Dan Hurley and UConn's failure in Maui is "going to do them some good", per NCAAB analyst
Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies' title defense hit a rough patch last month when they finished dead last in the Maui Invitational. NCAA basketball analyst Jerel McNeal spoke about how the Huskies' struggles in Hawaii could be a blessing in disguise for them while previewing No. 18 UConn's upcoming clash against No. 8 Gonzaga in the "Field of 68: After Dark" podcast on Thursday night.
The Huskies struggled in the three-day, multi-team event, finishing the tournament without a victory. They opened their Maui campaign with a 99-97 loss to the Memphis Tigers before losing another close game 73-72 to the Colorado Buffaloes the following day. Things went from bad to worse for the Huskies on the final day of the competition as they suffered an 85-67 loss to the Dayton Flyers.
What made those performances even worse for Dan Hurley's team was that all those defeats came against unranked teams. UConn dropped to No. 25 in the Associated Press rankings due to that 0-3 record in Maui. In the game preview, McNeal explained why the Huskies are better off with that humbling experience.
"As much as Hurley didn’t enjoy his trip to Maui, with this team for this year, I think it’s actually going to do them some good. I seriously do," McNeal said. "Because obviously once you have the success that they have, they are gonna have to do things a little bit differently this year with a different group of guys." (2:50)
Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies bounce back after Maui disaster
The Huskies reminded everyone why they are the two-time defending national champions, stringing together three straight wins following their 0-3 campaign in Hawaii. UConn trounced Maryland Eastern Shore 99-45 on November 30, with six different Huskies scoring double figures. Liam McNeeley and Jaylin Stewart led the scoring for UConn with 16 points apiece.
Dan Hurley's Huskies then recorded their first win over a top-25 team this season on December 4, beating then-No. 15 Baylor Bears 76-72. McNeeley recorded 17 points and eight boards to lead UConn to victory. The Huskies followed that up with a 76-65 win over the Texas Longhorns. Alex Karaban scored 21 points in his first game back since suffering a concussion against Dayton.