Geno Auriemma says Big East championship has lost its luster and aura over the years as UConn clinches 24th regular season title

The No. 5 UConn Huskies (27-3, 17-0 Big East) claimed their 24th Big East regular season crown under Geno Auriemma with a 72-53 victory over No. 22 Creighton on Thursday night. However, Auriemma was candid in his postgame comments about how the conference has evolved over time.

When asked if the program had lost something by no longer playing the type of competition they faced in the old Big East, the Hall of Fame coach was honest in his assessment.

"You can't dictate who’s in your league, what the schedule is. All you got to do is just play the teams they put in front of you," Auriemma said (8:14). "Did it have a certain aura to it when the semis and the finals in the Big East tournament were four teams in the top 10 in the country? Yeah.

"I think it's lost a little bit of that luster, that aura that it had when we were in that league. And does it mean as much? I'm sure to the players it does, because they don’t know any better."

Geno Auriemma mentioned that Husky freshman Sarah Strong was surprised the team received a t-shirt for winning the Big East regular season title. However, he added that while some of the current players did not play during the glory days of the old Big East, it still means something and they should celebrate it.

In the 2000s, powerhouse programs like Notre Dame, Louisville, and Rutgers were in the Big East alongside UConn, upping the competition. They have all since moved on to other conferences, seemingly leaving the Big East without its once-prominent level.

---

Geno Auriemma and UConn Huskies make it five in a row

Since returning to the Big East in 2020, UConn has dominated the conference. They have now won five straight Big East regular season championships.

On Thursday, Geno Auriemma's squad secured their fifth consecutive regular season title and 24th overall Big East championship after their win over Creighton. The Creighton Bluejays (23-5, 15-2 Big East), who entered the game with just one loss in 15 games, a January defeat against UConn, and sat second in the league standings behind the Huskies, were unable to prevent UConn from extending its dominance.

Creighton started well, going 8-0 up, but UConn took control of the game by the start of the second quarter and never looked back on their way to the 19-point victory. Sarah Strong poured in a game-high 22 points while Paige Bueckers had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.