Geno Auriemma, the winningest basketball coach in Division I in history, took a beating on social media Saturday after the conversation he initiated the night before with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley turned heated.

Auriemma’s UConn women’s team was in the final seconds of a stunning 62-48 loss in a national semifinal game when he walked toward Staley and said something she didn’t like. The two had to be separated. It isn’t clear what Auriemma, winner of 12 national titles, said to his fellow member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

He had been upset earlier in the game about the lack of fouls called on Staley’s team, and he said in his postgame news conference that Staley kept him waiting to exchange pregame pleasantries.

Diana Taurasi, who undoubtedly will join them in the Hall of Fame as soon as she is eligible, said Saturday that the two coaches are rivals – and tough competitors.

“Obviously, I’ve known Coach Auriemma for 25 years. He’s like a father to me. And I know Dawn really well, too,” she told interviewer Nicole Auerbach for “College Sports on Sirius XM” on Saturday.

Taurasi played for Auriemma at UConn from 2000-04, then was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She played 20 seasons in the league, retiring as its all-time leading scorer (10,646 points). Taurasi also won six Olympic gold medals in women’s basketball, coached by Auriemma twice and Staley once in the Games. 

“I played with Dawn in the 2004 Olympics. She was our coach in Tokyo (2021), so I know them both really, really well. I know it’s two really competitive people from Philly. You can put whatever label you want, you can say whatever you want about the situation last night, but to me it was two people competing at the highest level that have tremendous respect for each other.”

Staley and Auriemma have developed a rivalry since she took over as the head coach at South Carolina in 2008. She has led the Gamecocks to three national championships – 2017, 2022 and 2024. Her team will face UCLA in Phoenix Sunday night on a quest to win No. 4.

Taurasi said the competitive nature comes out in the rivalry games.

“It reminds me of when I was in college and Tennessee was at the top of the mountain, and you want to knock them down,” she said. “You want to be the better team; you want to be able to beat them in the biggest games.”

And UConn and South Carolina share rarified air.

“What Dawn has done in South Carolina is remarkable, amazing, the culture, that  basketball program that she’s really built from the ground up. Connecticut is still Connecticut. We get to the Final Four and lose, and it’s a terrible year.

“It’s a great rivalry. I think it’s here to stay.”

Auriemma, 72, issued a statement of apology to South Carolina on Saturday.

“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for how I reacted.

“The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I've had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them."

Auriemma left the court without greeting the South Carolina players and coaches in the postgame handshake line.

After the UConn men defeated Illinois 71-62 on Saturday to advance to their national championship game against Michigan on Monday night, head coach Dan Hurley was asked about the incident.

“Obviously, I’ve had a negative influence on Geno,” the fiery Hurley told reporters in Indianapolis – jokingly – outside the locker room.

Hurley has spoken before about how Auriemma has been both a sounding board and a mentor for him, and he praised the coach.

“Geno’s helped me so much,” Hurley said, with Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports sharing his words.

“Geno is – the way he handled the whole thing, such a stand-up guy, with the way he handled it with the statement, and he’s one of the classiest people,” Hurley continued.

“If anyone should get the benefit of the doubt, in a world of sports, it’s Geno Auriemma. Cause he’s one of the most authentic, genuine, great people you’ll ever meet in your life.”

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