The winningest coach in college basketball history, Geno Auriemma, knows plenty about winning—but with his vast experience, he also knows a thing or two about losing. Ahead of the UConn Huskies’ big game against South Carolina on Feb. 16, the head coach addressed questions about the matchup.
Recapping Geno Auriemma’s Press Conference
Auriemma was asked whether his players understand that it would be okay if things don’t go perfectly. The head coach said most teams don’t like playing these games in February because they don’t get as much rest while other teams do. However, stressing their importance, he said:
“The only games that really, really, really, really matter is when, if you lose, you have no games left. That’s when it matters the most. Everything else, yeah, I mean, who doesn’t want to play great? Who doesn’t want to win? You wouldn’t show up if you didn’t want to play great and play to win. But the object is to try to do both, play really, really well, win the game, and then move on.”
He was then asked whether there is a truly great team this season, or if the top teams are evenly matched. Auriemma acknowledged there are many good teams right now, but no single team stands out as dominant.
He added that’s how it should be—multiple teams believing they can go far in the tournament, with new programs emerging as contenders.
“And just because you lose one game to one of your biggest rivals in a league game doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have a hell of a team that can win the whole thing. Maybe those days when teams are undefeated, you probably appreciate it more now than you did back then, because it’s hard to do, you know.
“It’s really hard to do. So that’s why I think the NCAA tournament, each and every year, is going to get even more and more and more unpredictable, you know.”
The Huskies have won their last two games by a wide margin, rebounding from an earlier loss. Ahead of their matchup with South Carolina, Auriemma was asked what he has learned about his team.
He noted that UConn’s defense has been solid in January and February, but their offense has been inconsistent—sometimes really good, other times just okay.
“So, I don’t know,” Auriemma added. “I just try to, you know, did we do enough to win the game? Yeah. And are we getting better? Yeah, I think.”
UConn has won every game this season except for a 79-68 loss to Notre Dame, a close 72-70 loss to USC, and a recent 80-76 loss to Tennessee. A reporter asked if the players took the loss to the Volunteers personally and whether that was evident in practice.
Auriemma said every loss should feel personal but noted that practices have been strong over the past week.
He was also asked if losses seem to define the team’s season and how he presents that idea to his players.
“Yeah, I try not to go down that road, because I’ve seen so many times, last year being one of them, right, where at one time we were, what, 4-3? Something like that? And the three losses were all to really, really good teams. … And you can’t change the league you’re in,” Auriemma said.
“You can’t change your schedule. Your schedule is your schedule. So to me, I see them more as these are opportunities. These are great opportunities. What would they mean in the long run? That, I don’t know.
“… So I think it shows you what your warts are, what your faults are, what your strengths are. If you try to make it way more than that, I think your players then start to question themselves, doubt themselves, start to believe that whatever. Same goes true if you win. So I’m trying to keep it real for them and keep it, because there’s still a bunch of young guys out there that have to learn from all this stuff, how to navigate all this.”
When asked how this year’s tough losses help the team, Auriemma said challenging games expose weaknesses, allowing the team to address them before March. He emphasized that teams evolve over a season and must treat every challenge as an opportunity.
Auriemma also spoke about TV networks’ desire for marquee nonconference matchups, which draw attention and high viewership. While the timing of these games may not be ideal for teams like UConn and South Carolina, they still have to play them. He added that with 20 conference games next season, scheduling additional high-profile nonconference games will be difficult—especially since many of them are on the road.
On South Carolina’s Biggest Strength
Auriemma was asked what he sees as the biggest challenge against South Carolina.
He pointed to the Gamecocks’ depth.
“I think they have a group of players coming off the bench that, if they changed them and put them in the starting lineup, you wouldn’t even know the difference. They wouldn’t miss anything. So it’s almost like they have eight or nine starters, not just five.
“So that makes it, woo, because even if you think we’ve got a handle on this, and then all of a sudden, another group comes in. They play hard, they’re well-coached, and they’re aggressive as hell. So they have all the things that, you know, really, really good teams have. And they have more of them.”
On Paige Bueckers and Handling Tough Performances
In the loss to Tennessee, UConn’s Paige Bueckers scored 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting despite logging the second-most minutes. A reporter asked Auriemma about his conversations with Bueckers since the game and whether he lets her handle things on her own.
Auriemma said he’s learned not to remind players when they’ve had bad outings because they already feel bad enough. He emphasized that players like Bueckers expect a lot from themselves, so when they don’t perform well, it’s important not to pile on. Players already know what they need to improve and are constantly reminded of it—especially on social media.
“Criticism and berating and all the stuff that was so much fun 30 years ago, that doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “I think the key today is understanding—just, ‘Hey, I understand.’ That’s it. I understand. There’s nothing I can do to fix it, but I understand.
“I understand why it’s not easy to be that every single game. And, you know, everybody wants you to be that in every big game. I don’t know that there’s a formula for that. Not for human beings, anyway.”
Reflecting on his own career, Auriemma acknowledged the difficulties of sustaining excellence in high-pressure games.
“And I’ve said this 100 times in other places. We’ve lost more Final Fours than we’ve won, I think. I think we won 11 and lost 12. So I’ll bet if I look back on all 12 of those, I could point out a whole bunch of examples where I don’t think I lived up to my expectations of how I needed to perform.
“And you beat yourself up about it all the time. All the time. So with players, it’s just—let’s be technical about this. This has to be different. That has to be changed. This decision has to be different. And just, you know, move on. Move on.”
Looking Ahead
UConn’s last matchup against South Carolina and head coach Dawn Staley did not go in its favor, as the Gamecocks routed the Huskies 83-65 in 2024. South Carolina also won the 2022 national championship. UConn’s last victory over the Gamecocks came in 2021.
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As the Huskies prepare for their next big test, Auriemma and his team are focused on using their past losses as learning experiences while looking ahead to what lies ahead.
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