Dan Hurley might just be one of the most admired coaches in college basketball. His passionate, fiery approach has made him a fan favorite among UConn Huskies supporters—until now. After Monday night’s 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis in the first round of the Maui Invitational, it seems the tide has turned. Fans, who usually rally behind Hurley, found themselves disappointed, even frustrated, by his postgame outburst.

So, what exactly went down? The loss was tough enough for the Huskies, who are two-time defending national champions and currently ranked second. But things really heated up when Hurley went after the referees, taking issue with a controversial “over the back” call during a critical moment. 

The 51-year-old said he took particular umbrage with an over-the-back foul call against UConn forward Liam McNeeley with the game tied at 92 and less than a minute remaining in overtime. The foul not only gave Memphis free throws but also escalated into a technical foul against the HC for his heated reaction. 

PJ Carter sank all four free throws—two for the technical and two for the personal foul—pushing Memphis to a 96-92 lead with just 40.3 seconds left. The game, which saw UConn’s impressive 17-game winning streak come to an end, was particularly brutal for the Huskies. Three UConn players fouled out, further complicating.

After losing in the postgame conference, the coach claimed that the call was not only wrong but also laughably bad.

He didn’t hold back, saying, “That over-the-back call at that point of the game? There was no attempt to block it out. There was a player on Memphis that made a half-a-s effort to rebound that basketball, and Liam McNeely high-pointed that rebound,” he said. “For that call to be made at that point in the game was a complete joke.”

Hurley admitted he might have lost his balance in the heat of the moment but remained adamant about his displeasure. He even took a jab at the officiating crew, calling out their qualifications. 

“I didn’t even know [one of the referees] was a college ref,” he asserted, though Steven Anderson and Scott Brown, both experienced officials, were also part of the crew. Unsurprisingly, his comments didn’t sit well with everyone. 

Fans split on Dan Hurley’s postgame outburst 

Fans took to social media, and while some understood his frustration, others were less forgiving. One fan straight-up called him a “Holy crybaby.” Another fan, while agreeing with Hurley’s criticism of the call, thought the rant was overboard. 

“Yikes. I agree with Coach about the validity of the call (questionable at best), but the reaction was way over the top, and so is the pile-on above. Worthy of a fine, if not more,” they wrote. Fair enough. While acknowledging bad officiating is one thing, losing your composure on the sidelines might not be the best look, especially when it costs your team. And well, this time, it did. 

A third fan even offered a suggestion on how Hurley could have responded better: “Much better response would be, ‘I question the call, but I ask my team to play with composure and failed to meet that expectation myself. I will always defend my players, but this caused a costly technical foul, and I accept full responsibility.’” 

That kind of accountability would have probably diffused some of the backlash and shifted the focus back to the game. So, it seems the on-court actions did upset fans but what pushed them to the edge was the coach’s reaction to it.

Another chimed in with a harsher critique, “Brutal look by coach. Should yell at his team to play better/go look at film and improve vs crying about refs. If you have a complaint, the best way to deal with it is back channels or hopefully never have to deal with them again.” 

Fan seems to think Hurley’s energy would have been better spent on self-reflection. However, for a team chasing a three-peat and riding high on a winning streak since February, this kind of almost feels out of character. The moments of doubt rarely even seem to knock on their door.

But not everyone was anti-Hurley. One fan defended his rant, pointing out that bad officiating is a recurring issue in basketball: “Why? Because he’s calling out bad officiating? Refs need to be held accountable, and they were biased all game. Pat Driscoll is a Syracuse alum who’s been honored by them and has beef with Hurley. None of this is new. Hence why in March fouls are never an issue.” 

It’s true, though. Questionable officiating has been a hot topic lately, even spilling over into the WNBA Finals this season. Clearly, this is something that spans leagues, from pros to colleges. Another fan kept it simple and expressed how every fan feels: “I’m disappointed in this.”

Huskies have a massive and loyal fandom, and they expect more from their coach, not just in terms of results but also in their attitude. But at the end of the day, they know he has what it takes to lead the Huskies. As they continue their season, defending their title remains the ultimate goal, and they’re trusting Hurley.