UConn head coach Dan Hurley has never been one to hide his emotions, but Wednesday night’s 71-67 loss to No. 4 Arizona brought out one of his most dramatic postgame moments yet.

The No. 3 Huskies battled without several key contributors, and the frustration of such a narrow defeat boiled over almost immediately after the final buzzer.

During his postgame press conference, Hurley was asked about the team’s performance. As the question was being delivered, he reached for the stat sheet sitting in front of him, only to tear it in half in full view of reporters, and the ripping literally echoed through the microphone, before Hurley tossed the shredded papers aside and shot a sarcastic look across the room.

One of the most dramatic moments captured the emotional outburst, which set the tone for a lengthy reflection on how the night unfolded.

“Sometime around 2 a.m., 3:00, 4:30 a.m., I’m going to wake up and I’m going to think it was just a nightmare,” Hurley said, an acknowledgment of how much the missed opportunity stung. “Then, finally when I’m up and starting to move around around 7:30, 8 o’clock, I’m going to realize that ‘We blew a f***ing chance to beat one of the best teams down two studs.’”

Hurley was referring to the depleted roster UConn brought into the matchup. The Huskies were without top scorer Tarris Reed Jr., who averages 20 points and 9.3 rebounds, due to an ankle injury announced before tipoff. Five-star freshman Braylon Mullins also remained sidelined due to injury. Even so, UConn managed to push Arizona deep into the second half.

Despite being outrebounded 43-23 and committing 21 fouls to Arizona’s 16, the Huskies found ways to compete, and they even grabbed a brief 64-62 lead before Arizona executed in the final minute to secure the win.

Reflecting on the loss, Hurley also stressed the importance of getting healthy before tougher stretches arrive. “Our people got to get our guys healthy and on the court so that we can be the team that we're all really high on, it's just, tonight, it sucked to lose like that,” he said.

With Bryant up next on Sunday, Hurley’s challenge will be turning this emotional defeat into fuel. If UConn can regroup and get key players back, Wednesday night’s agony may ultimately sharpen the Huskies for the battles ahead.