If there is one word that perfectly describes Geno Auriemma during his time at UConn, it's winner.
The head coach of the Huskies women's basketball program has been a staple in Storrs for nearly 40 years now. Auriemma is tied with Stanford's Tara VanDerveer as the longest-tenured head coach in women's college basketball, and boasts one of the most impressive resumes in the game.
While Auriemma and the Huskies have a lengthy story of success, a national title has not been brought back to Storrs since 2016. UConn has struggled to complete the final piece of the March Madness puzzle the last few seasons, but is hoping that trend is bucked in 2024.
With Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards at the helm, UConn is going head-to-head against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Final Four, with a spot in the national title game on the line. If Auriemma's crew can knock off the Hawkeyes and South Carolina stays perfect with a win over NC State in its semifinal, it sets up a rematch of the 2022 national championship, where the Gamecocks downed the Huskies.
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Here is a deeper look at Auriemma's championships with UConn and his tournament history.
How many championships has Geno Auriemma won?
Auriemma has won 11 national championships in his collegiate coaching career. It is the most out of any coach at the collegiate level, including the men's and women's games.
His last one, which came in 2016, put him in sole possession of first place on the all-time NCAA basketball championship wins list, passing UCLA legend John Wooden (10) for the most titles.
1995 vs. Tennessee
This was the start of arguably the greatest rivalry in women's college basketball. The 1995 championship game between Auriemma's UConn squad and Pat Summitt's Tennessee sparked a massive shift for the Huskies. Led by the great Rebecca Lobo, UConn completed its perfect season by taking out the Lady Volunteers 77-66.
2000 vs. Tennessee
After winning his first title, Auriemma and the Huskies failed to get back to the national championship until five years later, when UConn and Tennessee squared off again. With Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi starring for the Huskies, Auriemma and Co. collected its second national title, knocking out Tennessee for the second time in the championship.
MORE: Why did Geno Auriemma not recruit Caitlin Clark to UConn?
2002 vs. Oklahoma
After falling in the Final Four in 2001, Auriemma, Bird and Taurasi got back to the final game of March Madness in 2002, this time going against Oklahoma. With another undefeated season on the line, the Huskies took care of the Sooners 82-70, becoming the fourth team to finish with a perfect record in NCAA women's basketball history.
2003 vs. Tennessee
Looking for a repeat for the first time in program history, Auriemma once again went up against Summitt and the Lady Volunteers. UConn knocked off Tennessee in the national championship, marking its third win in the title contest over Tennessee in a span of nine years.
2004 vs. Tennessee
In what would be Taurasi's final season at UConn, the Huskies and Lady Volunteers once again squared off for the rights to be crowned national champions. The result was the same as the previous four meetings, as UConn completed the three-peat, beating Tennessee 70-61.
2009 vs. Louisville
After Taurasi's departure, it took UConn five seasons to get back to the national championship, but in Maya Moore's second season in Storrs, the Huskies reached the big stage yet again. This time, Auriemma's crew faced Louisville, and a perfect record was once again on the line. Moore and the Huskies did not disappoint, completing the program's third perfect season and winning its sixth national championship.
2010 vs. Stanford
For the second-straight season, the Huskies entered the national championship with zero losses on the campaign. Moore, Auriemma and UConn were tasked with taking on Tara VanDerveer's Stanford contingent in the 2010 national championship. Moore lit it up again in the final, and the Huskies completed their perfect season for the second year in a row.
2013 vs. Louisville
The 2013 season marked the beginning of the dominant Breanna Stewart era at UConn. After back-to-back losses in the Final Four, the Huskies reached the national championship in Stweart's freshman season, facing the Cardinals for the rights to be crowned champions. UConn dismantled Louisville by more than 30 points.
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2014 vs. Notre Dame
The 2014 national championship featured the battle of undefeated teams, as UConn was 39-0 while Notre Dame sat at 37-0. Someone's zero had to give, and the Fighting Irish ended up with the blemish on their record. Despite the effort from Notre Dame standout Jewell Loyd, the Huskies beat the Fighting Irish by 21 points, keeping its perfect season alive and winning its second consecutive season.
2015 vs. Notre Dame
Auriemma and the Huskies met Muffett McGraw and her Fighting Irish contingent the very next season in the national championship. While the game ended up being closer than the 2014 version, the result was the same. UConn three-peated for the second time in program history, and Auriemma reached double digits in championships, tying Wooden for the all-time college basketball record.
2016 vs. Stanford
UConn's 2016 seaon was another historic one for Auriemma, Stewart and the Huskies. With a chance at becoming the first women's basketball team to four-peat, UConn took another perfect record to the title game, this time facing Stanford. For the second time in a span of three years, the Huskies did not lose their undefeated status, knocking out the Cardinal for its fourth consecutive national title. Stewart ended her collegiate career with four national championships and just five —yes, five — losses over her UConn tenure.
Geno Auriemma NCAA Tournament record
Auriemma sports an incredibly impressive record in the NCAA Tournament.
UConn has compiled a tournament record of 133-23 under Auriemma. That comes out to a jaw-dropping winning percentage of .899.
Here is a look at Auriemma's tournament history:
| Tournament | Result | Final Game |
| 1989 | Lost in first round | 73-63 vs. No. 9 La Salle |
| 1990 | Lost in second round | 61-59 vs. No. 5 Clemson |
| 1991 | Lost in Final Four | 61-55 vs. No. 1 Virginia |
| 1992 | Lost in second round | 75-47 vs. No. 3 Vanderbilt |
| 1993 | Lost in first round | 74-71 vs No. 11 Louisville |
| 1994 | Lost in Elite Eight | 81-69 vs. No. 3 North Carolina |
| 1995 | Won Championship | 70-64 vs. No. 1 Tennessee |
| 1996 | Lost in Final Four | 88-83 vs. No. 1 Tennessee (OT) |
| 1997 | Lost in Elite Eight | 91-81 vs. No. 1 Tennessee |
| 1998 | Lost in Elite Eight | 60-52 vs. No. 4 NC State |
| 1999 | Lost in Sweet Sixteen | 64-58 vs. No. 4 Iowa State |
| 2000 | Won Championship | 71-52 vs. No. 1 Tennessee |
| 2001 | Lost in Final Four | 90-75 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame |
| 2002 | Won Championship | 81-70 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma |
| 2003 | Won Championship | 73-68 vs. No. 1 Tennessee |
| 2004 | Won Championship | 70-61 vs. No. 1 Tennessee |
| 2005 | Lost in Sweet Sixteen | 76-59 vs. No. 2 Stanford |
| 2006 | Lost in Elite Eight | 63-61 vs. No. 1 Duke (OT) |
| 2007 | Lost in Elite Eight | 73-50 vs. No. 3 LSU |
| 2008 | Lost in Final Four | 82-73 vs. No. 2 Stanford |
| 2009 | Won Championship | 76-54 vs. No. 3 Louisville |
| 2010 | Won Championship | 53-47 vs. No. 1 Stanford |
| 2011 | Lost in Final Four | 72-63 vs. No. 2 Notre Dame |
| 2012 | Lost in Final Four | 83-75 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (OT) |
| 2013 | Won Championship | 93-60 vs. No. 5 Louisville |
| 2014 | Won Championship | 79-58 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame |
| 2015 | Won Championship | 63-53 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame |
| 2016 | Won Championship | 82-51 vs. No. 4 Syracuse |
| 2017 | Lost in Final Four | 66-64 vs. No. 2 Mississippi State (OT) |
| 2018 | Lost in Final Four | 91-89 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (OT) |
| 2019 | Lost in Final Four | 81-76 vs. No. 1 Notre Dame |
| 2021 | Lost in Final Four | 69-59 vs. No. 3 Arizona |
| 2022 | Lost Championship | 64-49 vs. No. 1 South Carolina |
| 2023 | Lost in Sweet Sixteen | 73-61 vs. No. 3 Ohio State |
