UConn's Dan Hurley Ejected vs. Villanova After Pumping Up Crowd

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley is known for his high energy on the sidelines, but it cost him Tuesday.

Hurley picked up a technical in the first half against No. 8 Villanova and decided to hype up the crowd, which earned him a second technical and an ejection. The No. 21 Huskies were up 24-23 at the time of Hurley's exit.

Hurley has been UConn's head coach since 2018. The 49-year-old previously spent six seasons at the helm of Rhode Island and two years coaching Wagner College. Including this season, he's coached the Huskies to a 69-44 record.

Hurley also played college ball at Seton Hall for five seasons, including a redshirt year. He's the youngest son of legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley and the brother of Arizona State men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley.

UConn entered Tuesday's matchup 19-7 and 10-5 in the Big East. The Huskies had won their last three games and four of their last five. The team is tied with Creighton for third place in the conference behind Villanova and Providence. The 11th-ranked Friars (22-3) lead with a 12-2 conference record just ahead of the Wildcats' (21-6) 14-3 mark.

There's still time for the top seed in the Big East to be decided. Villanova's second-to-last game of the regular season will be against Providence on March 1, giving the Wildcats a chance to take over the lead. But the Friars also have two games in between against Xavier and Creighton this week.

The Huskies have three games left in the regular season against Georgetown, Creighton and DePaul.