On a rare occasion, UConn was put under pressure. Facing South Carolina, the Huskies and Geno Auriemma endured aggressive and physical basketball. Their best player, Sarah Strong, ended up with a torn jersey after the third quarter, and Auriemma was furious.

In the final play of the quarter, Sarah Strong drove to the baseline with two Gamecocks guarding her and missed the buzzer-beater through traffic. But as she walked to the bench, Strong appeared to have torn her jersey, and no foul was called. That proved to be the breaking point for Geno Auriemma.

“There were six fouls called that quarter, all of them against us,” Auriemma told Holly Rowe. “They’ve been beating our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous.”

The foul count did lean toward South Carolina, as they got 22 free throws compared to UConn’s 6. The Gamecocks were called for 8 fouls, while the Huskies were called for 17. Auriemma further threw some shade at Dawn Staley, accusing her of influencing the referees.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear,” Auriemma said. “And now we get 6-0, and I’ve got a kid with a ripped jersey and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man, this is for the national championship.”

However, it was shown on the broadcast that Strong largely tore her jersey on her own. She changed into jersey No. 55 after that play. Even slow-motion replays of the final drive—through Joyce Edwards and Maddy McDaniels—did not clearly show the jersey being torn during contact. Whether it was a foul or not remains subjective.

“If you follow the game, he insinuated that South Carolina tore Sarah Strong’s jersey. We found out that, if you watch this video right here, this was more self-inflicted. It was not the Gamecocks,” Chiney Ogwumike said.

The tension boiled over after the game, as Auriemma and Staley got into a verbal tussle. Auriemma was heavily criticized—even while the game was still ongoing—for his mid-game comments.

Auriemma was later asked if he had any regrets about what he said to Rowe.“I don’t have any regrets with what I said to Holly Rowe. Why would I? I’ve been coaching a long time—I’ve never had a kid change their jersey because somebody ripped it,” he said. “And the officials said, ‘I didn’t see it.’ A lot of things happened in that game. Unless you’re on that sideline, you have no idea what’s happening on that sideline.”

However, the general sentiment around the incident does not favor Auriemma, both among experts and fans.

ESPN Analyst Accuses Geno Auriemma of Intentionally Provoking Clash With Dawn Staley

Geno Auriemma, the officials, and the Gamecocks are not a new combination. After their 2023 loss to South Carolina, he criticized the refereeing, saying that what teams do to Lou Lopez Sénéchal is “appalling” and “not basketball anymore.” Staley took offense, stating that her team plays “the right way and approaches it the right way.”

Auriemma later clarified that his comments were directed at the referees, not the Gamecocks. This time, however, his outburst appeared to be clearly aimed at Staley, and according to ESPN analyst Andraya Carter, it was deliberate.

“It was all handled so poorly on Geno’s part—shockingly so—because you never really see Geno act like that,” she said. “To me, it almost feels like, because it’s so bad and so out of line, it was on purpose. The fact is, his players got outplayed the entire game.”

Auriemma was arguably outcoached. His team shot a season-low 31%, lost 47–32 on the boards, and struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The flow was never there, and it seemed the Gamecocks were better prepared for the moment, despite UConn coming into the game unbeaten.

The “favorites” tag meant little. UConn did not perform to expectations, yet the conversation remains centered on Auriemma. “His players were outplayed,” Carter added. “South Carolina’s players played better. But what are we talking about? Geno Auriemma against Dawn Staley? We’re taking attention away from the game where South Carolina dominated to talk about Geno’s behavior.”

That’s especially because several of Auriemma’s claims have been challenged by video evidence. He complained that Staley did not shake hands with him pregame—footage shows she did. Whether he was referring to another moment remains unclear. The debate, however, is far from over and will likely continue among fans.