STORRS – It was Geno Auriemma’s birthday Monday, falling, as it does every year, in the middle of March Madness.
It was a low-key day as the Huskies prepped for their second round NCAA Tournament game Monday night at Gampel Pavilion.
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“We sang him ‘Happy Birthday’ and he nonchalantly said, ‘Thank you,’ ” UConn forward Serah Williams said.
There were no shirts with Geno’s face on them in the locker room like there were two years ago on his milestone 70th birthday. That day, Ashlynn Shade wore a shirt with Auriemma yelling from his younger days – “I think this shirt sums up Coach’s relationship with me,” Shade said that day.
No gifts were exchanged Monday; the biggest gift the women could give their coach came on the Gampel court – a flawlessly executed first half in the NCAA Tournament game against Syracuse, and an 98-45 victory which propelled the Huskies to their 32nd straight Sweet 16.
Top-seeded and unbeaten UConn will head to Fort Worth, Texas to play No. 4 seed North Carolina in a regional semifinal game Friday at 5 p.m. The winner will play the winner of the Shea Ralph-coached Vanderbilt team and Notre Dame semifinal game.
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Asked in the press conference after Monday’s game what his best UConn-related birthday memory had been over the years, Auriemma went back 35 years ago to the Huskies’ first trip to the regional finals and subsequent 60-57 victory over Clemson to advance to their first Final Four.
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“I don’t know how many games have been played on March 23rd,” he said. “But probably the best one ever was in Philadelphia at the Palestra, when we won to go to the Final Four. So that one was pretty memorable. And I was young. That was memorable, too. Although a distant memory.”
Auriemma has a 14-1 record on his birthday, with the only loss coming to NC State and its late coach Kay Yow in the regional semifinals in 1988. The only time he missed a birthday game was in 2021 when he tested positive for COVID-19.
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Last year, his team’s celebration was low-key as well but this time last year things were different – UConn had been striving for another national championship, its first since 2016, and had come close many times but never won. The Huskies went on to win their 12th title but now they want more.
“It just makes you more hungry for another one because you’ve been there and you want to be back there,” Shade said. “I also think too it’s more being comfortable in a situation where you’ve been successful before. By no means is it easy, but the dynamic we have, our chemistry makes it so much easier.”
Last year, then-freshman Sarah Strong was new to the NCAA Tournament experience, even though she did not play like a freshman the entire season and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Final Four, along with a host of other honors.
‘As good as it gets’: UConn near-perfect first half against Syracuse right up there, in Geno’s book
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Now, she’s a year older and more experienced. Strong had 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists in Monday’s second-round win.
“I would say my confidence in myself (has grown) – after being here last year and kind of knowing what to expect,” she said.
And so UConn moves on once again as it has done every year since 1994. 1993 was the last time the Huskies did not make it out of Gampel Pavilion, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We have such a high standard for ourselves,” Shade said. “We don’t get too high or too low or let any outside factors in which would interfere with what we have going on in our close-knit circle. We know what we want to accomplish this season. We just have to be patient and mindful of that.”
