Geno Auriemma Shows He's A Sore Loser After 'Handshake' Meltdown With Dawn Staley

INDIANAPOLIS - Geno Auriemma couldn’t believe what had transpired before the game. 

For most of Friday night’s first Women's Final Four semifinal, South Carolina flat-out manhandled UConn in the paint. But instead of focusing on that, Auriemma zeroed in on something else entirely: a handshake, berating officials and a ripped jersey.

I was sitting in a hotel lobby surrounded by college basketball coaches who were in town for a convention and the men's Final Four, and the conversation quickly turned to Auriemma’s sideline antics during the loss. 

The longtime UConn coach appeared fixated on what he claimed was a missed pregame handshake from South Carolina’s Dawn Staley — a grievance that seemed to linger all night, among other things. 

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For nearly four quarters, Auriemma was evidently seething that Dawn Staley missed a second pregame handshake that is a staple point of the NCAA Tournament. It was so egregious that he was upset for an entire game?

"Why does he have to act like that? He's mad about Dawn getting on the officials? This guy, man," one Power-4 head coach quipped at the table. 

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But, what about the way Staley allegedly treated officials during the game that led to him complaining to officials in the second quarter, which he tried to explain after the loss? 

"I just wanna make sure there’s not a double-standard," Geno said postgame about his complaint to officials in the second quarter. "I’m of the opinion that if I ever talked to an official like that, I would get tossed… Some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not"

Right, so this wasn't because of a handshake, it stemmed from how Dawn Staley coaches?

So, he was upset with Dawn Staley for the handshake, but also her language? 

Well, there was also an incident in the second quarter that saw UConn's Sarah Strong have her jersey ripped, which she had to replace. 

If you’re trying to follow the logic, good luck.

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That was the incident Geno was upset about, right? When Sarah Strong ripped her own jersey, correct?

During a pre-fourth quarter interview with Holly Rowe, Auriemma unloaded on the officiating — and took a shot at Staley in the process.

"There were 6 fouls called that quarter. All of 'em against us. And they've been beating the sh*t out of our guys down there the entire game... This is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don't wanna hear."

Following the game, during this awkward press conference, Geno was asked about his rant regarding the Hulk Hogan-like jersey-ripping situation. 

"She (Sarah) said it wasn't her mistake, she said it was a mistake," Geno tried to awkwardly explain. "She didn't say she ripped her own jersey."

But then, mid-answer, Geno was told by the reporter that Sarah Strong had actually ripped her own jersey, which led to this quick misdirection by Auriemma. 

"She did? Nah, I'm just saying there was not a single foul called on them in the third quarter. And I got a kid, one of the best players in the country, got the ball a lot and is trying to get something done, and you’re here to tell me there was never a time when she got fouled. I find that hard to believe."

Alright, well, I'm glad we got that cleared up during Geno's press conference where he came off sounding like a sore loser, rather than just take the beating being handed down by South Carolina. 

So, that was it? Oh, not at all, entirely. 

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In a twist that only became clear after Dawn Staley hinted at it postgame, all of this drama apparently started over… a handshake.

Yes, seriously.

I’ve seen plenty covering college athletics, but what Geno Auriemma pulled as the final seconds ticked away in Phoenix wasn’t just unnecessary — it was flat-out embarrassing.

Instead of taking the loss and moving on — the way a coach of his stature usually would — Auriemma turned the Final Four into a personal grievance tour, centered around a pregame handshake that may or may not have happened the way he wanted.

"For 41 years I’ve been coaching, 25 Final Fours," Geno started. "The protocol is before the game, you meet at half-court. Two coaches meet at half court, and they shake hands, correct? You ever see it? They announce it on loudspeaker. I waited there for like 3 minutes. So, it is what it is."

Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks shakes hands with Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies prior to a NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

That was the issue?

Not getting dominated in the paint. Not getting outplayed. A handshake.

Let’s be clear: the pregame pleasantries had already happened, as you can tell from the photo evidence. But, there was a SECOND handshake that took place during the Final Four, as the starting lineups were announced, which Dawn Staley supposedly missed out of spite.

But apparently, one wasn’t enough for Geno — he wanted a second, more ceremonial version, and when it didn’t go exactly to script, it festered the entire night.

You truly can’t make this up.

Of all the moments to lose your composure, Auriemma picked the biggest stage in women’s college basketball to air out a gripe that sounds more like a personal slight than a competitive issue.

And that’s the problem.

Instead of owning a loss to a better, more physical South Carolina team, Auriemma made himself the story — clinging to a handshake controversy that feels as overblown as it is irrelevant.

South Carolina is playing UCLA for a national title, while Geno Auriemma will most likely still be talking about a handshake.