"It's not as bad as football": $18 million rich Geno Auriemma speaks his mind on NIL and transfer portal's influence on parity in college teams

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is often outspoken on name, image and likeness policies. He shared his latest thoughts on the influence of NIL in shaping college basketball after his Huskies defeated South Carolina 87-58 on Sunday.

During the postgame press conference, Auriemma, who is worth $18 million per CelebrityNetWorth, was asked about the current state of parity in women's basketball, specifically how the gap between the best and elite teams has changed compared to a few years ago.

"I do believe that the landscape started to change," the Hall of Fame coach said (6:49). "Now certainly in the era of NIL and portal, players have more opportunities to go to more places and feel like they can be successful.

"There's still the teams that are always near the top. It's not as bad as football yet, but there are a lot more really, really, really good teams than there have been in a long time.

"Super teams, great teams, maybe not as many of those, but certainly a lot more really good teams that would make for a truly interesting NCAA Tournament."

Geno Auriemma has won 11 national titles at UConn in an era when his teams were dominant, but the balance of power has shifted in recent years, with many programs rising to compete with the top teams.

Geno Auriemma ends losing streak against Dawn Staley after four games

After four straight losses to Dawn Staley's No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks dating back to November 2021, Geno Auriemma and No. 7 UConn snapped the skid with a 29-point victory on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.

Not only did the Huskies cruise to a win, but they also ended the Gamecocks' 71-game home winning streak. This was one of South Carolina's largest losses in the Staley era, tied with a 29-point defeat to UConn in both 2018 and 2008.

The victory was much needed for UConn, which had not won a regular season game against a top-five ranked team since its 83-76 win over Texas in November 2022. In addition, the win was Connecticut's first top-five road victory since 2018.

South Carolina entered the game as the favorite, being the defending national champions and having overpowered the Huskies in their last four matchups. However, UConn came out hot, leading 45-23 at halftime and never looking back.

Azzi Fudd was the top scorer with 28 points for the Huskies, while freshman forward Sarah Strong had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Paige Bueckers also added 12 points and 10 assists in the win.