Geno Auriemma’s exchange with Dawn Staley the lastest in string of coaching rivalries

The teams’ on-court rivalry would be enough to s

At the end of Friday night’s Final Four game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma had a tense exchange with South Carolina ’s Dawn Staley as the Gamecocks were a second away from securing a trip to the national championship with a 62-48 victory . It’s the third Final Four or national championship matchup between the two in the past five years, with South Carolina now up 2-1. South Carolina’s win at Mortgage Matchup Center ended UConn’s 54-game winning streak.

The teams’ on-court rivalry would be enough to spark interest in meetings between the elite programs, but their conflict in Phoenix added another layer. Of course, Staley isn’t Auriemma’s first foil. He has coached for 41 seasons, with 25 Final Fours and 12 national championships.

He’s had his rivals, notably Tennessee coach Pat Summitt in the late 1990s to early 2000s, and Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw in the early 2010s. He’s also had some previous tense moments with Staley. Here’s a history of Auriemma’s history with his rivals: Pat Summitt and Tennessee The Tennessee-UConn rivalry began initially in an effort to place two of the game’s biggest brands on national television to elevate the sport in 1995, which UConn won on the way to an undefeated national championship.