In case they didn’t get enough of each other during the NCAA women’s Final Four, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley will meet again this fall.
As part of a slate that also pits reining national champion UCLA against St. John’s, UConn and South Carolina will face off in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Nov. 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
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This comes after Auriemma shouted at Staley after a brief handshake in the waning seconds of the Gamecocks’ 62-48 over the Huskies in the national semifinals in Phoenix. That game ended UConn’s undefeated season and stopped a 54-game win streak.
Immediately after the clash between coaches, Auriemma told reporters in his postgame press conference that he was upset about the officiating and what he perceived as a slight from Staley involving a pregame handshake.
In the aftermath, UConn also released a statement from Auriemma where he apologized but did not mention Staley. He apologized to Staley and her staff in a second statement.
On May 4, Auriemma addressed the fallout in a press conference in Storrs, Connecticut.
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“I just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out. We are all human and we all do dumb s—.”
As two of women’s basketball’s most prominent programs, UConn and South Carolina have met twice in the NCAA title game, with UConn rolling to an 82-59 victory in the 2025 national championship game, while South Carolina won the 2022 title with a 64-49 win.
Neither coach mentioned the other, or their programs specifically, in their quotes released by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame about November’s game.
“The Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase is an event we’re excited to participate in each season,” Auriemma said. “It featured some of the top non-conference games and has become a great stage for women’s basketball. Fans will once again get to see some great basketball at Mohegan Sun.”
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Staley’s comments offered a similar sentiment, focusing on the quality of the event: “It’s always great to be back at an event tied to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame because we know it will be a great experience for teams and fans from start to finish. The organizers do a great job of creating elite matchups and an amazing environment at Mohegan Sun.”
UConn’s roster is headlined by National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, while South Carolina brings the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the nation into the matchup. Oliviyah Edwards and Jerzy Robinson are anticipated to make their debuts in the marquee game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geno Auriemma, Dawn Staley to meet again in November after Final Four clash
