“Our defense has been just so dreadful”: Dan Hurley makes honest admission after UConn’s shocking loss in Maui Invitational
Dan Hurley and No. 2 UConn have faced lot of controversies this week, including upset losses, technical fouls, and unfavorable calls. Despite these challenges, Hurley highlighted a key issue impacting the Huskies' performance.
The Huskies suffered their second straight defeat on Tuesday, losing to the Colorado Buffaloes in the loser's bracket of the Maui Invitational. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the officials seemingly missed a foul against Colorado as the Buffaloes called timeout with 20 seconds remaining. They subsequently converted a go-ahead layup with eight seconds to spare, and UConn’s Hassan Diarra was unable to connect on a potential game-winning three-pointer.
After the game, Hurley was upset with the officials missing the call against Colorado. However, he acknowledged that huskies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">UConn would not have been in the situation if they had performed better on the defensive side of the ball.
"Today's (no-call) felt more egregious. The kid pulled Liam McNeeley's arm down. I saw the replay of it. It's obviously ironic. But that's not why I think we lost. Our defense has been just, so dreadful. Just so dreadful," Hurley said.
Dan Hurley, UConn getting some defensive bumps on the road
Dan Hurley is correct in assessing UConn's woes on defense.
In the last two games against Memphis and Colorado, the Huskies gave up 172 points combined on 53.1% shooting from the field and 55.3% from beyond the arc. The Tigers and Buffaloes exposed UConn's perimeter defense, a stark contrast to the 35.3% three-point shooting opponents managed in their first four games.
Rebounding has also been a struggle in these two losses. After grabbing 40 or more rebounds in their first four games, they fell short against Memphis (33) and Colorado (26).
Dan Hurley and No. 2 UConn will look to avoid a third consecutive defeat when they face either Iowa State or Dayton to conclude their time in the Maui Invitational on November 28 at 12 a.m. ET.