Geno Auriemma embraces villain role in "weird" UConn vs Tennessee rivalry: "I'm on a long, illustrious list of villains"

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has seen the rivalry between the Huskies and Lady Vols women's basketball programs evolve since its heydey in the 1990s and 2000s. On Thursday, the two teams will meet again as No. 5 UConn visits No. 19 Tennessee.

Auriemma is aware that he still may be viewed as a villain by some Tennessee fans and alums for having had so much success against the Lady Vols over the years.

"Weird," Auriemma said with a chuckle about being the vilain in the rivalry (via USA Today).

"I just represent what is not necessarily copacetic for the people in Knoxville," he continued, "but I think I’m on a long, illustrious list of villains, so I feel pretty good about it."

Tennessee used to be the dominant team in women's college basketball. Led by the legendary Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols won eight national championships from the late 80's until the late 2000s. But Auriemma's UConn has since eclipsed Tennessee with 11 titles, including six since the Lady Vols' last title in 2008.

Geno Auriemma has been a thorn in the side of the Lady Vols for decades, posting a 17-9 all-time record against them. At Knoxville, the Huskies hold a 6-3 advantage.

Since renewing their rivalry in 2020, Auriemma's team has won all four matchups. The two sides have met seven times in the NCAA Tournament, including four times in the final, with UConn prevailing in all four championship games to win the national title.

So for Tennessee fans to still feel some type of way about Auriemma is understandable.

"Because we had the audacity to come in there and win, and win, and win, we become the villains," Auriemma added.

Geno Auriemma explains why UConn-Tennessee rivalry is not the same anymore

Geno Auriemma, who has been in Storrs since 1985, recognizes the rivalry between the two storied programs is not what it was once. They used to battle for national championships, with their meetings often determining the season's outcome.

"UConn-Tennessee was kind of the standard bearers of, 'Hey, put this game on television because even men will watch this game.' It became that," Geno Auriemma said during media availability Tuesday.

"Things evolved and the game grew, and there's more really, really good teams. And there's a lot of attention now in the game, and it's not just a lot of attention on two particular programs, it's spread nationwide. So, yeah, it's not what it used to be, and they don't know anything, they don't know any of the history of it."

For 12 years — from 1995 to 2007 — UConn and Tennessee met annually, with the programs often squaring off in postseason matchups. However, the series was discontinued and after 13 years was renewed again in 2020.