Geno Auriemma blasts NCAA over 'frustrating' Sweet 16, Elite Eight setup
UConn coach Geno Auriemma blasted the NCAA over its handling of Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, citing poor shooting and scheduling.
FORT WORTH, TX — UConn Coach Geno Auriemma blasted the NCAA over the setup for the Women's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. Auriemma, who has been at UConn for 41 seasons, walked into his morning press conference, sat down and unleashed pointed fury in his opening statement. The veteran coach began a burning rant as the air slowly went out of the room.
"I'm gonna read you some numbers, OK? Four-for-20, four-for-22, one-for-17, five-for-18, four-for-16, seven-for 26," Auriemma said. "That's the three-point shooting yesterday across the country.
How many arenas are we gonna sell out with that (expletive)? " On Friday, UConn, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Minnesota, LSU and Duke all played in Sweet 16 matchups between regional sites in Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California. Auriemma said it could have been a bad shooting day by all the aforementioned teams ― Notre Dame made just one 3-pointer during its upset win over Vanderbilt ― but he wasn't convinced.
Auriemma said he believes the low shooting percentages might be attributed to new baskets and basketballs described as "out of the box. " He lamented how players were dribbling basketballs off their feet and missing numerous shots. Auriemma said the balls seem to have so much air in them they bounce unusually high when players attempt to dribble.