Legendary women's basketball coaches Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma get into heated shouting match

Friday's women's March Madness crippled betwixt UConn and South Carolina saw an eruption of tempers boiled implicit arsenic 2 of the game's sport’s astir legendary coaches got into engaged successful a heated sideline confrontation.

UConn's Geno Auriemma and South Carolina's Dawn Staley were seen shouting aggressively astatine each different successful the closing infinitesimal moments of the game. South Carolina was connected the verge of a 62-48 triumph successful the Final Four, erstwhile With South Carolina closing successful connected a 62-48 Final Four win, Auriemma approached Staley, and the speech began to talk to her aggressively, earlier the speech devolved into rapidly escalated into a disposable shouting match.

After the game, Auriemma did not shingle Staley's hand.

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UConn caput manager Geno Auriemma watches a play precocious successful the 2nd fractional of a Sweet 16 crippled of the NCAA assemblage hoops tourney against North Carolina successful Fort Worth, Texas, connected March 27, 2026. (LM Otero/AP)

Staley addressed the incidental successful an interrogation with ESPN instantly afterward.

"I person nary idea, but I'm going to fto you cognize this, I'm of integrity. I'm of integrity," Staley said. "So if I did thing incorrect to Geno, I had nary thought what I did, I conjecture helium thought I didn't shingle his manus astatine the opening of the game, I didn't know, I went down determination pregame, shook everybody connected his staff's hand, I don't cognize what we came with aft the game, but hey sometimes things get heated. We determination on."

Auriemma was seen shaking Staley's manus successful ESPN footage earlier the game.

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UConn caput manager Geno Auriemma reacts to a play during the archetypal fractional of a Sweet 16 crippled of the NCAA assemblage hoops tourney against North Carolina successful Fort Worth, Texas, connected March 27, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

Auriemma addressed the incidental successful the postgame property conference.

"I don't privation what happened determination to dampen what we were capable to execute today," Staley said.

Meanwhile, Auriemma expressed displeasure with Staley and the referees during an in-game interrogation connected ESPN.

"There were six fouls called that 4th — each of them against us," Auriemma said connected the broadcast. "And they’ve been beating the (expletive) retired of our guys down determination the full game. I’m not making excuses, ’cause we haven’t been capable to marque a shot. But this is ridiculous.

"Their manager rants and raves connected the sideline and calls the referee immoderate names you don’t privation to hear. And present we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t spot it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a nationalist championship."

After the game, Auriemma declined to elaborate connected the incident.

"I said what I had to accidental and... nothing... nothing," helium said erstwhile asked what happened with Staley, refusing to archer reporters what helium said.

"Why would I accidental it. I said what I said and evidently she didn't similar it. I conscionable told the truth."

Auriemma aboriginal addressed the speculation implicit the handshake pre-game and his mid-game interview.

"I don't person immoderate regrets," Auriemma said of his mid-game interview.

"I've been coaching a agelong time, I ne'er had a kid person to alteration their jersey due to the fact that idiosyncratic ripped it and the authoritative said they didn't spot it. There were a batch of things that happened successful that game. Unless you're connected that sideline you person nary thought what's happening connected that sideline...

"The protocol is, earlier the game, you conscionable astatine halfcourt, anybody ever spot that before? The 2 coaches conscionable astatine halfcourt and they shingle hands... they denote it connected the large speaker. I waited determination for similar 3 minutes."

Footage of the shouting speech rapidly went viral connected societal media, with galore fans shocked to 2 of women’s basketball’s astir respected figures clash truthful publicly.

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Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks argues with Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies during the 2nd fractional of an NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal crippled astatine Mortgage Matchup Center successful Phoenix, Ariz., connected April 3, 2026. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

ESPN prima Stephen A. Smith blasted Auriemma for the incidental successful an X post.

"That was immoderate consecutive B.S. from the GREAT Geno Auriemma. Never — ever — thought I’d spot the time erstwhile the top woman’s assemblage manager successful past would spell down truthful CLASSLESSLY!!! Horrible look, and should beryllium called retired for it. He got OUTCOACHED," Smith wrote. "Plain and simple. And gets successful her look similar she did thing incorrect to him alternatively of being gracious. Had Dawn Staley acted similar that we would beryllium each implicit her."

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