South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Tensions boiled over as the UConn vs. South Carolina women’s Final Four game came to an end Friday night, with Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley exchanging heated words before Auriemma had to be restrained before storming out as his team fell in the national semifinal game 62-48.
It was a bizarre ending, but bound to boil over after Auriemma minced no words in expressing his displeasure with the officiating after the third quarter of the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four game against South Carolina in an interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe. He then followed that with criticism of Staley.
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Staley walked in Auriemma’s direction to shake hands as the clock was winding down. Auriemma met her, said something to her as he extended his hand, prompting an argument with time remaining on the clock. As the two argued, assistant UConn coach Jamelle Elliott had to step between the two head coaches to restrain Auriemma. Auriemma then walked off the court and headed toward the locker room.
The specific words used was a topic neither coach cared to elaborate on, but both indicated it had to do with a handshake that may or may not have happened prior to the game.
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“I have no idea. I’m gonna let you know this. I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity,” Staley said in a postgame interview with ESPN. “So if I did something wrong to Geno I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand. I don’t know where he came with after the game, but hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
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A video from ESPN on the postgame show showed the two coaches shake hands prior to the game. Auriemma, however, said there was more to the story — suggesting that he was essentially stood up by Staley in the pregame. The two were supposed to have a ceremonial handshake and introduction that did not happen, although the two did quickly shake hands in a handshake line involving both teams’ coaches.
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“No, I mean, for 41 years I’ve been coaching, and I’ve been, I don’t know, 30, 25 Final Fours, and the protocol is, before the game you meet at half court. Anybody ever see that before two coaches, meet at half court and they shake hands?” Auriemma said in the postgame press conference, adding he waited for “like three minutes.”
Auriemma referred back to the fact it was a physical game multiple times in the postgame press conference, which was also a key point in his interview with Rowe. He said he had no issue with the physicality, but pointed out that there was a significant discrepancy with fouls both at the end of the third quarter and end of the game.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
“There were six fouls called that quarter, all of them against us, and they’ve been beating the s— out of our guys down there the entire game,” he told Rowe. “Now, I’m not making excuses because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this ridiculous.”
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He noted that Sarah Strong’s jersey was ripped during the course of play. Whether that was accurate, however, will continue to be debated. Strong said in the postgame press conference that it was an accident after missing a shot. Auriemma suggested a player from South Carolina ripped the jersey. But an ESPN camera caught Strong ripping it from the neckline, although it was unclear if it was already torn.
“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear, and now we get 6-0 and I got a kid with a ripped jersey and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man!” Auriemma said.
At the end of the third quarter, 11 fouls had been called on UConn, five on South Carolina. The Gamecocks were 11-for-14 from the line. UConn was 1-for-2. UConn finished having been called for 17 fouls vs. South Carolina’s 8. UConn shot 4-for-6 from the free throw line vs. South Carolina’s 18-for-22.
Look for yourself. Can’t believe Geno did this. Couldn’t take losing to Dawn Staley. Simply and plain. Horrible, horrible look for him. Straight B…. Move:https://t.co/TjnnQJMIsI
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 4, 2026
Auriemma said he had no regrets about what he said to Rowe during the interview. Staley largely declined to talk about the situation with the media after the game, suggesting those were questions for the UConn coach.
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“You can ask Geno the question,” he said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
Auriemma initially declined to talk about the incident, but elaborated as he was asked a handful more times about it. He, again, took issue with the referees and Staley.
“I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard,” Auriemma said. “I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed. So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”
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