Geno Auriemma apologizes for ‘uncalled for’ behavior after tense exchange with Dawn Staley | NCAA Tournament 2026
UConn coach Geno Auriemma apologized for his actions during a heated exchange with Dawn Staley late in the Huskies’ loss to South Carolina in the women’s Final Four.
A visibly upset Auriemma addressed Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 victory Friday night and appeared to berate her. The coaches of the two teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma left the field to go to the locker room without returning to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.
“There is no excuse for the way I handled the end of the South Carolina game. It’s unlike what I do and our level here at Connecticut,” the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement Saturday. “I want to apologize to the South Carolina staff and team. My reaction was inappropriate. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to take away from that. I have had a great relationship with their staff and I want to sincerely apologize to them.”
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Auriemma’s statement did not mention Staley by name.
Staley, who led the Gamecocks to three national titles, and Auriemma, a 12-time champion with the Huskies, are two of the most respected coaches in women’s basketball.
After Friday night’s game, Auriemma told a group of reporters that he and Staley “don’t have a lot in common” and don’t have a relationship beyond being coaching rivals. At the end of UConn’s rout of South Carolina in last year’s title game, they met for a half-court hug.
Staley said Saturday morning that she was focused on the title game against UCLA on Sunday and not what happened the night before.
“For me, no distractions right now. I’m focused on winning a national championship, that’s all,” Staley said. “It’s a little discouraging. It’s sport, sometimes things like this happen. Keep focusing on my team and my ability to progress in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”
Staley later said she would talk about it later.
After the loss, Auriemma said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused Friday night.
“I have no idea,” the South Carolina coach said after the game. “But I’ll let you know this: I have integrity. I have integrity. So if I did something bad to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the start of the game. I didn’t know. I went there before the game, shook hands with everyone on his team.
“I don’t know what he brought after the game, but sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
The Gamecocks are seeking their third championship in five seasons.
UConn and South Carolina are expected to face off in the next two years with the first game in Connecticut.
