UConn's Dan Hurley Addresses Ejection in Loss to Marquette, 'Don't Think I Bumped the Ref'
UConn head men's basketball coach Dan Hurley questioned the validity of his ejection near the end of Saturday's 68-62 road loss to Marquette.
Trailing 64-62, the Huskies had a chance to tie or win the game, but guard Silas Demary Jr. missed a layup with two seconds remaining. Seemingly upset over no foul being called on the play, Hurley got in an official's face and shouted, leading to two technical fouls and an ejection:
Speaking to reporters after the game about the ejection, Hurley said, "I don't think I bumped the ref. I thought I got close to yelling at John. If John thinks I bumped him, he'll say I bumped him. I think I yelled into the back of his head, 'Foul! Foul!'"
Despite Hurley's feelings on the incident, Seth Davis of Hoops HQ reported that there was contact between Hurley and referee John Gaffney, adding, "Big East office is going to have to take a real hard look at that," in relation to a potential fine or even suspension.
Trailing 61-49 with less than six minutes left, the Huskies mounted a big comeback, scoring 13 of the next 16 points to put themselves in position to force overtime or win the game.
Although Demary absorbed contact on UConn's game-tying shot attempt, no call was made, and Hurley made his frustration known.
The loss was a significant one for UConn in terms of its bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Ranked fourth in the nation, UConn fell to 27-4 overall and 17-3 in Big East play with the defeat. The loss cost the Huskies a share of the Big East regular-season title, as St. John's finished with an 18-2 conference mark.
While UConn could still potentially land a 1-seed in the tourney if it rebounds and wins the Big East tournament, the loss left the door open for fifth-ranked Florida to potentially run the table and snag a No. 1 seed along with Duke, Arizona and Michigan, who are all heavily favored to be top seeds.
Securing a 1-seed isn't necessarily a must for the Huskies with regard to national championship contention.
Although the Huskies were a 1-seed when they won the 2024 NCAA tournament under Hurley, they were a 4-seed when they won it a year earlier.
The Huskies absorbed a lot of key players leaving for the NBA following the 2023-24 season, but they still managed to make the tourney last season, reaching the second round as an 8-seed before falling 77-75 to top-seeded and eventual national champion Florida.
Saturday's loss was a difficult one in terms of Big East and NCAA tournament seeding, but the Huskies still have a golden opportunity to become the first team to win three national titles in four years in Division I men's basketball since UCLA won eight in nine years from 1967 to 1975.
