Geno Auriemma Criticizes NCAA Women's Tournament Format

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma sharply criticized the NCAA's handling of the women's tournament during press conferences in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend, pointing to logistical flaws in the event's format and broader inequities in college sports funding. The 72-year-old Hall of Famer, whose top-seeded Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight with a 63-42 victory over North Carolina on Friday, voiced frustration over the shift to a two-site regional structure implemented in 2023, which contrasts with the men's tournament's four-site setup.

Auriemma began his Saturday media session by reciting poor three-point shooting percentages from Friday's Sweet 16 games across the country: 4-for-20 for UConn, 4-for-22 for North Carolina, 1-for-17 for Notre Dame, 5-for-18 for Vanderbilt, 4-for-16 for UCLA and 7-for-26 for Duke. These figures fell well below the teams' season averages, which hovered around 30 percent or higher. "How many arenas are we going to sell out with that?" Auriemma asked reporters, suggesting the subpar play undermines efforts to grow the sport.

He attributed some of the issues to the compressed scheduling at shared venues like Dickies Arena, where eight...