Geno Auriemma on UConn’s no call: ‘That’s the nature of sports’

The UConn women’s head coach addressed the no-call at the end of Monday’s Elite Eight win over Baylor, even touching on criticism via social media from celebrities like LeBron James.

Video transcript

- I imagine you're not going to like this question, but I do have to ask. Everybody from LeBron James actually to your daughter tweeted that was a foul at the end.

GENO AURIEMMA: Really?

- Yeah. Do you think this is just sort of, in some ways, the nature of sports? Because like you said, I guess you could go back through a game and check.

GENO AURIEMMA: Right.

- But when games end that way, that just tends to be what people focus on.

GENO AURIEMMA: Maybe. Maybe. I don't think LeBron's ever won a game on a bad call by the other team-- by the other officials, do you think? I probably doubt it. I probably doubt that in his career he's ever won a game and decided to give it back because he looked at it and went that was a foul. [LAUGHS]

So it is what it. It is what it is. You know, the officials made-- one time I asked one of the officials, how did Paige end up on the ground with a Baylor player on top of her on a loose ball? He goes, I don't know. That was the answer. He said, I don't know.

So, you know, you want to go back and check every single call throughout the entire game and then add them all up and-- you don't. That's the nature of-- that's the nature of sports. You know, that's the nature of sports.

We probably-- we probably fouled a number of times during the game and we didn't get called for it. They probably fouled a number of times during the game and didn't get called for it. Or we got easy-- you know, we got free throws because of nonfouls. I mean, you could go back and forth the whole thing, you know?

The bottom line is the officials did what they're going to do. And if they would have said it was a foul, I'd be on the other end going you can't make that call-- make that call a foul. So it is what it is.

I'm not going to sit here and apologize for it. And if people are going to-- you know, want to talk about that the rest of the week, you're welcome to do that. It's not going to change the outcome, and it's not going to make me feel bad that you say it was a foul.