UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma will miss his fourth game of the season due to illness, the school announced ahead of Thursday’s game against Xavier.

The 68-year-old coach, who is in his 38th season at the helm, previously missed back-to-back games on Dec. 18 and 21 and Tuesday’s 80-47 win against Butler.

“It’s been an extremely difficult month for me, and I’ve been feeling under the weather and run down,” he said in a statement. “I thought I was ready to return, but I need a little more time. I’m going to take a step back to focus on my health and will return when I feel ready.”

No timetable was provided for Auriemma’s return. The team only revealed he would “rejoin the team at a later date.”

NEWS: Geno Auriemma will miss tonight's UConn-Xavier game and will rejoin the team at a later date.https://t.co/RHCSwnQCsU

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 5, 2023

Auriemma’s mother died on Dec. 8. A few weeks later, he began to experience flu-like symptoms ahead of the team’s 85-77 win against Florida State in December, so he sat out that game and stayed away from the team through the following game against Seton Hall.

He also missed Tuesday’s game due to illness.

In Auriemma’s place, associate head coach Chris Dailey has taken over head coaching duties. She has helped guide the No. 5 Huskies (12-2) through a tough stretch, as they continue to deal with player absences due to injury and illness.

Aaliyah Edwards let the press conference know that Chris Dailey is 16-0 when stepping in for Geno Auriemma 😂

pic.twitter.com/VaiCLnfQQg

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 4, 2023

For the first time ever, the women’s college basketball national championship outdrew the men’s national championship.

According to ESPN and Nielsen, the matchup between Iowa and South Carolina drew more than 18.9 million viewers on average.

Meanwhile, the men’s matchup between UConn and Purdue drew 14.8 million viewers – four million less than the women’s championship. 

According to Nielsen, it’s the first time that the audience for the women’s final was larger than the men’s.

The women’s championship peaked at 24 million viewers, and is an 89 percent increase from 2023 – plus a 285 percent increase from 2022. It’s also the most-watched basketball game – collegiate or professional, men's or women's – since 2019. 

In a statement, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the championship game a “fitting finale” to March Madness. 

"These exceptional athletes, coaches and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it's incumbent on all of us to keep the incredible momentum going," Pitaro said.

The viewership caps off a massive run for the tournament, which included Iowa and LSU drawing a then-record 12.3 million viewers. The matchup between Iowa and UConn then broke that record with a peak audience of 14.2 million.

Alyssa Naeher found herself in a familiar position against Canada on Tuesday – and once again came away victorious. 

For the second time in just 34 days, Canada and the USWNT went to a penalty shootout. And Naeher went on an incredible run of form once again – stopping three shots – to give the USWNT the SheBelieves Cup win. 

In addition to her key saves, Naeher also stepped up and drilled a penalty herself. It was reminiscent of her efforts against Canada in March – when she also saved three shots and converted an attempt of her own.

We have Alyssa Naeher. pic.twitter.com/uHDfVwY2NZ

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 10, 2024

“Alyssa is just so even keeled. She is someone that shows no emotion,” forward Alex Morgan said. “I know there are nerves under [there] somewhere, but she is never going to show them and she’s just someone that continues to show up in big moments.”

Her recent success in penalty shootouts comes after the USWNT’s dramatic exit from the 2023 World Cup, with Naeher both saving and making penalties before the team was eliminated by a millimeter on the decisive penalty against Sweden. 

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Naeher has since said she still believes she saved that shot. Irregardless, she’s been a difference maker in shootouts ever since.

"There's certainly a lot of mind games when you come into the penalty shootout, on both sides," Naeher said. "There's a lot of familiarity [with Canada] that makes it hard and also really fun to compete on the field."

Interim head coach Twila Kilgore called Naeher’s performance “incredible.”

“Is it not incredible?” Kilgore said. “I mean, nerves of steel.”

The USWNT are once again SheBelieves Cup champions, defeating Canada in a penalty kick shootout following a 2-2 draw. 

After the team went down 1-0 at the half, Sophia Smith scored a brace to put the USWNT ahead 2-1. Adriana Leon would provide both goals for Canada, which included a late equalizer to send the game to penalties. 

SOPHIA SMITH PERFECT LEFT FOOTED STRIKE 🇺🇸🌟⁰⁰🎥 @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/LCPdCvJssx

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) April 10, 2024

Following the game, USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore – who coached her final game at the helm of the national team – said that Smith’s play was another example of her “being a special player in a special moment within our team concept.”

"The first goal was just class," Kilgore said. "Sometimes individuals just do special things. It was a left-footed finish for Soph in a crowded box, just an exceptional moment, but also there's a big team concept there."

Although Smith started the game on the right wing she later moved to her preferred No. 9 position.

Four minutes later, Smith scored her second of the game. She was subsequently named MVP of the SheBelieves Cup. 

SOPHIA SMITH PERFECT LEFT FOOTED STRIKE 🇺🇸🌟⁰⁰🎥 @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/LCPdCvJssx

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) April 10, 2024

"I just try to do my job when I'm told I need to step up," Smith said. "I don't think anything of that. I try to lead this team in any way I can and if that's putting the ball in the back of the net for the PKs or in the game, that's what I pride myself in and that's what I'm trying to do."

Substitutes Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman made late impact on the game, resulting in Smith’s second goal of the night, in which Jaedyn Shaw also played a part. 

"I know an Olympic roster is very small, and we have a very talented player pool," Smith said. "So I'm just trying to put myself in the best position every day to make that [Olympic] roster, and by me doing that I'm making players around me better and they're making me better."

Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer is retiring after 38 seasons, the school announced on Tuesday evening. 

She finishes with a record of 1,216-271 as head coach at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford. Her 1,216 wins are the most in college basketball history.

Vanderveer’s last day on the job will be May 8, the 39th anniversary of her hiring at Stanford. 

In her time at Stanford, Vanderveer won three national championships and made 14 Final Four appearances. She also coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to Olympic gold in 1996, a team that has long been credited with sparking the founding of the WNBA. 

"Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career," VanDerveer said in a statement. "I've been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world's foremost institutions for nearly four decades.

"I've loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I've been able to give at least a little bit back."

Throughout Vanderveer’s career, at least 12 of her former assistants have gone on to head coaching jobs in basketball. A number of her players have also gone on to become professional athletes, including Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, Haley Jones and Karlie Samuelson. Additionally, current Stanford senior Cameron Brink is largely expected to be a first round pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. 

Vanderveer’s departure comes as the Cardinal join the ACC next season following the dissolution of the Pac-12. 

"The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct," Vanderveer said in a team release.

The coach will continue to work with the athletic department in an advisory capacity, according to the school. Negotiations with longtime assistant Kate Paye to become her successor are already underway.

“Tara built one of the sport's iconic program's almost immediately upon her arrival at Stanford, and then maintained that standard for nearly four decades,” Stanford athletics director Bernard Muir said in a statement. "An energetic and positive teacher, a Hall of Famer, a trusted friend and mentor, Tara's impact is simply unmatched, and I don't think it's a stretch to characterize her as one of the most influential people to ever be associated with this university.”