Tournament marked the final time that Huskies legend Paige Bueckers would be playing on UConn's home court in her college career.

This made for several (seemingly) emotional scenes after the game, starting with Bueckers sending a powerful message of thanks and gratitude toward the fans who were in attendance that game and to everybody who has supported her across her past five seasons.

Bueckers then joined teammate Azzi Fudd and head coach Geno Auriemma for a postgame press conference. After Bueckers' final answer about how much UConn has meant to her, the camera initially followed Bueckers leaving the press conference podium and then panned to Auriemma headed next to her, who appeared to be visibly emotional, perhaps even having tears in his eyes, after hearing what Bueckers said.

Multiple videos of Auriemma's reaction have gone viral, with fans in awe that the legendary coach showed his emotions in this way.

However, during a March 27 episode of the A Touch More podcast, former Huskies star and WNBA legend Sue Bird refuted that Auriemma was emotional in this moment.

"It's going around the internet that he was crying," Bird said after describing the aforementioned press conference moment. "And I just want to say, as someone who played there and knows this man pretty well, ain't no ******* way he was crying.

"And that has nothing to do with Paige. He might go home at night and cry about this. No way was he crying on that podium in that moment," Bird added. "No chance.

"I can't wait for somebody to ask him. I'm looking forward to somebody asking him about that," she continued. "You heard it here first. I say no chance he was crying. If anything, he was giving a look like 'These ******* guys'. That's what I caught."

sue bird thinks there is no way geno was tearing up in the post game press conference😭 pic.twitter.com/BJsjCWNCM4

— ria✧˖° (@love_wbb) March 27, 2025

We also can't wait to hear Auriemma address this moment directly.