Geno Auriemma shoulders blame for UConn’s NCAA title drought

TAMPA, Fla. — No coach has won more NCAA basketball titles than UConn‘s Geno Auriemma, who has 11. But his most recent was in 2016, and he has had some painful losses in the women’s Final Four since.

Yet headed into his 13th NCAA championship game at his 24th Final Four, Auriemma said the tough defeats themselves don’t bother him as much as some of the choices he made in those games. He hopes to push all the right buttons when facing South Carolina on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

“I’ve lost more Final Fours for my team than they have, because coaches make decisions about what to do with their team,” Auriemma said Saturday. “And if you make the right decision, you win.”

The Huskies won four consecutive NCAA titles behind star Breanna Stewart from 2013 to 2016. In 2017 and 2018, UConn lost by two points in overtime in the national semifinals to buzzer-beating shots by Mississippi State’s Morgan William and Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale, respectively.

“I don’t look at those two as heartbreaking frustrations,” Auriemma said. “I would…