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The UConn men's basketball program had their hands full against the Memphis Tigers at the Maui Invitational on Monday. Dan Hurley's team found themselves down by double-digits with minutes left in the fourth quarter and found a way to force the game to overtime. However, UConn lost 99-97. Hurley was critical of Monday's officiating, especially down the stretch of the contest, as he expressed in his postgame press availability:
“I had a lot of issues with what went on. That over-the-back call… there was a Memphis player that made a half-a** effort, Liam McNeeley high-pointed the rebound, and for that call to be made… was a complete joke. I may have lost my balance by the absurdity of the call,” Hurley said, per The Field of 68 on X (formerly Twitter).
Dan Hurley received a costly technical foul in OT, and he believes he received the tech because he fell to the ground in disbelief over Liam McNeeley's over-the-back call, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. Hurley was aware of how his behavior came off:
“What I gave the cameras today was Oppenheimer,” Hurley said.
Furthermore, Hurley revealed that he did not think the technical cost UConn's loss to Memphis. He felt like the game's officiating had a larger impact.
“I think it was the sh***y calls,” Hurley added, per Norlander. “I would expect to come to play in an event, and I don't know too many back-to-back national championship teams that get that type of a whistle.”
Despite the UConn coach's harsh criticism, he gave credit to Penny Hardaway's Memphis basketball squad, saying he respected the team for their effort.
The UConn basketball team fell to 4-1 with their loss on Monday, ending their four-game winning streak, while Memphis stayed undefeated. The Huskies will now compete in the loser's bracket of the Maui Invitational.
