Auriemma takes blame for UConn's title drought

TAMPA, Fla. -- No manager has won much NCAA hoops titles than UConn's Geno Auriemma's 11. But his astir caller was successful 2016, and helium has had immoderate achy losses successful the women's Final Four since then.

Yet headed into his 13th NCAA title crippled astatine his 24th Final Four, Auriemma said the pugnacious defeats themselves don't fuss him arsenic overmuch arsenic immoderate of the choices helium made successful those games. He hopes to propulsion each the close buttons erstwhile facing South Carolina connected Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

"I've mislaid much Final Fours for my squad than they have, due to the fact that coaches marque decisions astir what to bash with their team," Auriemma said Saturday. "And if you marque the close decision, you win."

The Huskies won 4 consecutive NCAA titles down prima Breanna Stewart from 2013 done 2016. In 2017 and 2018, UConn mislaid by 2 points successful overtime successful the nationalist semifinals to buzzer-beating shots by Mississippi State's Morgan William and past Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale, respectively.

"I don't look astatine those 2 arsenic heartbreaking frustrations," Auriemma said. "I would person if I didn't marque 2 decisions successful some of those games that I deliberation person much to bash with america losing than those 2 buzzer-beaters.

"So that's the vexation that I instrumentality distant from that: 'Why bash you support screwing it up for these guys?'"

Auriemma didn't specify the decisions helium made. But helium acknowledged coaches often can't beryllium wholly definite if the determination was close oregon incorrect until they spot the outcome.

In 2019, the Huskies lost again to Notre Dame successful the nationalist semifinals, that clip by 5 points. A 10-point nonaccomplishment to underdog Arizona successful the 2021 nationalist semis was 1 of UConn's biggest astonishment defeats.

In 2022, the Huskies faced South Carolina successful the rubric game; UConn was a flimsy underdog going in, and the Huskies' injuries and unwellness made that adjacent much the case. South Carolina dominated 64-49.

UConn prima defender Paige Bueckers suffered a genu wounded successful the summertime of 2022 and didn't play successful the 2023 NCAA tournament, erstwhile UConn's streak of making 14 consecutive Final Fours was broken.

Last year, a precocious moving surface telephone against UConn elder Aaliyah Edwards helped doom UConn to yet different two-point nationalist semifinal loss, this 1 to Iowa.

Now erstwhile again, UConn is knocking connected the doorway of a championship. And aft dealing with aggregate season-changing injuries to players specified arsenic Bueckers and Azzi Fudd successful caller years, Auriemma said what helium is feeling champion astir with this Final Four squad is that the players are healthy.

"The information that we benignant of person a accidental to beryllium capable to manipulate the crippled a small spot amended than we had before, that's rewarding," Auriemma said. "That makes up for each the heartache and each the trauma and tribulations that we person had to spell through."