Geno Auriemma attempts to do damage control with apology in wake of classless behavior toward Dawn Staley

Connecticut entered Friday's Final Four game 38-0, having last lost on Dec. 21, 2024. The national semifinal against South Carolina marked a rematch of last season's championship game, which the Huskies won in a blowout, 82-59.

In the closing moments of Friday's loss, Auriemma got into a heated argument with Staley before eventually exiting the court without shaking her hand.

He was blasted online in the immediate aftermath, with ESPN senior writer Ramona Shelburne writing on social media, "Bad look for Geno after a game his team was thoroughly beaten. Gotta give credit to Dawn & South Carolina and move forward, not argue."

"The was some straight B.S. from the great Geno Auriemma," added Stephen A. Smith. Never — ever — thought I'd see the day when the greatest woman's college coach in history would go down so classlessly," the "First Take" host added.

As painful as the loss was for UConn, which was held to its lowest points total in Final Four history, Auriemma made things much worse for the embarrassing late-game display. The apology is an attempt at damage control, but the perception of being a sore loser will be harder to shake.

His response to the loss was also a stark contrast to Staley's in last year's national title game. Afterward, she gave UConn the respect it deserved, telling reporters, "We lost to a very, very good basketball team. They beat our a-- but they didn't make us like it. There's a difference."

Staley continued her praise of the Huskies before Friday's game during a Thursday news conference, saying, "UConn has been the standard for a very long time, and everyone has to measure up to their standard."

Auriemma didn't live up to that benchmark on Friday. It will take more than a written apology to gain back any respect lost, but it's at least a start.