Why Is Geno Auriemma Tapping Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey's Ass In This Photo?

The Associated Press last night put 18 photos from the Baylor-UConn women's basketball game in its image archive. One of them is the photo you see to the right (click to enlarge), which moved on the wire with the following explanation-free caption:

Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, center, pats Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey on her backside before their NCAA college basketball game in Hartford, Conn., Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Yeah, you know. Just another coach turning to offer her tush to Auriemma for a playful, pre-game tap. Happens all the time, nothing to see here, no big deal. The Connecticut Post even published the image as is, complete with the AP's context-free caption.

But after the game, one of the paper's reporters asked Auriemma about it. Because the photo just looks so ... odd. This was Auriemma's explanation:

"She was staring at my butt and she was commenting on it and I said, ‘Really? How about yours?' and she went, `Yeah, look at it,' and I went (slap), I'll teach you a lesson,'' Auriemma said, jokingly. `And then she started talking about how she only dated Italians her whole life and that she wanted me to set her up with some Italians and I said `The Italians I send to see you aren't going to date you.' We've had a long and great relationship since, gosh, she was an assistant at Louisiana Tech. It goes back a long ways.

"She's just a big pain in the butt. That's all there is to it.''

Baylor won the game.

[ Connecticut Post; h/t to Doogin]