23 Final Fours. 11 national championships. 3 Olympic gold medals. Geno Auriemma has seen it all and won it all. The UConn legend is a staple of college basketball, and his words usually carry weight. Last year, he called the two-site format for the NCAA Tournament the “dumbest thing ever.” This year? The frustration isn’t about geography—it’s about respect. Or, rather, the lack of it.

According to Auriemma, the Big East isn’t getting the credit it deserves from the NCAA Selection Committee. After the brackets were announced for the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, UConn and Creighton were the only two Big East programs to secure bids—a steep drop from recent years. So, Auriemma didn’t hold back when asked about it.

“Maybe we don’t get the respect we deserve,” Auriemma said in an interview on UConn on SNY. “If you can go 4-12 in your league and you can still make the NCAA Tournament and get an eight seed, does it matter what you do in the regular season?” He continued, “And that’s a problem that has to be addressed. And it needs to be addressed ASAP.”

The Big East sent five teams to the tournament just two years ago (2023): UConn, Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s, and Villanova. To see that number drop to two this year is a bit shocking. Especially when on Feb 7, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had projected for four of them to go forward. “We go from five to two. That’s not good,” he said. “So when we go to the Big East meetings, some of these things are gonna have to be addressed.” Last year, too, the situation was dire. It was the first time since 1993 that the conference sent just three teams to the Big Dance. So, how things unfolded on Sunday, it would be an understatement to call it a stunning disappointment.

This year’s NCAA Tournament features 68 teams—31 automatic bids for conference champions and 37 at-large bids determined by the selection committee. UConn earned an automatic bid after dominating the Big East Tournament, while Creighton had to sweat it out on Selection Sunday before securing an at-large bid.

Many were hopeful that, unlike last season, the Big East’s respect would not be at stake in 2025. The top four teams all had made a case for themselves, with tournament-worthy resumes, and were thought to be safe. But, as is clear now, there’s a clear disparity in how conferences are being judged. Auriemma highlighted how teams from power conferences with losing records are still getting in over mid-major programs or successful Big East teams. “You go where they tell you and you play who they tell you. It’s been like that from day one,” Auriemma said. “But somebody’s got an easy road.”

It’s hard to argue with Auriemma’s frustration. How else do you explain what factors led to Virginia’s tournament selection last year, despite a lackluster 2-7 record against Quadrant 1 opponents and a dismal 34-point defeat to Virginia Tech, a team that didn’t make the cut? And how come Seton Hall didn’t? 

Despite the success, the Big East’s overall representation in the tournament remains underwhelming. The league’s strength is hard to question—UConn’s dominance is well-documented, and Creighton’s consistent tournament presence shows that they’re no slouch either. In fact, UConn’s 70-50 win over Creighton in the Big East title game was the most-watched women’s championship in FOX Sports history.

But as Auriemma pointed out, success doesn’t seem to count for much when it comes to selection day. “If you can have a losing record and still get in as an eight seed, what’s the point?” he asked. “You just have to wonder sometimes what they’re really looking at.”

This frustration isn’t new for Auriemma. He’s been critical of the NCAA’s decision-making before, including last year’s site format changes that forced UConn to travel thousands of miles for regional play. Now, the Huskies will head west again to Spokane, while Creighton heads south to Birmingham.

March Madness is unpredictable—that’s part of the charm. But for Auriemma and the Big East, the fight for respect is becoming just as unpredictable as the games themselves. And if the Selection Committee doesn’t adjust how it evaluates conferences, the Big East might remain on the outside looking in for years to come.

And Geno? Well, he’ll do what Geno does best—lock in, get serious, and chase another banner. And how do you know he’s serious?

Geno Auriemma at 71: Still chasing greatness, still asking why

The glasses. That’s the tell. When Geno Auriemma starts cleaning his glasses, you know it’s game time. He’ll turn 71 during March Madness, but don’t let the age fool you. Go back to the very opening lines of this article and tell us what else is left to prove! Yet there he is, still pacing the sidelines, still hunting for more.

So, what keeps him going? Auriemma himself isn’t sure. “That’s a great question,” Auriemma told USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer. “Because I can’t answer it.”

It’s hard to believe he doesn’t have an answer. After all, this is the man who built UConn into a dynasty. He’s the winningest coach in college basketball history, sitting on 1,244 career wins. And if you’re keeping score—because you know he is—six more victories would give him 1,250. Exactly what it takes to win the NCAA Tournament.

UConn (31-3) heads into the tournament on a 10-game win streak as the No. 2 seed in the Spokane 4 region. Another deep run would only add to Auriemma’s legacy—but at this point, legacy is almost beside the point. He’s already secured his spot on the Mount Rushmore of women’s basketball coaching, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Pat Summitt. And yet, he’s not done.

“I’ve tried to look at all the reasons why people do step away. It’s certainly past my prime, to be honest with you,” Auriemma admitted in February. “I never set out to be doing this, period, and certainly never set out to be here for 40 years.”

Forty years. That’s how long Auriemma has been the architect of UConn’s dominance. Last June, the school locked him in for five more seasons with an $18.7 million contract extension through 2029. That’s a $400,000 base salary and an additional $2.94 million for speaking, consulting, and media duties—set to increase by $200,000 each year. UConn isn’t letting their legend walk away anytime soon.

“I still find it hard to believe that I’ve been at UConn for over half my life,” Auriemma said when the deal was announced. “I feel like there’s so much more that can be done, and will be done. I’m probably as excited about these next few years as I’ve ever been over the last 40.”

But excitement alone isn’t the key. Auriemma is as much a competitor now as he was when he arrived at UConn in 1985. He thrives on the challenge—the preparation, the strategy, the competition. But it’s also clear that the game’s changing landscape isn’t sitting well with him.

“I don’t enjoy a lot of what’s going on right now,” he said. “And I think a lot of my contemporaries have seen where it’s going and don’t want any part of it. I’m sure I’ll get there at some point—just not right now.”

So, why keep going? Maybe because walking away isn’t in his DNA. Maybe because there’s still another banner to hang in Gampel Pavilion. Or maybe because Geno Auriemma doesn’t know how to stop chasing greatness.