Watch: Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma argue after South Carolina upsets UConn in Final Four

There's no love lost between Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley.

The two highly successful women's basketball coaches exchanged words Friday just before the final buzzer of South Carolina's upset win over UConn. With 0.1 seconds left in regulation and the Gamecocks up 14, Staley — South Carolina's head coach — met Auriemma, UConn's coach, at the sideline for a handshake. 

DAWN AND GENO LETS GET NEGATIVE pic.twitter.com/tC5B5C9n2J

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) April 4, 2026

Auriemma said something that appeared to upset Staley. An assistant coach from UConn's bench had to separate the two. Staley continued to yell at Auriemma as more people stepped in between the rivals. The clock was reset to 8 seconds as UConn inbounded the ball one last time. 

Staley shook hands with Huskies assistants after the game; Auriemma walked off to the locker room by himself.

ESPN reporter Holly Rowe asked Staley about the interaction:

"I have no idea (what went wrong between her and Auriemma)," Staley said. "But I'm gonna let you know this: I'm of integrity, I'm of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn't shake his hands at the beginning of the game."

She said she shook everyone on the staff's hand pregame. 

"Hey, sometimes things get heated, we move on," Staley said.  

Last season, UConn beat South Carolina in the NCAA final. The two coaches embraced after that result.

Geno Auriemma waited to get his hug from Dawn Staley 😅

Two of the all-time greats 👏 pic.twitter.com/K2j1QFAJx7

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