Dan Hurley Identifies Big Issue UConn Must Fix

The UConn Huskies defeated the Butler Bulldogs in their Big East opener, but it was not pretty, and head coach Dan Hurley labeled an area that his team must work on before their next game.
Dec 16, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts with forward Jayden Ross (23) from the sideline as they take on the Butler Bulldogs at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 16, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts with forward Jayden Ross (23) from the sideline as they take on the Butler Bulldogs at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Head coach Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies opened Big East Conference play at home against the Butler Bulldogs and took care of business. Hurley's Huskies took care of business with a 79-60 victory behind 26 points from Solo Ball after a masterful shooting night.

But just because the Huskies got the victory and got a huge night from the veteran, does not mean it was a perfect performance. Hurley took to the press not long after the victory and voiced frustration about what he thinks his team needs to do better ahead of their next game.

"The 15 turnovers are concerning. This is back-to-back games with that. So that's an area we've obviously got to clean up, especially when you shoot 51% from the field," said Hurley, per Daily Campus Sports' Sam Calhoun.

The Huskies are not going to win many games as the season goes on, if they are going to turn the ball over at an astronomically high rate. They need to be able to protect the ball better and make better decisions. The Huskies are lucky that the Big East is not as tough of a conference as others are.

If the Big East was tougher, this problem would be a big one as conference play continues. But this is still an area that Hurley expects the Huskies to be better in. It is imperative that they fix it because they are not going to win a National Championship if they continue to turn the ball over a ton.

The turnover problem has been a concern all season and needs to be fixed soon

Whether it's a veteran like Solo Ball or Tarris Reed Jr. or Alex Karaban or a first-year husky in Silas Demary Jr., there is no shortages of turnovers from any of them. No matter who the opponent has been this season, there has been a huge turnover issue.

Alex Karaba
Dec 16, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Butler Bulldogs forward Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (4) drives the ball against UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

They are not protecting the ball as much as they can nor are they trying not to turn the ball over. They are just being way more careless than they need to be and that will never make a coach happy with his team.

They are lucky to be getting this issue worked through now than dealing with it in March when it matters most. They need to get this fully figured out before the Big East Tournament in a few short months. They will not win it if this continues, nor will they win a National Title.

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Tyler Miller
TYLER MILLER

Tyler is a 25 year old Journalism graduate from Georgia Southern University. Tyler is a big fan of hockey, baseball, basketball, and football, and also is a staff writer for Fansided.