March Madness is on the heels and the drama has already started. UConn is the undisputed Number 1 everywhere. And yet there are murmurs that they don’t deserve that because of the wide conference gap in the Big East. On the other hand, we have SEC coaches like Ole Miss Rebels boss Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell complaining about the strenuous SEC and how they deserve more tournament spots. Hearing that, Geno Auriemma has just pushed back on this idea. 

“You play in your conference for a reason,” Auriemma told the media. “It’s like, you know, this is my neighborhood. Why live in a tough neighborhood? Well, then you should move and you’d have an easier path, right?”

Well, Geno Auriemma knows how hard it is to change conferences. They were the original Big East founders and moved to the AAC in 2013 after the formation of the New Big East. They returned to the conference in 2019 having to pay $10 million in buyout fees and wait 27 months, according to the bylaws. That and a host of other difficulties. Auriemma’s point is that it is futile to complain about the conference difficulty and the teams just need to get better.

“Who gives you a right to play for a national championship when you can barely finish 0.500 in your own league? Isn’t the national championship a reward for having a great year? It’s not a reward for playing in a great conference.” He further said. “Hey, we’re an NCAA tournament team. Really? You’re 14 and 13? You’re lucky you made your own conference tournament.”

The teams Auriemma is subtly referring to include Tennessee, who finished 8-8 in the conference and 16-13 overall. And Ole Miss, who also finished 8-8 in the SEC but 23-10 overall. Caldwell was asked if Tennessee deserves to make the NCAA Tournament.

“Yeah, I do,” Caldwell said. “I think we’ve played the hardest schedule in the country. I think the majority of that came in February, but we have significant wins and I think that we hope to get in.” Coach Yo indicated how the SEC tournament is unfair because of its extreme difficulty.  

“I wish we didn’t have the conference tournament because all we do in the SEC is beat each other up,” McPhee-McCuin said. “And if you look at the history of our league, we always have anywhere from four to five to six teams in the Sweet 16 because this is a really good league. But when we’re in here fighting night in and night out.”

The major metrics for NCAA tournament spots rely on the NET rating.  It weighs the strength of Schedule, bad losses, Wins Above Bubble, among 9 other factors, to finalize the at-large teams. However, according to Auriemma, the opponent difficulty is weighed higher than required.  

“Some conferences—what was their record last year in the NCAA tournament? Go check it out. Go check out what their record was in the first and second rounds,” he said. “Just saying. I’m not accusing anybody of anything. Just saying. I just think sometimes people put too much stock in what conference you’re playing in, what your record was, who you played against and all this other stuff.”

Last year, the Big 10 set the record for the most teams chosen in the NCAA tournament with 12 teams, including No. 1 seed UCLA. The SEC was close behind at 10 teams, while the ACC sent 8. UConn’s Big East got only 2. Out of which, the SEC went 18-2 in the first two rounds. Near-perfect record. 6 teams ended up being in the Sweet 16 and 2 out of the Final Four were SEC teams (South Carolina and Texas). 

So, the results did line up in favor of the SEC coaches, especially for Coach Yo and Caldwell. Her side was 10-6 in the SEC, ranking 6th but still went to the Sweet 16, eventually losing to top seed UCLA. Tennessee finished 8-8 in the SEC last year. Yet, they went all the way to the Sweet 16 as well, losing to Texas. 

Even if Geno Auriemma is somewhat wrong about his facts, it doesn’t mean his point is not valid. The debate isn’t limited to women’s basketball either. Across college hoops, similar arguments about conference strength and tournament access are emerging. A mid-American team in Miami (OH) is having an unbeaten season in men’s college basketball. Yet, their NCAA tournament place has been called into question. 

To which their AD has fiercely battled against this, calling the NCAA system “rigged” in favor of the top teams. While that is from the perspective of a mid-major, and UConn is anything but that, the common point is that the system needs some change. They need to find a balance in weighing the NET and the metrics along with the eye test. For now, Geno would have to make do with the current system. He himself has a confirmed bid in sight by winning the conference tournament. 

Geno Auriemma Focusing On Themselves Ahead Of Big East Tournament

UConn is certainly the best team in the country. A 31-0 record with the best defense in the country and one of the best offenses. With Sarah Strong, they have the Athletic Player of The Year and the best player in the country by a mile (arguably). Azzi Fudd is shining as a senior. What do they need to change?  According to Geno Auriemma, there are still some ‘tweaks’ to be made.

“I mean, at this time of year, we can tweak a couple things and know you’re getting ready to play teams for a third time,” Auriemma said. “Most things are going to be exactly the same in some ways. You can only change so much at this time of the year. Mostly it was just about us facing us, not necessarily worrying about anybody else.”

He further emphasized that this tournament was very important to them and that they “want to win it as much as we ever have.”  The top-seeded team will face Azzi Fudd’s mother’s team, Georgetown, in the quarterfinals on Saturday at noon in Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. The No. 8 seed beat No. 9 seed Butler, 62-58 in the first round. UConn will face the winner of Marquette and Creighton in the semifinals if they go past Georgetown.