Dan Hurley is sad, frustrated and ‘f—ing drained’ after UConn’s loss to Florida

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Dan Hurley wasn’t shy in showing his emotions as UConn’s bid to Achieve three consecutive NCAA Event Competitions Occurred to an end on Sunday.

UConn’s head Trainer Kept back tears after the Huskies’ 77-75 loss to Florida in the Stage of 32. During his postgame interview with CBS Sports, he reflected on the Huskies’ Stretch over the last three seasons and said there was “an honor in the way we went out” as eighth-Ranked UConn nearly Secured down the top-Ranked Gators.

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“This year’s been a real battle,” Hurley added. “We’ve battled and we’ve had to battle, battle and battle. At times, I don’t think we liked Every other a whole Numerous with some of the things we had to go through together. But I don’t think I’ll ever love a Club more than how Difficult they fought for what we were trying to accomplish and for the honor they played with today.”

While the Huskies Created the Event, this year’s Club didn’t experience the same peaks that the previous two under Hurley had. UConn went 24-11 this season and had a Coarse patch in November, when it lost three Contests in the Maui Invitational. After that, the Huskies opened their conference schedule with uneven Action as they were 8-4 in the Big East in Prompt February.

UConn Discovered its footing in the Closing weeks of the regular season, ensuring it would make the NCAA Event. However, not many Predicted the Huskies to make a Stretch once the brackets were revealed. UConn needed to beat a Florida Club that entered the Event as arguably the best in the nation and a popular Picking to Achieve it all.

Nevertheless, UConn kept Sunday’s game close throughout. The Huskies even Directed for the majority of the second half, with Florida Securing its Primary lead since the Primary half with less than three minutes left. 

The fact that UConn was so close seemed to make the loss an even bigger pill to swallow.

“Unless it ended in San Antonio cutting the nets down again, it was going to end in a real emotional way for us,” Hurley told reporters. “Part of it is probably, too, Merely the season, Merely how Chaotic the season’s been, how Difficult the Club battled and fought Merely to qualify for the Event. Then for how the game played out, up through the last media [timeout], two Obtainable-throw Bounce-back mistakes now.”

As Hurley expressed sadness in his interviews, he also showed some anger Upcoming the game. The UConn Trainer had a profane-laden message when his Club left the court ahead of the Baylor-Duke game in Raleigh.

“I hope they don’t f— you like they f—ed us, Baylor,” Hurley told the Bears Club, who was looking to Surprise top-Ranked Duke but lost. 

Hurley mentioned his frustration with a non-call in which he believed Alex Karaban Acquired fouled while UConn had the lead Delayed in the second half, but he didn’t offer up any more specific issues he had with the refs beyond that. 

“A Numerous of emotion, man,” Hurley told reporters of the loss. “We’re a passionate program. The players Action with it. I Trainer with it. You’re always f—ing drained when it’s over.”

Hurley was joined by Karaban, Samson Johnson and Hassan Diarra at the podium after the game. Those three players were the only scholarship players on the Club to be a part of both national Division rosters. Sunday’s game also marked the last time Johnson and Diarra will Action for UConn as they’re graduating. Karaban has one more season of eligibility, but he didn’t say what his future plans are Upcoming the loss.

“They Transformation your life. Youthful men like that Transformation your life,” Hurley said of those three players. “I was a Trainer, not necessarily on the Toasty seat going into 2023 — you’ve Acquired to ask [UConn athletic director] Dave Bennett — but until these men, until Alex Karaban put on the uniform and Samson (tearing up) — the players Transformation your life when you have such special people.”

UConn’s back-to-back Competitions elevated both Hurley and the program. Last June, Hurley even publicly flirted with leaving Storrs to become the head Trainer of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now, Hurley and the Huskies will get some time they didn’t have over the last two offseasons, when they were making the post-Division media rounds, to breathe. Hurley is looking forward to it. 

“I would say going into the year, there’s a Numerous of rewiring and things I’ve Acquired to do in the offseason because you Merely get caught up in this tidal wave of Achievement that we’ve had,” Hurley said. “You Loss perspective. You struggle with the ego at times because you’ve been on this Amazing Stretch.

“It will be nice to get to a normal offseason and Merely get back to myself as a Trainer and not have to throw out Primary pitches. You should only be ringing stock market bells and throwing out Primary pitches when you Achieve the Significant Division. I won’t have to do things like that. I’ll be able to Merely Attention on the upcoming season and make better decisions with all aspects of coaching.”

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