"That's his daughter" - Fans melt over emotional Geno Auriemma going short of words after Paige Bueckers leaves UConn presser

UConn star Paige Bueckers led the No. 2-seeded Huskies to a comprehensive 91-57 win over the No. 10-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday evening. Bueckers put on a show for UConn fans for her last game at the Gampel Pavilion, tallying 34 points, three rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes of action.

During his postgame news conference, UConn coach Geno Auriemma was emotional while speaking about the departing Bueckers, and after she left the news conference, he took a long time looking at her.

“Paige was Paige,” Auriemma said. “It was a great way to finish your (home) career. There is no better way than with a game like that, a performance like that.”

College basketball fans on Instagram had mixed reactions to Auriemma's emotional display after Paige Bueckers had departed the news conference.

"That's his daughter," one fan wrote.

"His love for his girls is why the UConn programs has been so successful year after year," another fan wrote.

"My heart," one fan wrote.

"This is the kind of coach a parent hopes and prays their children get to play for," another fan wrote.

"His favorite daughter," one fan wrote.

"Love both of them. Geno is the man," another fan wrote.

Fan's comments on IG

Fan's comments on IG

Paige Bueckers and the No. 2 seed Huskies (33-3) will now square off against the No. 3-seeded Oklahoma Sooners (27-7) on Saturday at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in a Sweet 16 matchup. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN.

Geno Auriemma and Paige Bueckers have a close bond

Paige Bueckers was one of the most heavily recruited prospects after starring for Hopkins High School (Minnesota). She was a five-star prospect and the No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2020, according to ESPN, and was drawn to UConn due to the influence of Huskies coach Geno Auriemma.

During an interview with GQ in February, the popular Bueckers detailed her close relationship with Auriemma.

“He tells you what you don’t want to hear a lot of the time, and that’s sort of why you choose to come here,” Bueckers said. “I’ve always been a person who had excuses for things—a reason why I didn’t do this, a reason why I did do this. He’s really pushed me to break those habits and find no excuses.”

Under Auriemma's guidance, Paige Bueckers won the National Player of the Year as a freshman and has consistently been one of the best players in college basketball despite her persistent injury woes.

For his part, the legendary Auriemma detailed how he has nurtured the talent of Bueckers over the years, molding her to become a UConn legend alongside the likes of Diana Taurasi.

"There’s a delusional side of Paige that I love," Auriemma said. "She has to know better, but she comes across as, ‘I have never missed a shot; if I do miss, it’s because something happened. I have never fouled anybody in my life; the refs are always wrong.’ So there’s always this back-and-forth between me and her, because I know what kids want. They want to do it their way, they want it to be a little easier.

"The only problem is, that’s not what they need. They need the struggle of it. They need to see what it feels like to make sacrifices, to give up yourself, and have the failures that strengthen you and make you ready for those next steps in your life. That failure part, I think, is so important."

Paige Bueckers opted to stay in college basketball for an extra year last season despite being projected as a lottery pick in the WNBA draft and has already led the Huskies to a fifth consecutive Big East Tournament title. She is battling to win Geno Auriemma's first national championship in nine years as the NCAA Tournament unfolds.