PHOTOS: UConn HC Geno Auriemma gets a special visit from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla ahead of March Madness

UConn coach Geno Auriemma received a special visit from Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla on Wednesday. Mazzulla, who guided the Celtics to the NBA championship last season, came by to talk with Auriemma as the Huskies prepare for their upcoming NCAA Tournament run.

UConn basketball shared a couple of photos on X (formerly Twitter) showing Mazzulla and Auriemma engaged in what appears to be a lively conversation at Gampel Pavilion.

"Hey Coach 👋" the caption read.

The Huskies, who enter March Madness as a two-seed in the Spokane 4 region, host Arkansas State in the first round on Saturday.

Mazzulla played at West Virginia before declaring for the NBA draft in 2011. However, he went undrafted and eventually worked his way up the coaching ranks, first as an assistant at Glenville State and Fairmont State before joining the Celtics in 2019.

He became the head coach before this season and led Boston to its 18th NBA championship and first since 2008. Mazzulla visited Geno Auriemma ahead of the Celtics' regular season game against the Utah Jazz on Friday at Delta Center.

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Geno Auriemma admits he hasn't filled NCAA Tournament bracket in decades

The UConn Huskies will make their 36th consecutive March Madness appearance this week. Except for the first three years, Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma has led the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament every other season.

Despite his extensive experience and success in the Big Dance, Auriemma remains uninterested in filling out the bracket.

"I don't even remember the last time I actually filled out a bracket. I really don't," Auriemma said during a Monday episode of ESPN College Basketball's bracketology. "I certainly haven't filled one out in the last 20-25 years.

"I don't know that I was paying that much attention to all the other brackets. Until I saw our name, that's kind of what I wanted to know."

Host Taylor Tannebaum further asked Geno Auriemma if he ever receives text messages seeking advice on filling out brackets.

"No, they don't ask me because I think everybody's better than us, I think everybody is going to beat us. So they don't trust me," Auriemma said.

UConn finished the regular season at 28-3 overall and unbeaten (18-0) in the Big East to claim the conference title. They also successfully defended their Big East Tournament championship.

The Huskies have all the makings of a national title contender, but the road to a historic 12th national championship will be tough. They will have to navigate potential matchups with one-seed USC and three-seed Oklahoma in the Spokane Regional.