Geno Auriemma NCAA Tournament complaints, explained: Why UConn coach thinks women's March Madness is broken

Geno Auriemma has never been one to bite his tongue. He didn’t bother starting during the 2026 NCAA tournament, either. The UConn women’s basketball coach has been a vocal advocate for the women’s game. But he’s been left unconvinced by the NCAA’s efforts to manage the sport—particularly in tournament play.

As the sport’s top teams struggle to find their rhythm with three-point shooting, Auriemma—hoping to deliver a 13th national title to the Huskies—fired off a tirade at the tournament’s organizers.

Suffice it to say, the college basketball world took notice. Here’s what you need to know. 

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What are Geno Auriemma's NCAA tournament complaints?

Auriemma ripped the NCAA for its decision to host the tournament’s regional competitions at two sites. The 12-time national champion expressed frustration over the format, questioning where the sport’s governing body’s loyalties lie.

“Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, ‘Hey, does this work? Do you guys do this during the regular season? Is this normal?’” Auriemma said while speaking with reporters on Saturday.

"I just don't understand some of the decisions that are made about our game when we're trying to grow the g------ game," he added.

Geno just went all the way off ..!!!!! pic.twitter.com/zqh8TOvgeC

Auriemma argued that the two-site format -- which sees eight sides share an arena -- limits each team's practice time, both in the arena and on the floor. 

He wasn't the only tactician to express consternation over the NCAA's policy.

"I think you should only get a half-hour the day before the game [at the arena] and you should get an hour the day of the game of the shootaround because that's a normal shootaround for us," Duke head coach Kara Lawson said. "So on your game day, everybody kind of gets their normal thing.

"... I mean, two regionals, I think the arena thing is the thing that's hard. It's not that we're in the same city. It's that we don't get long enough practice or shootaround times in the venue for your most important games of the season."

Auriemma also took aim the use of "new baskets" and "new basketballs", suggesting the NCAA's moves have fundamentally altered how the sport is supposed to be played during this time of year.

"Got people dribbling the ball off their feet. You got people missing layups all over the place," Auriemma said "You bounce the ball and it goes up to the ceiling. There's just no concept of how basketball is played."

The Huskies' athletic director, David Benedict, took to X to echo some of Auriemma's concerns.

Why does the the NCAA Women's tournaments only have two regions?

The NCAA cited its desire to create better atmospheres as reason to change its regional format from four sites to two. The sport's governing body claims that regional contests have garnered the highest attendance numbers in tournament history. Auriemma isn't so sure, telling reporters that the poor shooting displays that took place throughout the Sweet 16 were antithetical to the NCAA's stated aims.

"How many arenas are we going to sell out with that bulls---?" Auriemma said.

Geno Auriemma's past NCAA Tournament complaints

This isn't the first time Auriemma has sounded the alarm on the NCAA's apparent disinterest in the past. Auriemma is one year removed from firing off similar comments towards his superiors, arguing their decision-making jeopardizes women's players' experiences, especially when compared to their male counterparts.

“I don’t give a damn when we play, where we play, who we play, bc we’ve done it and we still end up here," Auriemma said during last year's tournament. "But I’m just telling you the student athletes experience sucks compared to the men’s experience."

Geno Auriemma salary

Auriemma inked a five-year, $18.7 million extension to remain in Storrs ahead of the 2024-25 season. The contract sees him earn $3.74 million average annual value, making him one of the sport's highest-paid tacticians. Auriemma's contract features a base salary of $400,000. He lands additional funds for speaking and media obligations, seeing his contract rise to $2.94 million in 2024-25. That figure rises by $200,000 a season until 2029.