Dan Hurley Jokes He's Had 'Negative Influence' on Geno Auriemma After Heated Dawn Staley Altercation

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley had some fun at the expense of the recent verbal altercation between UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley.

"Obviously, I've had a negative influence on Geno," Hurley joked on Saturday, per Devon Henderson of The Athletic. "And it's crazy, because Geno's helped me so much… 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."

As Staley's Gamecocks wrapped up a 62-48 victory over Auriemma's Huskies in the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Friday, both coaches exchanged words at center court.

Auriemma eventually issued an apology for the situation.

"There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," Auriemma said in a statement released by the team on Saturday. "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 in 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."

As for Hurley, his coaching style has drawn attention for his fiery personality and animated reactions during games. He was previously ejected from a March 7 loss to Marquette after making contact with an official.

Still, Hurley's squad was able to advance to the 2026 national championship game with a 71-62 win over Illinois in the Final Four on Saturday.

UConn men's basketball will now attempt to capture a third national title in four years.