UConn and coach Geno Auriemma were on the wrong side of history Sunday night. The team’s 64–49 loss to South Carolina was the first loss for the program and Auriemma in a national championship game. The loss ended an 11–0 run.
Auriemma has been with the Huskies since 1985 and coached them to 11 national championships, never seeing defeat on the biggest stage. His first national title came in 1995 and the latest was in 2016.
It was a remarkable run, but the Gamecocks and coach Dawn Staley didn’t flinch at the sign of the all-time mark. With the win, Staley won her second national title as a coach and became the first Black coach in either men’s or women’s Division I basketball to win multiple national championships.
UConn, at one point, won six national titles in eight years, but hasn’t won a title in eight years now. It might be the longest offseason in Auriemma’s long tenure for the Huskies after reaching the title game but failing to get the job done.
