UConn’s Dan Hurley Says Allen Fieldhouse Atmosphere Sets Kansas Apart

UConn's head coach acknowledged the greatness of the Phog in an interview leading up to tonight's matchup with Kansas.

Nov 23, 2025; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the Bryant Bulldogs at Peoples Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

A lot of the odds are stacked against the Kansas Jayhawks today in their ranked matchup with No. 5 UConn. The Jayhawks will be playing their seventh straight game without star freshman Darryn Peterson and are listed as home underdogs for just the third time in the 2020s.

However, there is one factor giving Kansas fans real comfort heading into this marquee contest. KU is playing this game at home in Allen Fieldhouse in front of 15,300 fans, a setting that can completely flip the outcome of a game on its own.

Allen Fieldhouse has long been praised as one of college basketball's best venues, and UConn head coach Dan Hurley echoed that sentiment in a recent interview. Here's what he had to say:

"I could tell them how loud it's going to be, but there are very few places you play where it's anywhere near that level of atmosphere," Hurley said. "It's just so unique playing at Kansas. The places you go and play where they're so coordinated and they've got such tradition."

Nov 3, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the New Haven Chargers at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"Places like Kansas, like Duke at Cameron Indoor. There are certain places you go where the home team has a major advantage just because of your inability to communicate, just how difficult the environment is, and how engaged the fans are from the tip.”

Most KU fans would argue the Fieldhouse surpasses Cameron Indoor in both history and atmosphere, but Hurley's point still stands. Playing at Allen Fieldhouse can be an absolute nightmare for opponents, as he learned back in December 2023.

Huskies center Eric Reibe even joked earlier this week that his team would need to use sign language on the sidelines because the crowd would be too loud to communicate. But knowing how loud it gets inside the Guinness World Record's largest indoor sports venue, that might not have been much of a joke at all.

Of course, UConn is a formidable team in its own right and will be difficult to stop. There is a reason why Hurley won back-to-back national championships and is shaping up to be one of the best coaches the sport has ever seen.

However, Bill Self and his group will be looking to make sure Hurley remains winless against the Jayhawks in his coaching career. Needless to say, tonight's game has all the makings of an instant classic inside the Phog, and the crowd might be able to will KU to a victory.