Don't Feel Bad For Injury-Riddled UConn Because Geno Auriemma Sure Doesn't: 'Shut The F*** Up And Win Games'

Not that he cares, but Geno Auriemma isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

The longtime Connecticut women’s basketball coach is set to guide his third-seeded team into a first-round NCAA tournament matchup against No. 14 Jackson State today (Noon ET, ABC), and it’s always fun to see what he might do/say next.

He’s got an unapologetic confidence that can come off as a grating arrogance. He also speaks his mind, probably too much for some.

Geno For President???

You could say that Auriemma is the Donald Trump of college coaching in that, unlike so many other polished-up and overly measured coaches, he often says exactly what’s on his mind without a filter, like it or not.

Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma. (G Flume, Getty). President Donald Trump (Eva Marie Uzcategui, Bloomberg via Getty Images)

At the moment, Auriemma is not adding any kind of "coach-speak sugar-coating" to what he thinks his team’s chances are in this year’s tournament.

Auriemma has been brutally honest, and some UConn fans haven’t liked it.

The Huskies are 29-5, but they are – gasp! – underdogs by UConn standards. This is a program that has won an unprecedented 11 national championships, produced dozens of all-Americans and WNBA stars and has set records for consecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in the country.

Most of the time, the Huskies are favorites just by the logos sewn onto their uniforms.

Connecticut great Rebecca Lobo celebrates as the Huskies win the program's first of 11 national championships with a victory over Tennessee in the 1995 title game in Minneapolis. (Bob Stowell/Getty Images)

This Isn't Your Mother's UConn Team

But this particular UConn team is beat up…like, seriously beat up, and has been struggling with injuries to key players all season. 

As of late, the Huskies have had only seven dressed players available for duty, and have dubbed them "The Magnificent Seven." And most games, Auriemma has been running primarily with a rotation of six.

Not what national championship teams are typically made of.

"I would say this year, we would have to get exceptionally lucky to go really deep in this tournament," Auriemma recently said matter-of-factly.

Lucky? UConn's never needed luck before! Luck is for chumps! 

What in the name of Rebecca Lobo…? 

Maybe the comment is for effect. Maybe it’s to motivate. Whatever the reason, it’s honest.

So few coaches speak like this. There are fragile egos to protect, and headlines to avoid. 

Plus, there are ways to say something like what Auriemma said, without saying anything close to it. 

"I really love our team. We’ve faced so much adversity this season, but we’ve worked so hard and we are all dialed in and ready for anything. We know our bracket is stacked and we respect every team that we might face. We know that we have to play our very best basketball to make a run, but we believe in each other."

That’s what other coaches say. Not Auriemma. He's almost honest to a fault.

I’ve actually always liked that part of Auriemma the most. As a journalist, it’s refreshing to deal with a college coach who isn’t constantly dancing around tough topics and carefully choosing every last word, often while speaking nothing but gobbledygook.

Geno Auriemma always keeps it real with reporters. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)

Geno: "Just Shut The F--K Up And Win Games."

When Auriemma was asked last June how his team might respond to this 2023-24 season, after its disappointing finish in the previous season, I had to laugh (but with deep appreciation) at his response.

"This isn't a 1970s rock band out for their 60th tour and they have to give every tour a name," Auriemma said in reference to all the nicknames people were suggesting for his 2023-24 team. "Everybody's got "Redeem Team" and everybody's got "Reload Team" and everybody's got "Unfinished Business Team" and everybody's got all this stuff going out there."

"How about we just shut the f—k up and win games?" he continued. "How about we just do that? Maybe that’s what the tour should be: ‘Shut the f—k up and win games.’"

Man, am I going to miss this guy when he retires.

Is 29 Wins And A Top-10 Ranking Enough? Ummmm, By UConn Standards…Probs Not 

Of course, the UConn women apparently did just "shut the f—k up and win games" this season. Plenty of them, in spite of all of their setbacks.

But still, there is a cloud. There is doubt. This is clearly not a typical UConn team.

Connecticut is ranked No. 10 in the most current AP Top 25 poll, which is shocking to the senses in itself. But in early December, it was like the wheels had fallen off. The Huskies were ranked No. 17 in the country, their worst AP ranking in 30 years. Crazy-ville!

It’s like the Huskies, by Huskies standards, are almost an afterthought on the national stage, and when’s the last time anyone who knows anything about women’s college basketball even dared think a blasphemous thought like that? 

The injury struggle has been real, though, and it can’t be ignored.

During the Big East Tournament, forward Aaliyah Edwards went down with a broken nose, yet another setback for the Huskies.

In January, guard Caroline Ducharme became the fifth player on the team to be lost for the season, due to ongoing head and neck problems.

Forward Jana El Alfy has been out all season with an Achilles injury, guard Azzi Fudd went down with a season-ending knee injury a month into the season, forward Aubrey Griffin also went out with a season-ending knee injury and forward Ayanna Patterson had knee surgery in December.

But The Huskies Are Ready To Turn The Paige Into Tournament Mode 

UNCASVILLE, CT - UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket against Georgetown Hoyas guard Kelsey Ransom (1) during the Women's Big East Tournament championship game on March 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena.  (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Luckily for UConn, one player who has avoided injury this season is star guard Paige Bueckers, who, fittingly for this group, had been plagued with injuries prior to this season. In fact, she missed all of last season with an ACL knee injury. She also had a different knee injury and an ankle injury prior to that.

Bueckers, who was one of the most hyped high school players in the country a few years ago, had Caitlin Clark-like name recognition in women’s basketball before Caitlin Clark did.

And as a freshman at UConn, before the injury bug bit her, Bueckers averaged 20 points per game, carried the Huskies to the Final Four and was named the national player of the year. 

A now healthy-again Bueckers is starting to re-gain that cachet. And maybe at just the right time.

She also provides anecdotal balance to Auriemma, which makes UConn fans feel better.

"I still feel like the sky's the limit. We have everything we need," Paige Bueckers said of UConn’s chances in the tournament. "Obviously, our margin for error is a lot smaller than other teams and we don't have the luxury of having five deep on the bench, players that can come in and do the same things as the starters.

"But I feel like we have what it takes."

UNCASVILLE, CT - UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and teammate KK Arnold (2) celebrate after a three-point shot during the Women's Big East Tournament championship game against Georgetown on March 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena.  (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

More Geno, Please

I sure hope the Huskies have what it takes. 

It’s always fun to root for an, ummmm, "underdog." And, let’s be honest, more Geno Auriemma in the women’s tournament is always better than less.