Connecticut basketball coach Dan Hurley is expressing remorse for a postgame outburst criticizing the referees after his Huskies were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
UConn had its bid for a third consecutive title end on Sunday with a 77-75 loss to top-seeded Florida. As he walked off the court, an upset Hurley said to Baylor players heading out for the next game, ‘I hope they don’t (expletive) you like they (expletive) us, Baylor.’
But on Wednesday, Hurley admitted he made a mistake.
‘Those are three great officials on that game, so, although I said something in the heat of the moment, in an area of the arena that in pretty much every game I’ve ever coached in college has been media-free,’ Hurley told reporters. ‘If I don’t go off the rails at the end there, after that three-year run ended in excruciating fashion. … If I don’t have that emotional outburst there, probably all people are talking about is the run we’ve had, the amazing players.’
Hurley was particularly upset with a no-call against Huskies forward Alex Karban when he drove to the hoop with just over three minutes left in the game. UConn had a two-point lead at the time.
After the play, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. hit a 3-pointer to give the Gators a lead. They never trailed the rest of the game.
Hurley’s comments went viral when a reporter happened to be in the tunnel and recording video when UConn coaches and players were leaving the floor.
‘It’s one of those things where, they’re mistakes, there are things I wish I didn’t do, it’s part of what you get with me. I hope to not do it again,’ Hurley said, while adding, ‘I wouldn’t change one aspect of how I coach a game or how hard we fight. (But) I’d like to get on and off the court without incident.’