University of Connecticut women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma expressed frustration with the NCAA over changes to the tournament format made without input from coaches or players.[1]
The 72-year-old Auriemma, who has coached UConn since 1985 and led the team to 11 NCAA Division I championships,[4] spoke at a press conference after a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA Tournament.[1]
The NCAA implemented a shift to two super-regional sites for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight starting with the 2024 championship, departing from the prior four-site regional structure.[3]
Auriemma pointed to logistical challenges at shared arenas with eight teams, including early shootaround times and late practice slots. "Know what time our shootaround was yesterday? Six twenty (a.m. ET), I think, for half an hour," he said. He noted another team had media in the morning and practice at 5:30 p.m., while UConn's was at 6:30 p.m.[1]
Auriemma opened his remarks by listing poor 3-point shooting performances from Friday's Sweet 16 games:[1]
- UConn: 4-for-20
- North Carolina: 4-for-22
- Notre Dame: 1-for-17
- Vanderbilt: 5-for-18
- UCLA: 4-for-16
- Duke: 7-for-26
He suggested new basketballs and baskets contributed to sloppy play, with players dribbling off their feet and missing layups.[1]
"I just don't understand some of the decisions that are made about our game when we're trying to grow the god---- game," Auriemma said. "Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, 'Hey, does this work?'"[1]
The NCAA has cited increased attendance as a benefit. The 2024 tournament set a record with 979,754 fans.[2] Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president for women's basketball, told ESPN that the positives outweigh the negatives.[5]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma put the NCAA on blast", March 28, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/uconn-geno-auriemma-ncaa-tournament-format-changes
- NCAA, "2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship breaks attendance record", April 7, 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2024-04-07/2024-ncaa-division-i-women%E2%80%99s-basketball-championship-breaks-attendance-record
- NCAA, "NCAA Division I Council approves changes to 68-team basketball championships", September 23, 2021, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2021-09-23/ncaa-division-i-council-approves-changes-68-team-basketball-championships
- University of Connecticut Athletics, "Geno Auriemma", accessed October 2024, https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/geno-auriemma/1458
- ESPN, "Why the NCAA chose two sites for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the women's tournament", March 29, 2024, https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39866175/ncaa-women-tournament-two-sites-sweet-16-elite-eight
