Geno Auriemma detected the sarcasm. He understood the joke. And still, hearing his UConn Huskies described as the “pesky underdogs” of this women’s Final Four nearly left him speechless.
“I’m still shocked over the words ‘underdogs,’ and ‘UConn’ coming out of your mouth at the same time,” Auriemma said with a chuckle, in response to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt’s "underdog" quip about second-seeded UConn, the only non-No. 1 seed in either the men’s or women’s Final Four.
“I know you are (joking)," Auriemma added. "I just don’t hear that. It’s funny.”
Downright hilarious, this idea of a pesky, plucky UConn sneaking its way into the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Ever the outsider, this UConn program with 11 national championships and 24 Final Four appearances, coached by a legend.
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And never mind that oddsmakers favored UConn to win the championship since before the tournament tipped off, because only four No. 2 seeds won the national title in the previous 30 installments of a 64-team bracket.
However will UConn manage in the Final Four against UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed armed with a 6-foot-7 center who rules the paint? UConn must counter with a 6-5 center, and, good gosh, she’s a freshman! As Auriemma (perhaps warming to this underdog idea) put it, the Huskies have been “undersized all year.” They start two teenagers in their ...
