“Where my hug at?”: College hoops fans react as Geno Auriemma waves his hands for Dawn Staley

Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies took on Dawn Staley and South Carolina on Sunday in the championship game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Before a game, it is customary for the opposing coaches to share a handshake, but Auriemma wanted to be extra warm.

In a video shared by SportsCenter on X, the Huskies coach was seen walking towards Staley with his arms wide open, waving at the Gamecocks coach and welcoming her into a hug.

"Geno Auriemma waited to get his hug from Dawn Staley 😅 Two of the all-time greats 👏," the caption read.

Fans reacted to the moment between Auriemma and Staley in the comments.

"'Where my hug at?'," one fan commented.

"Come on Dawn hurry up 😂." another fan joked.

Grampa Geno! This is not the fiery young Geno! Improve with age!🤗🤗🤗," another wrote.

A couple fans praised the coaching duo amid their achievements.

"Two of the all time greatest," a fan wrote.

"These legends of the game know how to bring the fire on the court and the warmth off it. A moment of pure class!," another commented.

One fan pointed at both coaches having strong ties to Philadelphia, writing:

"Proud moment for Philadelphia."

Geno Auriemma's UConn ends championship drought, avenges 2022 loss to Dawn Staley

The last time Geno Auriemma and the Huskies won an NCAA championship was in 2016. It marked the end of the iconic four-peat era, with Breanna Stewart as the star.

Led by Paige Bueckers, UConn came close to a title in 2022 but lost to Aliyah Boston and South Carolina. It was Auriemma's only national title game loss in his career.

But Geno got his revenge on Staley on Sunday as the Huskies finally won their 12th national championship, defeating the Gamecocks 82-59. It was a masterclass performance from UConn as the team excelled on both ends of the court. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd led the offense with 24 points each. The freshman also had 15 rebounds.

During the postgame interview with Holly Rowe, Geno Auriemma was asked about this long wait for the championship.

"You just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again," he said. 'There were so many times when I think we all questioned, like, 'Have we been here too long? Has it been time?'

"Yet we kept hanging in there and hanging in there, and it’s because these players make me want to hang in there every day."

The win also marks the end of Paige Bueckers' time with Auriemma, as she will move on to the WNBA.