Coach Geno and his Huskies have been dominating the hardwood floor this season. Their conference record remains unblemished, and now even Paige Bueckers has recovered well from her injury. Without a doubt, UConn is a top contender for the national title this year. However, before they reach the tournament, they have quite a few important games to conquer with Marquette and Seton Hall on their calendars once more. More importantly, they have Tennessee as their next matchup.

The Volunteers and the Huskies have composed one of the greatest sports rivalries for years. Their matchups weren’t friendly, and the crowds were electrifying. Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma took their teams to battle, but coach Geno almost always came out on top. With four championships against Tennessee, it’s not hard to see where UConn’s dominance started. However, the UConn head coach didn’t necessarily like where the rivalry ended up.

During a pregame media availability session on Tuesday, Geno Auriemma had a few choice words about UConn’s greatest rivalry. “It became something that wasn’t normal,” he said, having been through years of intense competition with Tennessee. “It just became stupid and became something I didn’t want to be a part of anymore.”

His next words, however, were quite controversial. “I think our fans are stupid. I think their fans are stupid, and how they reacted to the whole thing. It just became something other than a basketball game, and after a while, that just got old.” The UConn head coach sounded tired of the hatred between the two programs. Regardless, his comments caused quite a stir online!

Fans react to ‘grumpy’ Geno Auriemma’s comments on Huskies-Vols rivalry

With how emotionally charged the rivalry was, fans didn’t react well to Auriemma’s comments, taking to social media to express their concerns. ESPNW’s comments section was filled to the brim with both UConn and Tennessee fans sharing their opinions.

One Instagram user said that coach Geno wasn’t innocent in the entire rivalry, and was a large factor behind it. “Mad respect for Geno as one of the greatest coaches ever, but he played into that rivalry 100%. He fueled the fire every chance he got and honestly, the rivalry was good for the women’s game at that time.”

Many users commented on Auriemma’s nature. “This man is so grumpy.” An Instagram commenter said, while another chimed in with a similar sentiment. “Geno always talking smack.”

One commenter dove deep into the rivalry’s history while criticizing Geno’s comment. “GA now saying it was ‘stupid’….because Pat called him out for recruiting violations that he never disclosed” 

It wasn’t all criticism for Auriemma, however, as some fans understood what he was getting at. “Sports fans in general have just gotten pretty weird” A fan said in support of the legendary coach.

Irrespective of his comments, the matchup against the Volunteers holds a deeper meaning for all of UConn. It will be interesting to see whether Paige Bueckers and her team can best their former rivals to continue their amazing winning streak. What do you think? Who will come out on top in this matchup? Will Tennessee beat the UConn Huskies? Can UConn make a long-awaited title run this year? Only time will tell.