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ESPN insider Michael Wilbon spoke out about UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma on Monday, following the coach’s outburst toward South Carolina’s Dawn Staley on Friday night.
Auriemma was apparently frustrated by Staley’s lack of a traditional handshake before UConn and South Carolina played their Final Four game. South Carolina would eventually win the matchup, but Auriemma and Staley had a heated exchange late in the game when they came up to greet each other once the game ended.
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a semifinal game of the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament at the Final Four in Phoenix on April 3, 2026. (Rick Scuteri/AP)
UConn’s coach also complained at halftime that Sarah Strong didn’t get a foul even though her jersey was torn. Strong later said he accidentally ripped his own shirt.
Wilbon pulled no punches in his criticism of Auriemma on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
“I’m going to take the rest of the time to deal with Geno, who was guilty not only of the handshake but also of the false apology and fictitious lies that he had a torn jersey, saying that the other team acted like bullies when his own player ripped her jersey. It’s the disgraceful behavior of a hugely insecure bully,” he said, via Awful Anusing. “He was petulant, classless.”
“The fictional display of the torn jersey is unbelievable. The apology wasn’t even directed at the person he offended. We’re all taught to shake hands at the end of a game, no matter what happens. Maybe before a game. He couldn’t even do that. He walked away and then lied on national television, round after round of interviews, and accused the South Carolina players of doing something his own players did as if we didn’t all have television. And the apology, Afterwards, it was all shameful.”
Auriemma issued a statement on the matter, apologizing for his own behavior.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a semifinal game of the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament at the Final Four in Phoenix on April 3, 2026. (Rick Scuteri/AP)
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“There is no excuse for how I handled the end of the game against South Carolina,” Auriemma said in a statement posted to social media. “It’s different than what I do and our standard here in Connecticut.
“I want to apologize to the South Carolina staff and team. How I reacted wasn’t necessary. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
Staley took the high road when asked about the incident after the team lost to the UCLA Bruins in the national championship.
“I don’t want to, this is UCLA day, right? Let’s still be UCLA, they win the national championship,” Staley told reporters, via The Athletic. “…We’re not going to ruin UCLA’s day with this.”
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley speaks during a press conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Phoenix on April 4, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
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Staley has yet to fully address the incident and what he yelled at Auriemma during their exchange.
