Is this a must win for Hurley?

[Inyatkin]

He's not getting fired, so it's not a must-win. The point about NCAA games as a bad barometer is true. It's fluky. One hot-shooting opponent and you're done. And with so many teams so evenly matched, it's rare for teams to be demonstrably better than the competition, like our 04 team was.
It is a must win, though, if anyone ever wants to come to this board again.

 

[husky429]

The coaches you are listing are not Hurley's peers in the game. So let's look at his actual peers, the 50-and-under club with national title aspirations.

I'll only include their times at high-major schools to make it fair since no one can really hold Hurley accountable for not getting to a sweet-16 at URI... I won't include the covid year. If I miss anyone, let me know and I can add them.

Danny Hurley (50): (3 post-seasons at UConn)

• Nothing.

Oats (48): (2 post-seasons at Bama)

• 1 sweet-16

Beard (50) : (5 post-seasons at Texas and Tech)

• 1 championship loss
• 1 elite 8

Shaka (45): (6 post-seasons between Texas and Marquette)

• Nothing since his miracle final-four run at VCU

Mick Cronin (50): (3 post-seasons at UCLA)

• 1 Final Four
• 1 Sweet-16

Tommy Lloyd (48): (1 post-season at Arizona)

• 1 sweet-16

It isn't "must win" the same way no game is technically a "must win."

But I think it's fair to say between this season and next, we need to see a sweet-16 or that seat starts getting warm. He's clearly not getting fired no matter what happens this season.

 

[JB75]

Course it’s a must win. Not even a question.

 

[NH Husky]

I’m seeing so much talk in the national media (and among our fans) that this is a "must-win" for Hurley to get the "he can't coach in the tournament" off his back.

Frankly, I think that talk is ridiculous. Of course we want to advance as far as we can and take a step forward.

But I think this fanbase majorly loses sight of how difficult it is to win in the NCAA tournament because we've been so fortunate. And, more importantly, how a single game in the NCAA tournament is not indicative of the state of an entire college basketball program.

Let's look at what some other coaches around the country have attached to their names...

Coach K- Has lost to a 15-seed and a 14-seed.
Tony Bennett- The only coach to ever lose to a 16 seed. (Can you imagine this board if that happened????????)
Calipari- Hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 2019. In that span, he's had a 9-16 team and has lost to a 15-seeded team from the MAAC.
Cooley- Took 11 seasons to get to his first Sweet 16 (yes, different expectations at PC, but he's still a revered coach in college, and has had the talent to get to multiple sweet 16s)
Self- (Who I think is clearly the best coach in the game right now) Has lost to multiple double digit seeds.

The list goes on and on. And for all of them, they're still revered coaches.

If we lose to Iona, yeah, it's going to suck. And sting. And the insufferable fans will come out and do their insufferable thing. And the narrative will still be that Hurley can't coach in the NCAA tournament, when in reality it's probably one player going off for 40 points and some players on our side getting tight in big moments.

But then the dust will settle. The months will go by. Some people will depart the program. We'll probably land a high end transfer or 2.
Then summer session rolls around before we know it. Our top 5 recruiting class will come onto campus, and the hype will potentially be at an all time high under Hurley.

So just enjoy the ride right now. We were probably one three pointer away from being in the Big East Championship game last week, and probably rolling a gassed Xavier. The narrative right now would've been totally different.

No matter what stupid takes you have if/when we lose in the next few weeks, the sun will still come up and we will still have a dynamite team next season with a dynamite coach whose seat remains quite cool.

This all sounds like Calhoun can’t coach a team to the final four. Good thing this drivel is all part of the build up to the Championship.
I’m simply enjoying the fact that this year we truly have a legitimate chance to win it all and all credit goes to coach Hurley for getting us here.

 

[JB75]

Definitely not a must win. If they lose though, Hurley will come back next year with a LOT of pressure on him to be successful.

We won't lose to Iona. UCONN by 17. If we do lose, there are going to be a lot of pissed off people around here. To me, it's a big disappointment if we don't get to the Sweet 16. BIG.

“definitely not a must win”. What? Course it is

 

[tzznandrew]

He's not getting fired, so it's not a must-win. The point about NCAA games as a bad barometer is true. It's fluky. One hot-shooting opponent and you're done. And with so many teams so evenly matched, it's rare for teams to be demonstrably better than the competition, like our 04 team was.
It is a must win, though, if anyone ever wants to come to this board again.

And even in 2004, they nearly lost to Duke because of foul trouble. Jumped out to an 11-2 lead and then Okafor got 2 fouls. Duke got in foul trouble as well, so it's not like the officiating was one-sided, but it's that sort of variance you can't really account for.

 

[gtcam]

I’m seeing so much talk in the national media (and among our fans) that this is a "must-win" for Hurley to get the "he can't coach in the tournament" off his back.

Frankly, I think that talk is ridiculous. Of course we want to advance as far as we can and take a step forward.

But I think this fanbase majorly loses sight of how difficult it is to win in the NCAA tournament because we've been so fortunate. And, more importantly, how a single game in the NCAA tournament is not indicative of the state of an entire college basketball program.

Let's look at what some other coaches around the country have attached to their names...

Coach K- Has lost to a 15-seed and a 14-seed.
Tony Bennett- The only coach to ever lose to a 16 seed. (Can you imagine this board if that happened????????)
Calipari- Hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 2019. In that span, he's had a 9-16 team and has lost to a 15-seeded team from the MAAC.
Cooley- Took 11 seasons to get to his first Sweet 16 (yes, different expectations at PC, but he's still a revered coach in college, and has had the talent to get to multiple sweet 16s)
Self- (Who I think is clearly the best coach in the game right now) Has lost to multiple double digit seeds.

The list goes on and on. And for all of them, they're still revered coaches.

If we lose to Iona, yeah, it's going to suck. And sting. And the insufferable fans will come out and do their insufferable thing. And the narrative will still be that Hurley can't coach in the NCAA tournament, when in reality it's probably one player going off for 40 points and some players on our side getting tight in big moments.

But then the dust will settle. The months will go by. Some people will depart the program. We'll probably land a high end transfer or 2.
Then summer session rolls around before we know it. Our top 5 recruiting class will come onto campus, and the hype will potentially be at an all time high under Hurley.

So just enjoy the ride right now. We were probably one three pointer away from being in the Big East Championship game last week, and probably rolling a gassed Xavier. The narrative right now would've been totally different.

No matter what stupid takes you have if/when we lose in the next few weeks, the sun will still come up and we will still have a dynamite team next season with a dynamite coach whose seat remains quite cool.

Question: Did any of these coaches lose their 1st tournament game 3 years in a row to lower seeds?
Saying a tournament game is terribly difficult to win is a cop out. Sure there are an occasional anomaly but 3 years in a row losing to a lower seed is unacceptable to any program.
Let’s stop making excuses. DH is paid a ton of money and in my eyes anything less than a second weekend game is a disappointment and failure to execute.

 

[PNolanFan]

I think if he loses, next year becomes a must win honestly. One year is a fluke, two years and your unlucky but three years in a row and your in trouble. I think a loss here gets the seat warm but you obviously dont make a move

 

[uc1990]

The coaches you are listing are not Hurley's peers in the game. So let's look at his actual peers, the 50-and-under club with national title aspirations.

I'll only include their times at high-major schools to make it fair since no one can really hold Hurley accountable for not getting to a sweet-16 at URI... I won't include the covid year. If I miss anyone, let me know and I can add them.

Danny Hurley (50): (3 post-seasons at UConn)

• Nothing.

Oats (48): (2 post-seasons at Bama)

• 1 sweet-16

Beard (50) : (5 post-seasons at Texas and Tech)

• 1 championship loss
• 1 elite 8

Shaka (45): (6 post-seasons between Texas and Marquette)

• Nothing since his miracle final-four run at VCU

Mick Cronin (50): (3 post-seasons at UCLA)

• 1 Final Four
• 1 Sweet-16

Tommy Lloyd (48): (1 post-season at Arizona)

• 1 sweet-16

It isn't "must win" the same way no game is technically a "must win."

But I think it's fair to say between this season and next, we need to see a sweet-16 or that seat starts getting warm. He's clearly not getting fired no matter what happens this season.

You didn’t give Danny his two wins in first round at URI.? He isn’t a nothing in the tournament since your comparing.

 

[uconnfn34]

As unfair as it may be, this season being viewed as a success or failure is going to come down to the results of this weekend. When you rise up to #2 in the land, and have mock ups of trophies around at practices, the expectations naturally go up. If the good guys get to the second weekend, they'll get to add something to the wall at Gampel, finish in the top 10, and will officially be back.

 

[Waquoit]

Hang this guy

 

[imno1]

An early exit, i.e., before Elite Eight, and Hurley goes on the hot seat next year. UConn has shown an inability to win important games and the trend must stop.

Anyone else miss the dislike button?

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Hurley has the chance to shut everyone up for a long time if he proceeds to beat Pitino, Self and either Few/Cronin.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Must win for the sanity of the BY. As others have stated Hurley is not getting fired with an early exit and the recruiting class coming in. Momentum around the program is building. We are right back to where we want this program to be, no way the AD burns it down. Just have to take care of business on the court under the big lights.

From where Hurley has taken the program in his time here they will have to fall flat for 2-3 seasons before he is out. I just do not see that happening. We are back.

 

[CTBasketball]

You guys are delirious.

Go ride off into the off-season with three consecutive losses to double digit seeds, all upsets, and say you’re happy. Do you guys watch your wives get banged by the pool boy too?

 

[auror]

I’m seeing so much talk in the national media (and among our fans) that this is a "must-win" for Hurley to get the "he can't coach in the tournament" off his back.

Frankly, I think that talk is ridiculous. Of course we want to advance as far as we can and take a step forward.

But I think this fanbase majorly loses sight of how difficult it is to win in the NCAA tournament because we've been so fortunate. And, more importantly, how a single game in the NCAA tournament is not indicative of the state of an entire college basketball program.

Let's look at what some other coaches around the country have attached to their names...

Coach K- Has lost to a 15-seed and a 14-seed.
Tony Bennett- The only coach to ever lose to a 16 seed. (Can you imagine this board if that happened????????)
Calipari- Hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 2019. In that span, he's had a 9-16 team and has lost to a 15-seeded team from the MAAC.
Cooley- Took 11 seasons to get to his first Sweet 16 (yes, different expectations at PC, but he's still a revered coach in college, and has had the talent to get to multiple sweet 16s)
Self- (Who I think is clearly the best coach in the game right now) Has lost to multiple double digit seeds.

The list goes on and on. And for all of them, they're still revered coaches.

If we lose to Iona, yeah, it's going to suck. And sting. And the insufferable fans will come out and do their insufferable thing. And the narrative will still be that Hurley can't coach in the NCAA tournament, when in reality it's probably one player going off for 40 points and some players on our side getting tight in big moments.

But then the dust will settle. The months will go by. Some people will depart the program. We'll probably land a high end transfer or 2.
Then summer session rolls around before we know it. Our top 5 recruiting class will come onto campus, and the hype will potentially be at an all time high under Hurley.

So just enjoy the ride right now. We were probably one three pointer away from being in the Big East Championship game last week, and probably rolling a gassed Xavier. The narrative right now would've been totally different.

No matter what stupid takes you have if/when we lose in the next few weeks, the sun will still come up and we will still have a dynamite team next season with a dynamite coach whose seat remains quite cool.

As with a lot of things, sequence of returns risk is a huge factor. If we have a way of knowing quality of coaches and we know that Coach A and Coach B are equally good coaches and equally likely to get to a Sweet 16 each year and are 60/40 to win games in the NCAAT. but Coach A goes 2-1 in the first round of his first 3 tournaments and Coach B goes 0-3 due to bad luck.... Coach B may very well get fired before getting to a single sweet 16. Or his program will spiral and affect those NCAA win odds due to lack of ability to recruit talent.

And let's be frank. Going 0-3 in NCAA first round, and specifically each time as a higher seed, is not a small thing. That's stigmatizing and for good reason. That can affect recruiting and team morale and could lead to transfers out, etc. It would be a true disaster. Hurley hasn't won a league or conference championship in AAC or Big East either. This can become a negative feedback loop real quick.

Do I think he gets fired? No. So if you're coming at it from the perspective of his job security, I don't think it's a must win. Is it a must win for the trajectory of the program and getting back to being elite? Yes.

 

[EBonz30]

I was telling some of my friends this- the reality of the situation with Hurley is the following….

Hurley has brought this program back to where it belongs in just about every way- recruiting, professionalism, fan base, high tournament seeds, talent level, etc.

The one thing that still is missing is his in game coaching, obviously as I believe we are all aware of he has some rough games in big games. I am hoping with experience he continues to get better in this area- as I mentioned if he can continue to improve in this regard I believe UConn will be going back to more Final Fours in the near future.

Hurley is the now & is the future for UConn- I am expecting big things for the next decade under his leadership- buckle up!

 

[Griffman]

WOW... Hopefully, they at least get a participation ribbon for making the tournament.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I'm a Hurley defender and any notion of firing him is ridiculous given how we've gotten better each year and keep bringing in top recruits too.

With that said, never higher than 3 BE regular season, 0-3 in BET semis and possibly 0-3 in NCAAs is unacceptable.

At the absolute bare minimum we need to beat Iona. The rankings, kenpoms, etc are nice but he has to get something done that counts.

Btw nice meeting @RayIsTheGOAT last week at the BET!

 

[NJHusky]

You guys are delirious.

Go ride off into the off-season with three consecutive losses to double digit seeds, all upsets, and say you’re happy. Do you guys watch your wives get banged by the pool boy too?

What if u have a pool girl?

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I'm a Hurley defender and any notion of firing him is ridiculous given how we've gotten better each year and keep bringing in top recruits too.

With that said, never higher than 3 BE regular season, 0-3 in BET semis and possibly 0-3 in NCAAs is unacceptable.

At the absolute bare minimum we need to beat Iona. The rankings, kenpoms, etc are nice but he has to get something done that counts.

Btw nice meeting @RayIsTheGOAT last week at the BET!

Likewise my dude.

Just trying to soften the blow for the inevitable horrible takes that are taken too far if we lose to Iona, which I think is really unlikely to happen.

 

[Rocktheworld]

It is absolutely a must win. If you don’t expect more than repeated severely-embarrassing losses from your coach with nothing else to show for it, maybe start rooting for another program.

 

[Fishy]

Losing to New Mexico State last year was bad, but I honestly don’t think that team was very good, so it was not bad bad.

Losing to Iona would be bad bad bad bad. Losing to VCU or St. Mary’s after that would be bad bad. Losing in the sweet 16 would merely be not ideal.

If you’re one of the pom pom posters, do not even come here if we lose to Iona. It will not be a safe space for you.

 

[MTBingNinja]

Must win, to keep his recruiting momentum in the right direction

 

[boiwerebad]

100%. Hurley has 0 big wins. 0 conf tourney wins past first round and 0 NCAA tourney wins.