The Connecticut Huskies coach Geno Auriemma steamed off at the pressers following tonight’s loss. UConn suffered a frustrating 71-69 loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a close encounter. The controversial foul call at the end for Aaliyah Edwards took the hoops community by storm, eventually opening the back door for the Huskies. Moreover, Auriemma also didn’t seem very happy with the result as he reminded the sporting world about his team’s history.

Speaking to the press after the game, he said, “What pisses me off is that the minute we don’t win a national championship for a couple years, people think that our program now is less worthy of some others that have done it twice or gone to the Final Four three out of the last four years.” The program last secured the championship title in 2016, 11th one under Auriemma’s guidance.

Before the tip-off, the odds were favoring the Hawkeyes because of the massive Caitlin Clark wave. However, the game turned into a close encounter. Despite having a shallow roster with only six players, the team almost came down to sealing the deal. If not for the controversial offensive foul call with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game, the Huskies could have kicked out the favorites. Even NBA superstar LeBron James expressed his disappointment on the call via his social media. “I ain’t rolling with that call,” he expressed.

Speaking of the controversial call, Geno Auriemma said, “I just know there were three or four (illegal screens) called on us, and I don’t think there were any called on them,” pointing the fingers at the refs for the irregularities. It has been a long overdue concern within the sport, even at a bigger stage like the NBA. Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes won the game and entered their second-straight Finals.

On the other hand, Auriemma called out to the public for undervaluing the team after this loss and recalled history.

Geno Auriemma’s record with UConn

The UConn Huskies turned into one of the best basketball prospects after the entry of Geno Auriemma, 39 years ago. During this period, the Huskies have won 11 championships in 12 appearances. Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith recently stated that South Carolina’s coach Dawn Staley’s greatness should be compared to Auriemma’s greatness. Notably, Staley has a clean record in the two regular seasons without a loss.

The 70-year-old has done great with UConn’s basketball program, keeping them in the hunt over the last four decades. In the process, Auriemma has accumulated over 1200 wins, becoming third coach in the NCAA history to attain the feat. It would be a massive shoe to fill in if the legendary coach calls it a day.

Speaking of his retirement earlier this year, Auriemma said, “They keep offering me a new contract and at some point you’re gonna say, ‘No, I can’t do this anymore,'” reported UConn WBB Weekly.

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