"Dumbest thing ever" - When Geno Auriemma masked his concerns over NCAA Tournament format with jokes

The Geno Auriemma-coached UConn Huskies beat Creighton Bluejays 75-50 to win their fifth consecutive Big East Tournament title on Monday (Mar.10). The Huskies head into the 2025 NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

Two years ago, the legendary UConn coach was not pleased about the tournament's change to a two-regional format that forced his Huskies to fly halfway across the country to play in Seattle.

The Huskies were the No. 3 seeds in their bracket, while the USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes were seeded No. 1 and 2, respectively.

“It makes absolutely no sense for anybody. I think it’s the dumbest thing ever and I hope this is the last year we do it. Or if we keep doing, have both of them in Chicago where everybody has to go halfway,” Auriemma said. “But in all seriousness, I think the game is at a point now where decisions shouldn’t be made just for television. People are proving that they’ll watch no matter what.”

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When Geno Auriemma started rooting against NCAA format

It was not the first time that Geno Auriemma had complained about the two-regional format. In 2023, his UConn Huskies were the No. 3 seeds and were upset by the No. 2-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes when his team was forced to play in Seattle. During a news conference before the regionals, Auriemma once again expressed dismay at the situation despite being favorites.

“It was a little bit of a surprise that we’re going to Seattle, but you first have to win two games,” Geno Auriemma said. “Me, personally, I’m not crazy about it. They’re called regionals for a reason. You have them in each region and now they’re not. They shouldn’t call them regionals anymore. They should call them something different.

"Not that it matters because every team is in the same situation so I’m probably speaking for every coach, if you’re going to do it, why not have both of them in the middle of the country where everybody only has to go halfway. I understand, let’s try something different and think outside the box, all that other stuff. And if I was 35, I would say, ‘Wow, this is a great idea. Let’s try that.’ I’m not into new ideas at my age.”

The last time the UConn Huskies won the national championship was in 2016 and so far, Geno Auriemma's 12th national championship has proved elusive regardless of the NCAA Tournament format in place.