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What did Geno Auriemma say to Dawn Staley? Explaining the heated Final Four postgame exchange originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Friday night's bout between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 1 UConn was eventful, to say the least. Besides a defensive back-and-forth that resulted in UConn's 54-game win streak being snapped, Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley's postgame extracurriculars took the main spotlight away from the game, which ended in a 62-48 Gamecock win.
With 0.1 seconds left on the clock, UConn's coach admitted defeat and walked towards Staley's side of the court to shake her hand. After a split-second embrace, the camera caught the coaches going further than the traditional handshake. In an animated turn, both coaches' faces turned hostile and barked back at each other.
Here is everything you need to know about the exchange between Auriemma and what the UConn coach said to Staley inside the Mortgage Matchup Center.
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What did Geno Auriemma say to Dawn Staley?
In the videos that have surfaced from the handshake incident, it's not specifically clear what Auriemma said to Staley, but the UConn coach was seen pointing to the floor the two coaches were currently standing on, and towards the direction of the court.
In her postgame press conference, Staley directed questions about the exchange toward Auriemma, saying that he "initiated the conversation" when he was upset about a handshake pregame.
In his press conference, Auriemma said he waited for about three minutes at halfcourt to shake hands with Dawn Staley before the game but never did.
Why was Geno Auriemma mad at Dawn Staley?
According to South Carolina's coach, Staley shared that Auriemma was dissatisfied that she failed to shake his hand before the game. According to Staley, she shook his entire staff's hands before the game. Here is her interview just after the South Carolina victory, where she discussed the altercation.
Auriemma was already not happy on the sidelines due to, in his opinion, the lack of fouls South Carolina was called for compared to his Huskies. After the game, UConn's coach was nowhere to be seen shaking hands with South Carolina's team. Here is a crowd angle, where Staley seems to be questioning Auriemma's disappearance.
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Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley beef explained
Auriemma and Staley are both coaches of some of the nation's best women's college basketball teams, so a rivalry is always present when the two meet. On Friday night, a new chapter was written in the rivalry's legacy between the Big East's best and one of the top-tier SEC teams.
Prior to their postgame handshake, UConn's coach was already dissatisfied with the lack of foul calls compared to the whistle South Carolina was getting during the game. In an interview that featured an expletive, it's safe to say Auriemma was not happy. Here is a video of the mid-game interview.
Just after Auriemma and Staley's postgame back-and-forth, The Athletic reporter Grace Raynor shared that UConn's coach went as far as skipping the postgame handshake lines.
Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley handshake
After the Huskies' Final Four loss, Auriemma went to shake Staley's hand. However, it didn't end there. UConn's coach was seen going much further than just wishing Staley a good game, and South Carolina's coach clearly didn't like what Auriemma said. Here is a video of the altercation.
According to Staley's postgame interview, Auriemma alleged that she did not shake his hand. According to the South Carolina coach, she shook hands with his entire staff before the game, as is customary to display good sportsmanship.
While ESPN's coverage angle made it hard to see what UConn's coach was mouthing to Staley, ESPNreporter Kareem Copeland caught the moment from behind the scorer's table. Here is Copeland's angle.
Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley record
UConn and South Carolina, under Auriemma and Staley, have met 15 times during both coaches' tenures. Auriemma holds the overall 9-6 head-to-head record over Staley, with the most recent win achieved by the Gamecocks in the 2026 Final Four.
Staley has been gaining ground on Auriemma, though, with all six of her wins coming within the last eight matchups between the two women's college hoops powerhouses.
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