The final buzzer sounds and the pressure’s lifted: Most coaches would probably be happy that their team won a tough game. As it turns out, other things are on your mind when you’re coaching the best women’s basketball team in the country on an undefeated streak — at least, they were for Geno Auriemma on Thursday, after crushing the Villanova Wildcats 99-50.
“Pizza capital of the world, my [expletive],” said Auriemma, while sitting down to start the game’s press conference.
What is Auriemma referring to?
He’s referring to the fact that the State of Connecticut takes pride in our state’s pizza. However, the pie the defending national champions were served apparently wasn’t up to snuff, according to the coach.
“I think they brought it at our shoot-around this afternoon,” he said. “[They] poured some red stuff on the box and called it pizza.”
Auriemma, besides being the winningest coach in college basketball history, was born in Italy — Montella, in the southern region of Campania, to be exact — and has been a successful restaurateur for decades, the man has his own tomato sauce, for goodness’ sake.
“I would eat it, even cold, but no — being Italian, and being from Philly, just no,” the coach said. “Sorry, it doesn’t live up to the standards of UConn or the State of Connecticut.”
Understandably, he seemed upset because our pizza isn’t too shabby: New Haven, on Connecticut’s shoreline, played a crucial role in pizza history, with its distinctive apizza (pronounced “a-beetz”) — characterized by a thin, charred crust with a tomato sauce-forward topping. It originated at the turn of the last century from world-famous establishments on Wooster Street like Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s. Both have franchised locations around the state and nationally.
“We have Pepe’s up here, and we can’t get it,” Auriemma lamented. “We’re going to get better pizza, I promise you…the good stuff, not the crap they’re passing off as pizza now.”
Following the conference, Frank Pepe’s responded on social media with a humorous video message saying “Coach, we got you!”
“I’ll bring some for you guys [the press] to taste it,” Geno added, in the midst of UConn Athletics staff trying to steer the discussion back to the game: a blowout with star performances by Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, KK Arnold and Blanca Quiñonez — all with the 2015-16 national championship alumni team in attendance after their induction into the Huskies of Honor before the game.
“Every question you ask, I’m gonna say, ‘the pizza sucks’,” he said, later dishing out his official postgame responses.
In 2024, the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism launched a large campaign focused on the state’s pizza prowess, sticking it directly to noted pizza neighbor New York with new “Welcome to Connecticut” highway signs on Interstates 95 and 84 boldly declaring CT the “Pizza Capital of the United States.”
“We want everyone entering our state to immediately feel proud of what we do well here, whether it’s making the nation’s best pizza, national championships, or the most complex machines in the world,” Governor Ned Lamont said when the signs were unveiled — a move that quickly went viral.
“You’re not even the pizza capital of the tri-state area,” quipped New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on social media.
“Okay, I see what’s happening: nothing means anything anymore,” said Stephen Colbert during a segment on his late-night show about the signs. “You can just say whatever you want about your state [now].”
A delegation of state leaders went as far to make it official in Washington, and upped the ante in 2025 by placing billboards targeting pizza hubs like Chicago, Detroit and New Jersey — but especially New York City — with messages like “The Nation’s Best Pizza — Not You, New York” among other pizza-focused marketing efforts.
“We know exactly what we’re doing,” said Anthony Anthony, the state’s chief marketing officer, at the time. “This isn’t about being subtle.”
But Geno isn’t having it.
“Don’t believe those signs when you come into Connecticut, saying [the state is] the pizza capital of the world,” he said. “It’s [bulls–t].”
“To UConn, [Athletic Director David] Benedict, and anyone else in charge of the pizza situation – clean it up,” an article by Barstool Sports stated after Auriemma’s comments went public.
Some fans used the viral moment to reflect on their own pizza experiences.
“Sgt. Pep’s was really good and now it’s gone,” a comment by Instagram user joshpires said, referring to the longtime UConn campus pizzeria which closed its doors in 2023.
“I’m dying to know what pizza they brought in to set him off like this,” added user eastcoast.cook.
Lamont also took to social media after the coach’s comments, saying “At least we both agree that Connecticut is the Basketball Capital of the World.”
In spite of the controversy — or thanks to, depending on how you look at it — Connecticut’s pizza-focused campaign has paid off in its first year, boosting the state’s reputation and the largest-yet shift in the state’s “brand perception” according to tourism data.
“This wasn’t a gimmick,” said Anthony when the data was released. “We didn’t ask people to think different about Connecticut — we gave them a reason to.”
It is unclear who actually cooked the pizza the team had, but it was likely made by UConn Dining Services — albeit earlier that fateful day. All the same, knowing Coach Auriemma’s high standard of excellence for his players, no doubt he’ll implement an even higher standard for the team’s pizza.