Auriemma has a bone to pick with the NCAA.
While the UConn women's basketball team didn't play their best in a Sweet 16 win over North Carolina on Friday, coach Geno Auriemma has few reasons to be upset with his team, considering they've won each of their three NCAA tournament games rather convincingly thus far.
The longtime Huskies coach opened up his Saturday press conference not with a statement about Sunday's Elite Eight matchup with Notre Dame, but with a vehement critique of the NCAA's tournament schedule and format.“I'm going to read you some numbers, okay? Write them down. 4 for 20, 4 for 22, 1 for 17, 5 for 18, 4 for 16, 7 for 26,”. “That's the three-point shooting yesterday across the country. How many arenas are we going to sell out with that bull----? Now, maybe it was just a bad day shooting by everybody. These are all teams that average probably 30, over 30, for the season.” The likes of UConn, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UCLA and Duke each shot the three-ball far better during the regular season than what Friday's results would indicate. Now, Minnesota did knock down 50% of its three-pointers Friday, but that's besides Auriemma's ultimate point.“Do you want to know the reason for these shooting percentages? I think they bring in new baskets, new basketballs right out of the box,” Auriemma said. “Got people dribbling the ball off their feet. You got people missing layups all over the place. You bounce the ball, and it goes up to the ceiling. There's just no concept of how basketball is played.”in the basketballs, maintaining that the tournament balls are different than the ones utilized during the regular season. Nebraska men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, whose team narrowly won its second-round game over Vanderbilt after Commodores star Tyler Tanner's half-court heave rimmed out,and it's as if the NCAA has put trampolines at both ends of the court to corral the bouncy balls. But Auriemma wasn't finished with his rant, as he took the NCAA to task for an issue unique to the women's tournament.The women's tournament, which had been played at four regional sites from 1982 until 2023, has been played at two regional sites for the last three years. The NCAA made the change with an eye at creating a better atmosphere and higher attendance rates. And while the NCAA has said that the women's tournament has enjoyed itssince moving to the two-regional model, much of that has to do with the influx of talent in the sport, not with any shift in format. Plus, as Auriemma pointed out, the two-regional format has been a nightmare for coaches and teams navigating quirky shootaround times and multiple media obligations as the tournament juggles the availability of two courts—Dickies Arena and Golden 1 Center—for many teams. “This morning I just saw Notre Dame leaving, so they had media this morning,” Auriemma said. “Their practice time is tonight at 5:30. What did you have to ask them this morning that you didn't ask them last night? Or us? You know what time our practice time is? 6:30 tonight. So we had to get our kids up, come over here. “You already knew who we were playing last night, but we can't get on the court, and neither can the other teams. Walz had media at 7:30, I think. Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, hey, does this work?” It's left Auriemma wondering if the format is worth the hassle, particularly if the returns aren't jumping off the page. The Huskies coach pointed to the total attendance at both arenas for the four games played Friday—which was roughly 18,000 fans.difficult for the players and coaches to conduct their business during the biggest event of the year. And it wouldn't be the first time. Think back to the“The NCAA sends representatives to schools, to our school every year, at the end of the tournament,” Auriemma said. “What would you change? What do you think works? What do you think doesn't work? That's been going on for about eight or nine years, and nothing changes. It's always the same thing. So I think there's a frustration.”Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.
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