Dan Hurley Points Out 'Egregious' Missed Call Late in UConn's Second Straight Loss

Hurley's UConn Huskies have had a rough time at the Maui Invitational through two games.

Connecticut Huskies head coach Hurley reacts to play as his team takes on the Colorado Buffaloes at Lahaina Civic Center. | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Dan Hurley and his Connecticut Huskies have had a rough go at the Maui Invitational so far.

Hurley's two-time defending champion and No. 2-ranked squad has dropped two games in a row on back-to-back nights in heartbreaking fashion. After losing 99-97 to Memphis in overtime on Monday where it was called for a controversial over-the-back call in the final minute, UConn was on the other side of the whistle Tuesday in the 73-72 loss to Colorado.

In the final seconds of the game, Colorado's Trevor Baskin got over Connecticut's Liam McNeeley for an offensive rebound which led to a timeout and another chance for the Buffaloes to take the lead. Baskin grabbed McNeeley's arm with his off-hand but he wasn't called for a foul and the ball stayed with Colorado.

Colorado's Andrej Jakimovski then made a layup to give his team the lead, which they hung onto after a final chance for Connecticut.

Two eerily similar plays, one which led to a foul against UConn and another that could have been a foul in their favor, but the whistle wasn't blown.

Here's both plays, one after the other:

You Make The Call: Which one was actually over the back?

UConn loses on the same call that made Dan Hurley lose his mind last night. pic.twitter.com/6xY8w32mYU

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 26, 2024

Hurley has fumed at the officials throughout his time on the court in Maui. He commented on the irony between the two plays after the UConn's loss.

"Yesterday, the biggest play of the game was an over-the-back that was called against us," Hurley said to reporters after UConn's game Tuesday. "And then today, it was more egregious because Baskin pulled Liam's arm down, I saw the replay of it. It's obviously ironic. But that's not why I think we lost. Our defense has been just, so dreadful."

Dan Hurley postgame:

"Today's (no-call) felt more egregious. The kid pulled Liam McNeeley's arm down. I saw the replay of it. It's obviously ironic. But that's not why I think we lost. Our defense has been just, so dreadful. Just so dreadful." pic.twitter.com/V3iuN5ljnK

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 26, 2024

UConn (4-2) will have another opportunity Wednesday when they play the loser of the Iowa State-Dayton game.

---

More of the Latest Around College Basketball