Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley are undoubtedly two of the greatest coaches in women’s basketball. Both have won multiple national titles and are regular contenders in the NCAA Tournament. After meeting in the national championship game last year, they are once again set to face each other this weekend in the Final Four game.
Overall, Auriemma leads the head-to-head record 9-5, but over the last seven meetings, Staley has won five games. In the 2025 title game, Auriemma defeated Staley, avenging the loss of the 2022 title game.
Ahead of the Final Four matchup against South Caroline, the Huskies’ head coach shared his take on the hyped up rivalry.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been around so long that, you know, there’s certainly been a lot of them,” Auriemma said. “And I think every matchup, you know, every time we play South Carolina, you know, there’s always that. But I never wanted to be Geno and Dawn, Geno and this, Geno and that, Geno and this and Geno and that. You know, it’s been really, really hard over the years to not make it about that ever, ever again.”
On Saturday, it will be the rivalry’s third meeting in five years in the Final Four.
South Carolina HC Dawn Staley Heaps Praises on Geno Auriemma’s UConn
Geno Auriemma has been leading UConn women’s basketball for over 40 years. During this time, he has 12 national championships to show, along with 25 Final Four appearances, 24 Big East Tournament titles and seven AAC Tournament titles.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who has won two national titles with the Gamecocks, shared how high UConn is hailed in women’s basketball during Thursday’s media session.
“UConn has been the standard in women’s basketball for a very long time and everyone has to measure up to their standard. They allow us something to reach for,” Staley said. “It helps us all grow. It helps us all game plan and try to figure out ways to just measure ourselves up to them and to possibly beat them, and to do that over a period of time, it’s almost impossible, but it’s incredible the standard that they have.”\
Despite the rivalry, both coaches hold immense respect for each other and the game of basketball. Therefore, the fans can expect a really good contest between two great coaches.
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