Michael Wilbon did not mince words in his public callout of Geno Auriemma.
The UConn women’s basketball head coach received negative backlash last week for confronting Dawn Staley after his team lost to South Carolina in the Final Four. Auriemma was fuming over the officiating in the contest and specifically peeved at Staley for supposedly working the referees.
Auriemma later issued an apology that was not well-received at all.
Wilbon wasn’t ready to forgive and forget either. He chastised Auriemma on Monday’s episode of “Pardon the Interruption” in a scathing rant.
“It’s the disgraceful behavior of a massively insecure bully,” Wilbon said of Auriemma.
Michael Wilbon tees off on Geno Auriemma:
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 6, 2026
"It's the disgraceful behavior of a massively insecure bully. It was petulant, it was classless."
"Lied on national TV, round after round of interviews … accused South Carolina's players of doing something his own players did as if we… pic.twitter.com/pk6toF56rR
“It was petulant, it was classless. … He lied on national TV, round after round of interviews and accused South Carolina’s players of doing something his own players did as if we don’t all have television. Geno Auriemma is one of the biggest figures in the history, deservedly so, of college basketball, and he behaved like a garden-variety bum.”
Wilbon also called out Auriemma’s “bogus” apology to South Carolina for not even including any direct mention of Staley.
South Carolina fans let Auriemma know they weren’t happy with him either during the Gamecocks’ national title game against UCLA. The NCAA played a montage of past championship games during the contest on Sunday, and the South Carolina faithful booed heavily every time UConn was featured on screen. It happened a lot, given that Auriemma is a 12-time national champion.
