UConn’s Geno Auriemma questions NCAA tournament setup, prep

FORT WORTH, Texas — UConn ladies’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma as soon as once more ripped the NCAA for its decisions surrounding the ladies’s basketball tournament, saying Saturday, “I just don’t understand some of the decisions that are made about our game when we’re trying to grow the goddamn game.”

Auriemma, a 12-time nationwide champion and the game’s winningest coach, opened his information convention the day earlier than his crew’s Elite Eight matchup in opposition to Notre Dame reiterating his frustration with the tournament’s two-site regional format. And after first bringing it up Friday following the Huskies’ 63-42 win over No. 4 seed North CarolinaI’ve echoed his consternation that the NCAA brings in tools for regionals that hasn’t been damaged in.

“Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, ‘Hey, does this work? Do you guys do this during the regular season? Is this normal?'” Auriemma stated.

The coach has criticized the tournament’s transfer from a four-site regional format to a two-site one for the reason that new system debuted in 2023. The NCAA instructed ESPN’s Michael Voepel this month that the two-site setup is assured for at the very least 5 extra seasons.

Having eight groups share one enviornment, Auriemma has identified, means every program finally ends up getting much less apply time within the enviornment and on the sport court docket. The Huskies’ Friday shootaround, for instance, was not held at Dickies Arena.

“Know what time our shootaround was yesterday?” Auriemma stated Saturday. “6:20, I think, for half an hour. This morning I just saw Notre Dame leaving, so they had half this morning. Their practice time is tonight at 5:30. … You know what time our practice time is? 6:30 tonight.”

duke coach Kara Lawson additionally stated she wish to see an extended shootaround for groups.

“I think you should only get a half-hour the day before the game [at the arena] and you should get an hour the day of the game of the shootaround because that’s a normal shootaround for us,” Lawson stated. “So on your game day, everybody kind of gets their normal thing.

“…I imply, two regionals, I feel the world factor is the factor that is arduous. It’s not that we’re in the identical metropolis. It’s that we do not get lengthy sufficient apply or shootaround instances within the venue on your most necessary video games of the season.”

The NCAA’s intention in moving to a two-regional format was to create a better atmosphere with increased attendance, and it has said the system has drawn the highest attendance numbers in tournament history. NCAA vice president for women’s basketball Lynn Holzman told ESPN the NCAA views the positives of the format as outweighing the negatives, at least for now.

Auriemma referenced attendance totaling 18,000 across both regionals Friday, though neither game in Fort Worth — the regional with the closest proximity to the Huskies as the No. 1 overall seed — neared a sellout, nor did the ones in Sacramento, California. The coach has been in favor of more regional sites not just as a way of spreading out the teams but also to be more accessible to more fans in more places.

His opening statement Saturday also listed six of the 3-point performances from yesterday’s Sweet 16 games: 4-for-20 (UConn), 4-for-22 (North Carolina), 1-for-17 (Notre Dame), 5-for-18 (Vanderbilt), 4-for-16 (UCLA) and 7-for-26 (Duke) — tallies he believes are a product of groups capturing on brand-new baskets.

“How many sands are we going to promote out with these bulls—?” Auriemma said.

“I feel they create in new baskets, new basketballs proper out of the field,” he later continued. “Got folks dribbling the ball off their toes. You received folks lacking layups in all places. You bounce the ball and it goes as much as the ceiling. There’s simply no idea of how basketball is performed.

“Not that I have any of the answers. Believe me, I just have questions.”

To Auriemma, the overarching issues are that he feels the NCAA does not sufficiently take coaches’ enter into consideration and that the group must “give [itself] “an out” if something doesn’t work.

UConn athletic director David Benedict took to X to back up his coach.

“[The] NCAA continues to make choices that clearly do not symbolize what’s finest for the coed athletes!” Benedict said in a post.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she was initially a supporter of the two-regional system but that now it was time to take another look at the setup.

“I feel I perceive precisely why we did this on the time, however I additionally assume we’ve to be always nimble to go, does this serve our sport finest now? And is there any small tweaks that will make it run extra effectively?” Close said. “It’s a very arduous mixture to seek out.”

Huskies players stressed that any issues of the format aren’t an excuse for below-standard play and that all teams are dealing with the same quirks.

“I might simply say it is not ultimate,” senior guard Azzi Fudd he stated. “The schedule, waking up early to do media after which cannot come again to this enviornment till later, simply little issues like that. But everybody’s making an attempt to determine that out proper now. Every crew goes via that. There’s no excuse in that. So we’ll determine it out. We’re making it work, but it surely undoubtedly is not essentially the most ultimate setup.”

Added junior guard Ashlynn Shade: “I did assume it was just a little irritating… it is a new health club, new balls, new environment. It is type of irritating when you aren’t getting that a lot time [to get up enough shots on the game court]”

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo was requested earlier than Auriemma’s remarks Saturday whether or not she seen something completely different with the edges Friday.

“Oh my goodness. We had been like 1-for-[17] from 3,” Hidalgo said. “We gained the sport, thank God… The rims had been undoubtedly just a little tight and new.”

While Irish coach Niele Ivey spoke before Auriemma, she did not provide her thoughts on the matter. Auriemma said he thinks other coaches feel similarly to him.

“I feel there is a frustration,” he said. “Hopefully I’m talking for the opposite coaches. Some coaches may assume I’m filled with it. And this isn’t about UConn. I hope everybody understands that. … I feel there’s a degree of frustration proper now among the many coaches that is increased than any time I’ve ever seen it.”

ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and Charlotte Gibson contributed to this report.