During its quest for a three-peat, UConn basketball has struggled a bit to find its footing consistently this season. Dan Hurley and the Huskies have been up and down and are now trying to pick up wins in Big East play without star freshman Liam McNeeley, who is out with an ankle injury.

On Saturday night, McNeeley's absence was too much for UConn to overcome. Despite a back and forth battle, Xavier was able to pull off the upset over 19th-ranked UConn 76-72 in Cincinnati. UConn led the game by one point at halftime, but Xavier stormed out in front in the second half and was able to withstand a late UConn flurry to come away with a massive win for its NCAA Tournament hopes.

Last season, after UConn beat Xavier on the road in January, Hurley threw in a “Who Dey” at the end of his postgame press conference to show his love for the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Bengals out of the playoffs and the Huskies coming off of a loss, Hurley wasn't in the same joking mood on Saturday night via Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media.

Related UConn Basketball NewsArticle continues below
Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Darrion Williams (5) reacts during the second half against the Florida Gators during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center.
What Darrion Williams addition means for NC State’s PJ Haggerty pursuit
UConn women's basketball forward Sarah Strong (21) speaks to the media after the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Amalie Arena.
Watch UConn’s Sarah Strong ball out with USA Basketball in this 3×3 tournament
Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on against the Houston Cougars during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Duke basketball news: Latest Top 25 recruit gives Blue Devils No. 1 class in 2025

“I'm not saying Who Dey this year,” Hurley joked as he got up at the end of his press conference.

This loss dropped UConn to 6-3 in conference play, putting it two games behind Marquette and St. John's for the top spot. McNeely should be getting closer to a return to the court soon, which will still make this one of the toughest teams to beat in the Big East, but now it has some ground to make up in the standings.

After a winnable game against DePaul to close out the month of January, the February slate ramps up for Hurley and company. This UConn basketball team starts the month with ranked matchups against both Marquette and St. John's, so the Huskies will have an opportunity to make up some of the ground in the conference standings. Then, they have a difficult road date with Creighton before the schedule lightens up again.