Just as the NCAA’s Sweet 16 gets underway, legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma is sounding the alarm that the very laws meant to ensure fairness in college sports have been thrown out the window. While Title IX was bestowed as a federal civil right in 1972 to eliminate this exact disparity, including in the NCAA, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma’s recent assessment ahead of their crucial March Madness game might change the narrative around it immensely.

Speaking ahead of UConn’s Round of 16 game against North Carolina, Auriemma reflected that, in the current era of college basketball, the practicality of Title IX is under scrutiny, particularly regarding the investment comparison between women’s and men’s basketball.

“Pretty much out the window. … I think most of the NCAA laws have gone out the window,” Auriemma said. “It appears to me that at the big conference level, I think Title IX legislation is probably over. I don’t know that when you say we’re allocating $20.5 million [per school in revenue sharing payouts] that they’re going, ‘Yeah, well, women’s basketball is going to get the same amount as football and men’s basketball.’

At this moment, the differences between women’s and men’s basketball are not even in the shadows; they’re glaring right in the face. For instance, a report last year suggested that, in the NCAA, programs had the leverage to share around $20.5M with their student-athletes, in the form of NIL payouts or other compensation.

29% accounted for the share of men’s and women’s basketball in the $20.5M across the NCAA circuit. On the surface, the number isn’t quite disastrous. But a deeper look into the breakdowns might change the perspective. According to the report, for every $20.5M, more than $13M was spent on just college football athletes alone, nearly 60% of the figure.

Men’s basketball came in second with $4.3M (accounting for 20% of the 29% of college basketball as a whole), while women’s basketball stood at just $1.6M. These completely add weight to Auriemma’s assessment. It perfectly gives a clear positioning of women’s basketball from a financial perspective in the collegiate circuit.

There are several other instances in which these contrasts in men’s and women’s basketball have been present at the NCAA level. The prize money of the 2026 March Madness is another major example in this regard. While the men’s tournament has a prize pool of $220M, the women’s tournament has just $20M (even less than 10% of the men’s prize money).

One of the major reasons behind this is the revenue that women’s basketball generates. There’s no denying that several women’s basketball programs, including the giants South Carolina Gamecocks, have faced losses in an academic year. Geno Auriemma gave a brief overview of how this situation can trend towards the positive despite differences in revenue generation.

“Unfortunately, [more equity] is going to have to be done through the way the conference commissioners and the way the athletic directors decide that they want to keep funding this sport,” he said in the press conference.

While the financial perspective of college basketball kept dominating Auriemma’s pre-game press conference, the UConn coach also shed light on the enormity of their upcoming Round of 16, March Madness game against the UNC Tar Heels.

Geno Auriemma Sheds Light on His Team’s “Biggest Weekend” of the Season

On paper, UConn’s Sweet 16 game against No.4 North Carolina is just another regular day at the office for them. After all, they are 36 games unbeaten this season, with a momentum that only a few can challenge. So, beating a side that has faced losses at Notre Dame and Stanford shouldn’t be an issue for them. But the Huskies’ head coach, Geno Auriemma, is far from this assessment.

He knows perfectly what weight every game of March Madness carries, especially in the middle rounds of the tournament, including the RO16 and Elite Eight stages. The enormity and pressure increase further, given that the Huskies will be playing for the first time outside Storrs in this tournament.

“I think they’re really excited about playing,” Auriemma said in the press conference. “I think it’s their first time playing at Fort Worth. The arena’s great, and I’m sure the fans will be great. I think every team that’s here knows that this weekend is probably the biggest weekend of the year, and I know everybody talks about the Final Four and all that, but getting there is a lot harder than what happens after you get there.”

Of course, the pressure will be more on Auriemma and UConn. At the end of the day, it’s their game to win. And playing at a neutral location will just be another steep challenge in this regard. But, having seen Auriemma for these years, there’s little doubt over his and UConn’s preparations for this game against the Tar Heels.

The Huskies clinched blowout wins over UTSA and Syracuse in their opening rounds of the tournament. They’re going into this North Carolina game with a 94% chance of winning, per ESPN analytics. With the game set to tip off on March 27 at the Dickies Arena, what are your expectations for the game? Do let us know in the comments.