Geno Auriemma has spent four decades building UConn into the most dominant program in NCAA women's basketball history.
But in an interview with FOS Tonight, the Huskies coach shifted talk away from the court to address a different kind of opponent: sports gambling.
The 12-time national champion drew an unfavorable connection between today's online gambling and the old cash-and-bookie system. That ease of access, he argued, makes modern college sports betting significantly more dangerous.
"It's going to start affecting the game because the players playing it are going to get wrapped up in this," Auriemma said.
And his warning doesn't come without precedent.
College Sports Gambling Impacts Current NCAA Players
Multiple men's college athletes have been ruled ineligible or charged with felonies over fixed games in recent year. Even pros like NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier earned lifetime bans or league suspensions tied to betting.
But it's not just the threat of athletes betting on games that Auriemma is worried about. Last week, an NCAA study found that sports betting accounted for close to 12% of confirmed abuse targeting college athletes. Women's basketball players faced roughly three times more harassment from angry bettors than men.
That might be why the broader conference landscape is shifting toward caution.
A majority of Division I programs recently rejected a proposal to let athletes wager on pro leagues, considered a first step in regulating an industry that's already impacting the college game.
