Geno Auriemma: Men's College Basketball 'a Joke, Nobody Can Score'

Geno Auriemma may not know the men's college basketball intimately, but he apparently knows enough to call the game "a joke."

According to ESPN, the UConn Huskies' women's basketball coach gave his observation as a spectator and fan rather than as a coach. He said the men's game does not have the parity it appears to have or the defense-first approach.

"I don't coach it. I don't play it, so I don't understand the ins and outs of it. But as a spectator watching it, it's a joke. There's only like 10 teams, you know, out of 25, that actually play the kind of game of basketball that you'd like to watch," Auriemma told reporters on a conference call before taking his team to Tampa, Fla. for the Final Four, ESPN reported.

"The bottom line is, nobody can score," he said. "And they'll tell you that it's because of great defense, great scouting, a lot of teamwork. Nonsense, nonsense. College men's basketball is so far behind the times it's unbelievable."

Though women's college basketball arguably has less parity than the men's game (his Huskies are evidence enough), Auriemma cited the lack of offense as a major problem. He used recent rule changes in pro and college football, the NBA, women's college basketball and MLB as an example of how leagues are valuing offense.

"This is entertainment we are talking about," Auriemma said. "People have to decide, do I want to spend 25 bucks, 30 bucks to go see a college scrum where everybody misses six of every 10 shots they take or do I want to go to a movie?

"We are fighting for the entertainment dollar here, and I have to tell you, it's not entertainment from a fan's standpoint."

Unlike the men's game, female college basketball players tend to stay in school for all four years of their eligibility. Offense could be suffering in the former because the most talented players are going to the NBA the first chance they get. Regardless, Auriemma's comments were not without recognizing the flaws in his own backyard.

"Hey look, the women's game is less watchable, don't get me wrong," he said later on the ESPN Radio program SVP & Russillo. "But what I'm saying is the ability of kids to make shots like they used to back in the day... is gone."