UConn had a chance to clinch a share of the Big East regular season title with a win over Marquette on Saturday, but it failed to do so, suffering another upset loss in Milwaukee. The defeat sent Dan Hurley into a fit of rage, even if he disagrees with the reason for his late-game ejection.
Hurley was given a double technical and tossed from the game with 0.4 seconds remaining, which allowed the Golden Eagles to seal the victory at the foul line. Hurley seemed to acknowledge that he let his emotions get the better of him, but he does not believe he physically bumped a referee.
“I don't think I bumped the ref,” Hurley said after the game, via David Borges of CT Insider.
Hurley got into it with referee John Gaffney after UConn guard Silas Demery Jr. missed the game-tying layup with no foul called with three seconds remaining.
Hurley has developed a reputation as a hot-headed coach who is never afraid to get into officials' faces. He might not have felt the contact in the heat of the moment, but the film appeared to show he clearly made contact with referee John Gaffney.
Yupp you can’t do that https://t.co/mrlZPGLT5t pic.twitter.com/rWhVLEN59U
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 7, 2026
Hurley's lean-in on Gaffney could result in another post-game fine. He has been punished for his hostility toward officials before.
The loss dropped UConn to 27-4 and to second in the Big East at the end of the regular season. The Huskies have been a projected one-seed in the NCAA Tournament for most of the season, but they are now just 5-3 in their last eight games.




















