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When you talk about women's basketball and the NCAA Tournament, it's hard to not mention Geno Auriemma.
It's not just because he's spent his entire head coaching career at one spot, turning UConn into one of the preeminent women's basketball programs in the country from basically nothing. It's also due to how much the Hall of Famer has won in March.
Auriemma is set to take the floor at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, for the 24th time in the Final Four at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday vs. UCLA. A win would send Auriemma's Huskies back to the national championship game for the 13th time in his tenure in Connecticut.
"It's a Connecticut thing, I hope, that when we get into these situations we know how to win and I'm really proud of that," Auriemma told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on Monday.
So, exactly how long has Auriemma been at UConn? Here's what you need to know about Auriemma ahead of Friday's Final Four game:
Auriemma is in his 40th season at the helm of the UConn women's basketball program.
Hired ahead of the 1985-86 season, Auriemma has transformed UConn into one of the most storied programs in the sport. Auriemma has led the program to 11 national championships, 24 Final Four appearances and six perfect seasons.
As noted by UConn's media guide, Auriemma became the first coach in women’s basketball history to lead a program to five consecutive Final Four appearances two different times. He also set a record with 14 consecutive Final Four appearances from 2008 to 2022.
Last year's appearance in the Final Four was a return for the Huskies after losing to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 in 2023. UConn lost to Iowa in the 2024 Final Four following a controversial offensive foul on former Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards.
UConn is making its 24th Final Four appearance under the Hall of Famer on Friday.
UConn has now made the Final Four in 16 of the last 17 women's NCAA Tournaments.
"I've used this before. I said, 'There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World.' These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all," Auriemma said Monday at Spokane Arena following the Huskies' Elite Eight win vs. USC.
Auriemma enters the Final Four with a 141-24 record in the women's NCAA Tournament.
He first led the Huskies to the Big Dance in 1989 and they haven't looked back — UConn has made 36 consecutive women's NCAA Tournaments. In those 36 appearances, Auriemma has led UConn to 11 national championships, the most of any coach in men's or women's basketball — which included a stretch where the Huskies won four consecutive titles from 2013-2016.
Auriemma heads into Friday's Final Four game vs. No. 1 seed UCLA with a 1,248-165 overall record in 40 seasons at UConn. He has an .883 winning percentage, which is the best of the eight college basketball coaches with at least 1,000 career wins.
Auriemma has only had one losing season at UConn, which happened to come in his first season when he had to rebuild the Huskies' program from the ground up.
Back in November, Auriemma surpassed former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer to become the winningest Division I college basketball coach. This is Auriemma's 28th season with at least 30 wins.
Here's a decade-by-decade breakdown of how Auriemma's teams have fared at UConn:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How long has Geno Auriemma coached UConn? Record, wins, history
Continue reading...
It's not just because he's spent his entire head coaching career at one spot, turning UConn into one of the preeminent women's basketball programs in the country from basically nothing. It's also due to how much the Hall of Famer has won in March.
Auriemma is set to take the floor at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, for the 24th time in the Final Four at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday vs. UCLA. A win would send Auriemma's Huskies back to the national championship game for the 13th time in his tenure in Connecticut.
"It's a Connecticut thing, I hope, that when we get into these situations we know how to win and I'm really proud of that," Auriemma told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on Monday.
So, exactly how long has Auriemma been at UConn? Here's what you need to know about Auriemma ahead of Friday's Final Four game:
How long has Geno Auriemma been at UConn?
Auriemma is in his 40th season at the helm of the UConn women's basketball program.
Hired ahead of the 1985-86 season, Auriemma has transformed UConn into one of the most storied programs in the sport. Auriemma has led the program to 11 national championships, 24 Final Four appearances and six perfect seasons.
As noted by UConn's media guide, Auriemma became the first coach in women’s basketball history to lead a program to five consecutive Final Four appearances two different times. He also set a record with 14 consecutive Final Four appearances from 2008 to 2022.
Last year's appearance in the Final Four was a return for the Huskies after losing to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 in 2023. UConn lost to Iowa in the 2024 Final Four following a controversial offensive foul on former Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards.
How many Final Four appearances does Geno Auriemma have?
UConn is making its 24th Final Four appearance under the Hall of Famer on Friday.
UConn has now made the Final Four in 16 of the last 17 women's NCAA Tournaments.
"I've used this before. I said, 'There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World.' These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all," Auriemma said Monday at Spokane Arena following the Huskies' Elite Eight win vs. USC.
Geno Auriemma March Madness record
- Geno Auriemma March Madness record: 141-24
Auriemma enters the Final Four with a 141-24 record in the women's NCAA Tournament.
He first led the Huskies to the Big Dance in 1989 and they haven't looked back — UConn has made 36 consecutive women's NCAA Tournaments. In those 36 appearances, Auriemma has led UConn to 11 national championships, the most of any coach in men's or women's basketball — which included a stretch where the Huskies won four consecutive titles from 2013-2016.
Geno Auriemma record at UConn
- Geno Auriemma record at UConn: 1,248-165
Auriemma heads into Friday's Final Four game vs. No. 1 seed UCLA with a 1,248-165 overall record in 40 seasons at UConn. He has an .883 winning percentage, which is the best of the eight college basketball coaches with at least 1,000 career wins.
Auriemma has only had one losing season at UConn, which happened to come in his first season when he had to rebuild the Huskies' program from the ground up.
Back in November, Auriemma surpassed former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer to become the winningest Division I college basketball coach. This is Auriemma's 28th season with at least 30 wins.
Here's a decade-by-decade breakdown of how Auriemma's teams have fared at UConn:
- 1980-1990: 92-51
- 1990-2000: 301-44
- 2000-2010: 342-27
- 2010-2020: 356-20
- 2020-present: 157-23
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How long has Geno Auriemma coached UConn? Record, wins, history
Continue reading...
