Dan Hurley Questions UConn’s Championship Caliber
In this story:
The Huskies, on paper, look every bit like a title contender. They are 24-2 overall, 14-1 in Big East play, and unbeaten at home.
The Huskies have also played one of the most demanding non-conference schedules this season. In their most recent matchup, they faced the Georgetown Hoyas at Gampel Pavilion.
The Huskies went on to win 79-75. They shot 56% in the first half, built a 14-point second-half lead, and saw Alex Karaban make 18 points and four threes. Solo Ball added 20, while Silas Demary Jr. made 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Despite it all, by the final minute, Georgetown was close, and that’s where Dan Hurley’s problem begins. The Hoyas shot 42.9% from three in the second half. UConn’s offense cooled to 39.3% after halftime. A four-point play by KJ Lewis with 24.8 seconds left cut the margin to three.
“We’ve had a great season. You could poke holes in a lot of things on a lot of teams. I think you take our best wins of the year, you see what Florida’s doing, you see what Illinois is doing, you see what Kansas was doing up until today. We’ve had some of the best wins of anyone in the country. The non-con, obviously, BYU when they were healthy. So, we’ve had a great season,” started Hurley. “If we don’t fix our s---, though, we’re not going to have a championship season.”
In the game against Georgetown, UConn’s centers combined for just three rebounds. The Huskies finished only +3 on the glass, 34-31, and allowed 11 Georgetown offensive rebounds that turned into 11 second-chance points.
UConn’s centers combined for just three rebounds, while guard Silas Demary Jr. led the team with 12. The Huskies finished only +3 on the glass (34-31) and allowed 11 Georgetown offensive rebounds that turned into 11 second-chance points.
Additionally, the bench was outscored 37-12. The fouling resurfaced, too. UConn made 20 personal fouls, sending Georgetown to the line 23 times, while shooting just 39.3 percent in the second half after a 56% first half.
Hurley also went on to add, “Eric (Reibe) saved us today with his offense. But to get three rebounds from the center position, that… didn’t happen when it was like Donovan (Clingan). It just didn’t happen. We’ve got to get that fixed, amongst other things. Like I said, the bench performance. And that’s not on me. That is not on me. I’ve said this a million times: the easiest thing for me to distribute is playing time. If players don’t look like they’re ready, these games have major ramifications for us. If you don’t look like you’re ready to play, I got to get you off the court."
Huskies Face Five Games Before Big East Tournament
Next up, the Huskies face the Creighton Bluejays at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies beat Creighton 85-58 in Omaha earlier this season, shooting 54.1% from the field and 51.6% from three. Additionally, the Huskies are just 4-6 in the last 10 meetings.
After Creighton, UConn travels to face Villanova Wildcats, then hosts St. John's Red Storm and Seton Hall Pirates. The regular season closes on the road against the Marquette Golden Eagles before the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.