Dan Hurley Gets Emotional After UConn’s Three-Peat Bid Ends
After his team lost to Florida 77-75 in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, ending UConn’s hopes of winning a third consecutive national championship, Dan Hurley’s feelings were all over the place.
Hurley reacted angrily to some calls he felt were poor as he was leaving the floor because of the refereeing in the closing moments. His team’s self-inflicted errors, like as not boxing out on free throws and grabbing important rebounds at critical moments, caused displeasure.
When he realized that the Huskies’ incredible championship run had quickly and tragically ended and that he had to bid farewell to seniors like Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson who had given their all to the program, there were many tears.
Lastly, pride was expressed in UConn’s accomplishments over the last three years as well as its potential for future success.
At some moment Hurley realized it was over.
After all, his team was seeded eighth, and it would have taken a small miracle to win a third consecutive championship with a roster that wasn’t nearly as good as his last two. However, when the time came, that didn’t make things any simpler.
At his postgame press conference, Hurley remarked, “A lot of emotion, man,” pausing twice to contain his tears. We are an enthusiastic program. It is used by the players. I use it as a coach. When it’s over, you’re always (expletive) exhausted.
A few minutes prior, Hurley stood with his arms folded, watching as Liam McNeeley made a pointless 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the Huskies’ (24-11) inconsistent season. It was a shot that UConn could have used sooner before giving up a six-point lead with less than ten minutes remaining.
He approached Florida coach Todd Golden to offer his congratulations, and they shared an atypically lengthy embrace. As the boisterous Gator supporters erupted in excitement for their team’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2017, he whispered directly into Golden’s ear.
When asked what Hurley told him, Golden responded, “We have a lot of regard for one other.” Naturally, he views me as a rather up-and-coming coach and likely recognizes a lot of himself in me, including my fierce competitiveness and ability to manage a fantastic program in the proper manner. He conveyed a wonderful message of congrats and was very polite and considerate.
A few seconds later, as the Bears were getting ready to play No. 1 seed Duke, the fiercely competitive Hurley left the court and yelled at some Baylor supporters about how frustrated he was with the refereeing. Hurley subsequently discussed a specific infraction that went uncalled when Karaban drove the baseline with UConn ahead by two.
Hurley tried to contain his tears as he told a CBS reporter that if a team wanted to end UConn’s streak, they “were truly going to have to knock us down” and that “there was honor in the way we went out” as the competition subsided and reality set in.
“I don’t think I’ll ever love a team more”
Dan Hurley is moved to tears by the fight his Huskies showed today
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 23, 2025
Hurley declared that this is the squad he will always cherish the most.
This is partly due to the experiences that this group of players has had. Nothing was simple. There were concerns that they might not even be able to make it to March Madness after they dropped three straight games in the Maui Invitational.
Johnson was sitting close to Hurley when a reporter asked him about leaving as the most successful athlete in UConn history, and Hurley later broke down in tears.
Without a doubt, it will take some time for everything to settle in.
For great teams, losing is never easy.
Hurley expressed his hope that this offseason will allow him to take stock of his teams’ accomplishments over the previous few seasons.
After winning two national titles, he quipped that he was looking forward to what would be a “regular offseason” in which he wouldn’t have to give out any ceremonial first pitches at baseball games or ring bells to herald the start of the stock market.
Hurley remarked, “You just get caught up in this tidal wave of success that we’ve had.” “Your perspective is lost. Because you’ve been on this amazing run, you occasionally battle your ego. I will be able to concentrate solely on the forthcoming season and make wiser choices in every facet of coaching.
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