Dan Hurley Gets Candid About Last Year's UConn Team
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Dan Hurley didn't sugarcoat his thoughts on UConn's 2024-25 season. After the Huskies' 71-52 exhibition win over Boston College on Monday night, the coach opened up about what went wrong last year and why defense was the problem.
Hurley has spent the offseason rewatching film from last season. The Huskies made games too easy for their opponents, lacking the intensity that defined their championship team.
"It sunk the season last year, just our perimeter defense," Hurley said.
The coach went into detail about how “soft” his team played. He admitted UConn let opponents get comfortable catches and didn't pressure the ball enough. They fouled constantly but didn't create the disruption that makes aggressive defense worth it.
"Last year we were so easy to play against," Hurley explained. "Teams just got catches wherever they wanted to get catches. We didn't get into the ball. We were not disruptive. We last year we had no discipline and fouled a lot while being a really soft team that let their opponent catch it wherever they wanted."
The numbers backed up his criticism. UConn allowed 68 points per game last season, but that jumped to 72 against ranked opponents. The defensive struggles contributed to their 24-11 record and early tournament exit against Florida.
Monday's exhibition showed improvement. Despite missing their starting center and point guard, the Huskies played with more energy. Boston College committed 12 first-half turnovers that led to 19 UConn points.
"I thought there was also just like a lot of making them uncomfortable and kind of flying around like we didn't last year," Hurley said about the exhibition performance.
Senior forward Alex Karaban, who led UConn with 17 points against Boston College, echoed his coach's message about defensive commitment.
"I thought we pressured. I thought we played hard. I thought we disrupted a lot of their actions and I thought for the most part we communicated really well on what to do and we were just super bought in on the defensive end. We got to stay disciplined with some things like fouls," Karaban said.
Hurley remains confident that his roster can return to elite defensive play.
"I think that's kind of my roots as a coach, and I think we got like a talented and athletic roster that can do it," he said.
Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content.