College hoops analyst reviews difference between Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s reactions after Selection Sunday

The coach of South Carolina, Dawn Staley, and the coach of UConn, Geno Auriemma, led their respective teams to the NCAA Tournament after winning their respective conferences.

The 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday, March 16.

Ahead of their NCAA Tournament games, College hoops analyst Robin Lundberg reviewed both coach's reactions in his recent YouTube podcast on Monday.

"The difference in the reaction between Dawn Staley and Gino Auriemma is maybe Gino just didn't believe his team was worthy of a higher seed but he seemed to take it a lot better where UConn was seated, where they landed Ed and wound up.

"He took it pretty well, right? You go where they tell you and you play who they tell you. Now, of course, that could involve JuJu and USC which was another question that Gino was asked there because that's where everyone's kind of thought process went, myself included, when I saw the bracket released," said Robin Lundberg. (Timestamp, 3:40).

Both coaches are set to play their first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks will face the No 16. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Friday and UConn will play the No. 15 Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday.

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - National Championship - Source: Getty

Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma win SEC and Big East Tournaments respectively

The South Carolina Gamecock (31-3) defeated the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (31-4) 64-45 in the final of the SEC Conference tournament to be crowned champions last Sunday.

Dawn Staley's side took a massive lead in the first half, 33-16, and finished the game 31-29 in the second half, in a win that earned them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

On the other hand, Geno Auriemma's side, the UConn Huskies (31-3) won the Big East Conference tournament, having defeated the No. 2 Creighton Bluejays (26-6) 70-50, last Tuesday.

UConn dominated the first half, winning 40-22, and continued its dominance in the second half with a 30-28 win. The win secured the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.