UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma said Tuesday he wouldn't mind if the Big East chose to not have a conference tournament.
"Me, personally, if we didn't have a tournament, it wouldn't bother me one iota. It wouldn't bother me one bit," Auriemma said on a videoconference call with the media.
He questioned the value of having the conference tournament this season versus potential COVID-19 risks, plus he wondered whether the event is something the players will enjoy. The Big East tournament is scheduled to be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, in March.
"The only experience is exactly the same experience they've had every day for the last six months," Auriemma said of the players. "Cooped up in a hotel room, can't go out, no interaction with anybody. Nothing. With the understanding that if something happens -- which there is no guarantee that it won't -- a team that has already assured themselves of a spot in the NCAA tournament now gets shut down.
"Some coaches might say, 'Yeah, well, because you think you're in the NCAA tournament, but we're not going to have a chance to play our way in.' What can I say to that? I don't know. You've had all year long to play your way in."
The Huskies are ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll.