Dan Hurley experienced a mix of emotions on Sunday after his team lost 77-75 to Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending UConn’s chance at a third consecutive national championship.
He was angry about the refereeing in the final moments, which led Hurley to express his frustration with some calls as he left the court. He was also upset about his team’s own mistakes, like not blocking out on free throws and missing key rebounds at crucial moments.
There were many tears as Hurley realized the Huskies’ strong championship journey had come to an unexpected and painful end, and that he had to say goodbye to seniors like Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson, who had given their all to the team.
Finally, Hurley felt proud of what UConn had achieved in the past few years and what it could accomplish in the future.
Hurley knew this moment would come eventually.
His team was a No. 8 seed, and winning a third straight title would have been almost impossible with a roster not as talented as the previous two. But that didn’t make it easier when the time came.
“A lot of emotion, man,” Hurley said at his postgame press conference, pausing twice to hold back tears. “We’re a passionate program. The players play with it. I coach with it. You’re always (expletive) drained when it’s over.”
A few minutes before, Hurley stood with his arms crossed while Liam McNeeley hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer. UConn could have used that shot earlier, as they lost a six-point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Hurley then walked over to Florida coach Todd Golden, and they shared a long hug. Hurley whispered something in Golden’s ear while the excited Florida fans cheered for their team’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017.
“We have great respect for each other,” Golden said when asked what Hurley said. “Obviously, he sees me as an up-and-coming coach and probably sees a lot of himself in me, being a fiery competitor and someone who runs a great program and does it the right way. He was very gracious and respectful and gave a great message of, hey, congratulations.”
A moment later, Hurley walked off the court and angrily shared his frustration with the officiating with some Baylor fans as the Bears prepared to play Duke. Hurley later mentioned a particular foul that wasn’t called when Karaban drove the baseline with UConn up by two.
After his competitive edge faded and the reality set in, Hurley spoke to a CBS reporter while trying to hold back tears. He said that for a team to end UConn’s run, they “were really going to have to put us down” and that “there was honor in the way we went out.”
Hurley said he would never love a team more than this one.
This was partly because of what this group of players had been through. It wasn’t easy. They lost three straight games at the Maui Invitational, which made people question if they’d even make it to March Madness.
Hurley got emotional when a reporter asked Johnson, who was sitting beside him, about going out as the winningest player in UConn history.
It’s clear that this loss will take some time to fully sink in.
Losing is always hard for great teams.
Hurley said he hopes this offseason will give him a chance to reflect on what his teams have accomplished in recent years.
He joked about looking forward to a “normal offseason” where he wouldn’t have to do things like throw out ceremonial first pitches at baseball games or ring bells to open the stock market — honors that came after two national titles.
“You just get caught up in this tidal wave of success that we’ve had,” Hurley said. “You lose perspective. You struggle with the ego at times because you’ve been on this incredible run. … I’ll be able to just focus on the upcoming season and make better decisions with all aspects of coaching.”
