Dan Hurley Blasts Officials After UConn's Overtime Loss at Maui Invitational

Hurley and UConn lost to Memphis in overtime in the opening round of the 2024 Maui Invitational.
Hurley and UConn lost to Memphis in overtime in the opening round of the 2024 Maui Invitational. / Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Dan Hurley is not happy.

UConn lost its opening round game at the 2024 Maui Invitational 99–97 in an overtime heartbreaker against Memphis. During the contest, Hurley's sideline antics drew criticism from the college basketball world. His frequent berating of the game's officials was the focus of much of the condemnation.

After the game, Hurley addressed the officiating, including a call that went against UConn freshman Liam McNeeley in overtime. The 51-year-old head coach's reaction to that call earned him a technical foul.

Hurley said, "I had a lot of issues with what went on out there in the game. That over-the-back call at that point of the game. There was no attempt to block out, there was a player on Memphis that made a half-ass effort to rebound that basketball and Liam McNeeley high-pointed the rebound. For that call to be made at that point of the game was a complete joke."

Hurley wound up on his back in reaction to the call. He addressed that by saying, "For me, I don't know what happened. I might have lost my balance by the absurdity of the call, or maybe I tripped. But if I made that call at that point, I would have ignored the fact that I was on my back."

Here is the play and Hurley's reaction to it that earned him a technical foul:

UConn fell to 4-1 with the loss, while Memphis improved to 5-0.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.