“It was a lot of expletives": UConn HC Dan Hurley on what he heard from St. John's fan
Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies advanced to the final of the Big East Tournament by beating St. John's Red Storm 95-90. But the story of the game was the intense war of words between Hurley and Red Storm fans.
What began as a war of words between Hurley and Red Storm coach Rick Pitino, leading to both coaches receiving technicals, turned ugly with fans getting involved. Hurley even tried to have one fan, Tom O'Grady, ejected from the game.
After the game, reporter John Fanta tweeted what coach Hurley heard from the fan in question.
“It was a lot of expletives. And, again, like all you'll see with the camera -- you're not seeing what I'm -- what's in front of me. And I'm probably now the boy who cried wolf because of late game.
"But I promise you if we play Marquette tomorrow night, there will be no incident because those people are incredibly classy fans, and we have incredible respect for them.”
The incident between the two coaches took place early in the first half, with Dan Hurley trying to have the fan removed soon after. During halftime, the coach once again tried to have the fan removed by security.
UConn and Dan Hurley faced a tough battle against St. John's Red Storm
UConn has consistently been among the best teams in college basketball this season. Against a 20-13 #5 seed, they faced a tough battle but eventually came out on top.
Despite his moment with a rival fan, Dan Hurley also mentioned how "fun" the game was for him.
“It lived up to everything that people hoped for with this game tonight – the emotions, the intensity, the shot-making … It was just a fun game to be a part of. So thrilled to get the win and excited to get to the championship (Saturday night).”
For the Huskies, it was the Tristen Newton show, as he scored 25 points, including 20 in the first half. Cam Spencer sizzled from deep, draining 4-of-5 long-range bombs en route to a 20-point outing before his late free throw sealed the deal.
For St. John's, Daniss Jenkins started hot and finished with a game-high 27 points. St. John's 90 points were the most the UConn defense gave up all year.
With a 30-3 record and a clash against Marquette in the Big East Tournament final coming up, can the Huskies and Dan Hurley continue their dominance through March Madness? Let us know in the comments section below.