"We didn't beat the Lakers": UConn HC Geno Auriemma downplays 69-point win vs Arkansas State ahead of second round
The UConn Huskies under Geno Auriemma are one step closer to their goal of winning a national championship in the 2024-2025 season. As the No. 2 seed of the Spokane Regional 4, they beat the 15th-seeded Arkansas State Red Wolves, 103–34, by a staggering 69 points in the first round of this year's national tournament.
During the postgame presser, Auriemma was asked about his thoughts on whether there is such a thing as a perfect game, such as the win he and his team just had considering how they dominated. The coach said there will always be things to pick apart later on.
"There's always something when you go and pick the film apart," Auriemma said. "You don't necessarily take it as everything we did today was a perfect 10, because there's enough things in there that were not. But, there missed because of the talent differential. So, we played today and we didn't beat the Lakers today, no disrespect to Arkansas State.
The talent gap is huge. You should expect to play really, really well. Noone deserves to shoot 70% or whatever we shot in the first half. But, you do have to play at a whole higher level than the team you're playing against because the talent is just so great. Even though the talent gap is great, you still have to make sure that you play." (0:24)
Auriemma then gave some examples of factors to consider even with such a lop-sided victory for his squad.
"So, in terms of what was our effort like?" He said. "What was our execution like? Did we make good decisions more times than we made bad decisions? All of those things you're going to look at and you go, 'You know, given the kind of game that it was and who our opponent was, Yeah, everything that should've been done, pretty close, was done that way."
The Huskies, led by veteran star Paige Bueckers, are now preparing for their second-round matchup of the 2025 March Madness against the 10th-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Monday at home.
Geno Auriemma details why coaches like him become desperate after games
Later on in the press conference, Geno Auriemma detailed how coaches like him think that there are always ways to improve even after a win that seemed like they are unblemished. The tenured tactician shared that this is why certain coaches feel ounces of desperation, given that they are always trying to think one step ahead.
"That's how we have to think as coaches," Auriemma said. "That's what makes me always ... various degrees of misery because you're always trying to interpret. If we went Monday night, if we're fortunate enough to play next weekend, how much of this stuff that if we do it exactly the way we did it is going to help us win that game?
That's how you judge how did we play. It's delicate. The players don't understand it, they just go, 'Hey, coach, we won by a lot so it was great wasn't it?' I mean, I'm happy for them, but you got to be realistic too." (2:00)
If the UConn Huskies continue to dominate throughout the winner-take-all tournament, their chances of snapping a nine-year national title drought will become higher.