UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma has made his feelings clear, whether seriously or not, about his newcomers in the ongoing college hoops campaign.
On Friday, Auriemma and his Huskies will face coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four of the March Madness in neutral territory, the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
In a video uploaded by @espnw on Instagram, Auriemma can be seen attending a press conference. A reporter asked the tenured tactician how he instills trust and belief in his freshmen.
Auriemma said he does not actually trust them yet, but just puts them out and hopes for the best.
“ Oh, I don’t trust My freshmen. I don’t, I don’t. I just cross my fingers, close my eyes and put ’em out there,” Auriemma shared.
“Geno’s belief system towards UConn’s freshman players 😆,” @espnw on Instagram captioned.
Auriemma and his team are aiming to bring home their program’s 13th national title. They are the defending champions. Standing in their way, as mentioned, are the Gamecocks, whom they defeated by 23 points, 82-59, in the 2025 NCAA championship game. In the current campaign, the Connecticut-based program has yet to be defeated. They have an unblemished overall record of 38-0 (20-0 Big East).
Geno Auriemma Says Their Last Two Wins Over The South Carolina Gamecocks Don’t Matter Anymore
At the same press conference ahead of his team’s Final Four matchup, coach Geno Auriemma was asked about the kind of adjustments, particularly on defense, that the UConn Huskies will make this time around against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
In the same context, Auriemma said their previous two victories over the Gamecocks, including last year’s national title game, don’t matter anymore in the grander scheme of things.
“Obviously, this is a different South Carolina team than the one we played last year. Our two wins against them last year don’t really mean anything going into tomorrow. The way that game was played, you know, has no bearing on tomorrow. They have added some really key pieces. I think they’re a much better team than they were last year, really hard to prepare for,” Auriemma explained. (21:58)
Also Read: “We Are Trying to Grow the Goddamn Game”: Geno Auriemma Sounds Off on NCAA Logistics After Sweet 16 Struggles
Read More: ‘Would Hate to Play for Him’: Fans React To Geno Auriemma’s Decision To Play UConn Star Sarah Strong For 39 Mins
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