Analyst claims Geno Auriemma - Dawn Staley rivalry does not have "same juice as Pat Summitt, Tennessee" battle

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and UConn coach Geno Auriemma battled in the national championship game this past season. The Huskies dominated the Gamecocks to win the latter's 12th national title. The two coaches have dominated women's college basketball and, between them, boast 15 titles.

During Friday's segment of "Big East Energy," analyst Tee Baker downplayed the rivalry between Staley and Auriemma, compared to legendary Tennessee Volunteers coach Pat Summitt's previous battles against the title-contending coaches of her era.

"Love to think about the comps," Baker said (17:22). "It doesn't to me have the same juice yet as like a Pat Summit Tennessee. But maybe it could get there," Baker said. "Who knows? And I'm very curious to see kind of how it continues to evolve. You know, UConn with an SEC opponent has had some history in Tennessee. It could get to that level again. And I love it. I think they are the two best at their craft in the business.

"To watch Dawn Staley's rise with this program, similar to Geno's, they didn't inherit programs that had any sort of history, didn't have a history of winning, built it from the bottom up and you gotta respect that. And you gotta love it. You gotta love the grind. And they're still at it, and they're still fierce competitors, so I cannot wait to see them match up this year."

Dawn Staley claps back at Geno Auriemma

While Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma have shared a largely cordial relationship, during UConn's title celebrations in Storrs, the latter seemed to throw a subtle jab at legendary South Carolina star A'ja Wilson when he suggested that the Huskies wouldn't build a statue for a player for winning one national title.

Wilson's statue was built outside the Colonial Life Arena in 2021 after winning the national title in 2017.

On April 30, Staley got her statue alongside Wilson's, and while addressing the crowd, she fired back a subtle jab at Auriemma's claim about her former player.

"I'll admit I wanted hers (Wilson's) to be the only one ever," Staley said. "Contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn't in response to winning a national championship. It was in response to being a winner at life. It's a tribute to a hometown hero, a symbol of what's possible for the youth of Columbia when passion meets preparedness."

Staley remains the only coach to have ever beaten Geno Auriemma in a national title game when the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the UConn Huskies in 2022 to win their second national championship. The pair will resume battling for the highest honors next season.