Leading late versus 1-seeded Florida, the 8-seed UConn Huskies looked like the better coordinated, more physical team for most of the game. But a cold spell on offense combined with the Gators’ lights out three-point shooting (9-19) eventually caught up with them, spoiling dreams of a Sweet 16 and possible three-peat.
Known for emotional reactions, Dan Hurley reacted in typical fashion postgame to what he saw as unfair officiating. On social media, fans let him know they’d had enough of his antics.
Dan Hurley Irate in the Heat of the Moment UConn Huskies’ Devastating Defeat
Filing into the locker room after UConn’s 77-75 loss, oh-so-close to the tournament’s biggest upset, Hurley erupted in a profane caveat to Baylor, who occupied a similar position as a 9-seed facing #1 Duke up next on Sunday’s men’s slate. “I hope they don’t you f*** you like they f***ed us, Baylor,” Hurley shot over his shoulder as he followed players in.
“I hope they don’t fuck you like they fucked us, Baylor”
You’re not gonna believe this but Dan Hurley is unhappy with the officiating
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 23, 2025
Officials whistled UConn 21 times versus 17 for Florida. The Gators shot 34 free throws to the Huskies’ 19. The three extra points they scored at the line ended up being the difference in the game.
Fans in the comment section, though, didn’t want to hear it from Hurley:
“Dan Hurley is the biggest baby in college sports!”
“He’s definitely the kid that takes the ball home when he doesn’t get his way – whine and pout some more!”
“How about your boys grab one of those rebounds at the end? No officiating on that.”
A spare supporter or two stuck up for Hurley:
Love the hate in the comments. That’s what you get when you’re the best in the game. You keep doing you, Hurley. Blue 🩸 through and through
— Big John Studd (@BiggestJohnStud) March 23, 2025
Speaking to the media in his exit interview, however, an emotional Hurley took a different tone. “Just love ’em,” he said of his players.
Coach Hurley noted the struggles this year’s team overcame compared to the past two seasons’ champs. “This year has been a real battle. … At times I don’t think we liked each other a lot with what some of the things we had to go through together. But I don’t think I’ll ever love a team more.”
From F-Bombs to “Honor” Talk: Hurley Is a Coach Who Cares
While Hurley toned down any lingering outrage, he retained his won’t-back-down spirit as he talked to reporters for the last time this season:
“There’s some honor, I guess, in the way that this went down. It’s a tough loss. We played in a manner that gave us a real chance to win. … . We dragged them into the type of game that we wanted to drag them into. We kind of dragged them into a Big East, low-possession game. We dragged them into a game that was the only way for us to give ourselves a chance to win.”
And they were right there, leading for the whole second half until the 3:03 mark, when Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. put the Gators ahead with one of his five made threes in the game.
The loss ends UConn’s tournament win streak at 13 straight, tied with Duke for the most since UCLA’s run of 7 straight titles from 1967-73.
For what it’s worth, several commenters observed that Baylor did seem to get an unfavorable whistle in their 89-66 loss to the Blue Devils. Duke goes on to face the winner of Oregon-Arizona, while Florida takes on whoever advances in the Maryland-Colorado State game.
For Hurley, once the sting wears off, it’s back to the whiteboard and ironing out this squad’s flaws next season:
“There’s a lot of rewiring and things I’ve got to do in the offseason because you just get caught up in this tidal wave of success that we’ve had. You lose perspective. You struggle with the ego at times because you’ve been on this incredible run. It will be nice to get to a normal offseason and just get back to myself as a coach … and just focus on the upcoming season and make better decisions with all aspects of coaching.”
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