While UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley has mostly kept his composure and avoided technicals or ejections this particular season, that wasn’t the case in his team’s game on Saturday.
With the No. 4 team in the country facing the Marquette Golden Eagles on their home court, Hurley’s squad found itself trailing by double digits in the second half. Throughout the game, Hurley became visibly upset with some of the officiating, much like he has in previous UConn games.
Despite UConn trailing in the final minutes of the second half, the Huskies battled back, and Saturday’s game nearly finished in overtime. With the score 64-62 and 10 seconds remaining, UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. attempted to drive for a layup to even the score, but a Marquette defender met him in the lane as he attempted his shot.
The referees didn’t call any fouls on the play, and Marquette rebounded the ball, forcing UConn to foul quickly. At that point, Hurley exploded at the nearby official, John Gaffney, getting extremely close to him near the sidelines.
The livid head coach’s conduct was enough to warrant two quick technicals from Gaffney, resulting in Hurley’s ejection with one second left in the game.
 UConn’s Dan Hurley Gets Ejected for Heated Exchange in Marquette Upset
During a replay of the ejection and discussion by the game’s commentary duo, they suggested that Hurley made contact with Gaffney during the heated confrontation.
UConn beat writer David Borges reported that Hurley said in postgame remarks that he didn’t believe he bumped Gaffney during the incident.
“I don’t think I bumped the ref. I thought I got close to yelling at John. If John thinks I bumped him, he’ll say I bumped him. I think I yelled into the back of his head, ‘Foul! Foul!'” the head coach said.
Hurley also carefully added, “The officiating in this league for us, it is what it is. I’m not gonna comment.”
Several individuals called out Hurley’s comments, as they replied to Borges on X (formerly Twitter) with comments such as: “He’s making the situation worse by spewing bulls***,” “Flat out lie,” and “He def brushed up against him.”
Marquette went on to win the game 68-62, with free throws from Hurley’s technical fouls adding to their lead and giving the Golden Eagles a senior day to celebrate.
The NCAA will conduct a review to determine what punishment Hurley faces for Saturday’s meltdown, which capped off his team’s loss to Marquette on their senior day. Many believe Hurley could be in line for a fine, and some suggested a suspension should occur as the March Madness tournaments loom.
His team will have about five days before they play in the Big East Tournament. The official bracket reveal with matchups has yet to occur, but UConn should have a bye until the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12, when they’ll face a winning team from Wednesday’s first round.
However, the 27-4 Huskies are less likely to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Saturday’s loss likely to make them at most a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday.
UConn’s Dan Hurley Bracing for Possible Punishment Ahead of NCAA Tournament
For more about NCAA basketball, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
