UConn's Geno Auriemma Reveals Big East 'Big Picture Issues' Amid Poor NCAA Tournament Presence

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma got honest about the Big East only having two teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Apr 1, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma speaks to the media after defeating the Stanford Cardinal in the Final Four semifinals of the women's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Geno Auriemma and his UConn Huskies women's basketball team learned they were a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday after the entire bracket was revealed. This sets them up for a potential showdown with No. 1 seed USC in the Elite Eight.

While some expected that UConn would receive a No. 1 seed after ending the season as AP's No. 3 ranked team, the fact that they don't play in a Power Five conference surely hurt their standing among the selection committee. Not to mention that it was a down year for UConn's Big East conference overall, as just UConn and Creighton (who is a No. 9 seed) made it to the big dance.

Auriemma seems to be feeling pretty good about where his team ended up. But the same can't be said about the Big East's poor NCAA Tournament presence, which he detailed when speaking with the media on Sunday.

"That's a problem. That's a big problem. And that's a problem that has to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed ASAP," Auriemma said of the Big East having two teams get NCAA Tournament bids, per an X post from SNY.

He also added, "So when we go to the Big East meetings, some of these things are going to have to be addressed. And they're not just women's basketball issues. I think those are big picture issues that involve the whole league... Maybe we don't get the respect we deserve, I don't know. Once again, if you can go 4-12 in your league and you can still make the NCAA Tournament and get an eight seed, what's that say about does it matter what you do in the regular season?"

"So yeah, I think it's a big picture fix," Auriemma said.

Geno Auriemma was asked about the Big East only getting two bids in the tournament:

"Maybe we don't get the respect we deserve. If you can go 4-12 in your league and you can still make the NCAA Tournament and get an eight seed, does it matter what you do in the regular season?" pic.twitter.com/lzMEQC1OLm

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 17, 2025

It will be interesting to see how the Big East tries to address these "big picture issues" in the coming years.