Geno’s lament: Why isn’t it enough to simply win?
STORRS — Geno Auriemma doesn’t feel the need to apologize for winning ugly.
Wins are still wins, and no one’s accumulated more of them for as long and as often as UConn.
“I think sometimes we forget, things just don’t roll into the next thing as easily as we’ve made it look,” Auriemma said Saturday before practice. “There are lot of teams that over the years, they fluctuate like this, based on who graduates, who they have coming in, some injuries, some transfers, and that never happens to us.”
Lately, the Huskies have been in a bit of a funk. They didn’t play particularly well this week, but grinded out victories against Memphis (68-56) and UCF (59-52) to improve to 15-1.
And that’s all that matters, right?
Now 35 years into his Hall of Fame career at UConn, Auriemma doesn’t want to hear about his team not winning as comfortably or as impressively as it normally does.
“To be honest with you, my kids are sick of this,” he said. “My kids are sick of answering questions about why we’re not what we used to be. Why we don’t win like we used to, why things don’t look like they used to. They are really kind of sick of listening to it. Sick of answering those questions.
“Since when do you have to apologize for winning a game? Why? Because we’ve won so much that now even winning isn’t enough? To be honest with you, that’s bull----. It really is. It really is.”
Auriemma made that clear when asked about surviving a couple rare tests on the last road trip. Thursday’s victory over UCF was only UConn’s second American Athletic Conference game decided by single digits since entering the league in 2013-14. The Huskies had won their previous 125 contests by an average of 40.1 points.
“We’re (15-1),” said Auriemma, whose team will look to improve upon that record against Tulsa on Sunday at Gampel Pavilion. “Why do I have to answer why we’re not winning by enough or why we miss so many shots or why we turn the ball over? Why? I thought the object was to win the game. That’s what I thought. If the object isn’t to win the game, then why are they keeping score?”
Most programs rise and fall due to a variety of factors, including injuries, upsets or coaching changes.
However, the Huskies are the exception to the rule.
UConn has reeled off 14 straight 30-win seasons, made 12 consecutive Final Fours and hasn’t fallen outside the top-5 of the Associated Press poll since 2006-07. On top of all that, the Huskies have won a record 11 national championships.
“For the last 25 years, year after year after year after year, we’ve become like death and taxes,” Auriemma said. “We’re automatic. You can count on three things: death, taxes and UConn being No. 1 in the country and undefeated and rolling over everybody and being up 40 and the parade is what day? Where’s the parade route in Hartford?
“And then all of a sudden you realize, this (stuff) isn’t as easy as we make it look. If it was, there wouldn’t be a lot of teams that used to be or are supposed to be really, really good getting their (butts) kicked on a regular basis.”
Make no mistake, Auriemma doesn’t have a vintage team on his hands. The Huskies graduated two All-Americans and replaced them with lesser options. Additionally, a series of recruiting whiffs has compromised the team’s depth.