Let’s not lose sight of….

[UCan3]

Dan Hurley led this team to what should have been a victory over the best team in the NCAA, the Florida Gators. Albeit a sloppy play with the ball with the lead, along with a couple of missed calls/rebounds, we would still be in contention for a 3-peat.

Hurley did all of this with a lineup with serious challenges, including missing a true point guard and a short bench.

People want to focus on his comments about walking off the floor with this team, not me. IMO, this was likely his best year as a UConn coach, and he did more than 99.9% of the coaches would have done with our lineup. Now, don’t get me wrong, we had talent and a few championship caliber players, but not the complete team that should have been in a position to knock off Florida. And we were…

Things happen, but this was a season in which there were so many positives. It was a roller coaster and wildly entertaining. I’ll take it. Thank you, Dan and the entire coaching staff.
.

 

[AllHusky]

Coach Hurley, staff and players did a great job yesterday pure and simple. It was a shame that they lost. Maybe Florida is a team of destiny. Who knows, who cares. The development of Mahaney over the last month really mirrors the development of the team. These kids time and time again refused to lose. Sometimes they did, but there was never a lack of will, just a lack of skill. An 8 seed vs a 1 seed shouldn't be in the game with those shooting %'s, yet there we were, with multiple chances to win it. As mentioned over and over, no Walter Clayton on the UConn roster was the difference. Terrible disappointment, tremendous pride in the kids, staff and program.

 

[InKembaITrust]

This season will be remembered as one of "what-ifs?".

What if....

Maui goes differently
Karaban hits late Nova FTs
Liam doesn't get hurt mid-season
Seton Hall doesn't win late
Hassan is 100% all year
Mahaney finds his footing/confidence
The last 2 min of the FLA game bounces our way

I'm thankful for the effort from Diarra and Samson. I'll miss them. But very very excited for the injection of talent that's coming through the door next season. Let's hope we can keep the staff together, gain some perspective, and make another run for 2026.

 

[BugsyCT]

What's been irking me most since yesterday was how Hurley's antics leaving the arena cussing the officials immediately went viral, became the talk on social media (fueling more Dan Hurley hate) and this morning's talk shows, and overshadowed what was a tremendous game and a valiant effort by the UConn team yesterday over a Florida team that many people thought we'd be overmatched by. It would have been a great story if we had finished it off with a win and we were so close to it. But Hurley did coach a terrific game yesterday. Shame it had to end like it did. UConn gave it their all.

 

[GHSWolverines]

missing a true point guard. HA is a true point guard. A point guard is a backcourt player who directs the teams offense. HA did this. He is NOT a combo guard. A combo guard refers to a player who possesses the skills and attributes of both a point guard (PG) and a shooting guard (SG), allowing them to play either position effectively.

 

[3rdbass]

Dan Hurley led this team to what should have been a victory over the best team in the NCAA, the Florida Gators. Albeit a sloppy play with the ball with the lead, along with a couple of missed calls/rebounds, we would still be in contention for a 3-peat.

Hurley did all of this with a lineup with serious challenges, including missing a true point guard and a short bench.

People want to focus on his comments about walking off the floor with this team, not me. IMO, this was likely his best year as a UConn coach, and he did more than 99.9% of the coaches would have done with our lineup. Now, don’t get me wrong, we had talent and a few championship caliber players, but not the complete team that should have been in a position to knock off Florida. And we were…

Things happen, but this was a season in which there were so many positives. It was a roller coaster and wildly entertaining. I’ll take it. Thank you, Dan and the entire coaching staff.
.

Well we had a true PG but he was hobbled most of the year. It would of been different if Diarra wasn't hurt. Unfortunately we had no reliable backup PG to help out Diarra.

 

[Deepster]

This season will be remembered as one of "what-ifs?".

What if....

Maui goes differently
Karaban hits late Nova FTs
Liam doesn't get hurt mid-season
Seton Hall doesn't win late
Hassan is 100% all year
Mahaney finds his footing/confidence
The last 2 min of the FLA game bounces our way

I'm thankful for the effort from Diarra and Samson. I'll miss them. But very very excited for the injection of talent that's coming through the door next season. Let's hope we can keep the staff together, gain some perspective, and make another run for 2026.

Two things.

1) I am still bothered that Solo got fouled at the end of the Seton Hall game. We should not have lost that one.
2) One item I'd add, and it's a bit of a long shot, but Cam Spencer applied to get another year and was denied. I think you could argue, we may be a FF and Top 10 ranked team all season with him on the roster.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

This season will be remembered as one of "what-ifs?".

What if....

Maui goes differently
Karaban hits late Nova FTs
Liam doesn't get hurt mid-season
Seton Hall doesn't win late
Hassan is 100% all year
Mahaney finds his footing/confidence
The last 2 min of the FLA game bounces our way

I'm thankful for the effort from Diarra and Samson. I'll miss them. But very very excited for the injection of talent that's coming through the door next season. Let's hope we can keep the staff together, gain some perspective, and make another run for 2026.

There are a handful of what-ifs for every team.

 

[TroyHall98]

Taking a higher order view of things. I think the program won yesterday. We are a proud blue blood program. Consistent with other blue bloods, we die hard and we are always in position to make noise/win despite roster issues. Seeing the pride the team had for the name on their chest made me proud. Recruits will see this and want to be part of something that is bigger than them but defines their legacy.

 

[uconngb]

Dan Hurley led this team to what should have been a victory over the best team in the NCAA, the Florida Gators. Albeit a sloppy play with the ball with the lead, along with a couple of missed calls/rebounds, we would still be in contention for a 3-peat.

Hurley did all of this with a lineup with serious challenges, including missing a true point guard and a short bench.

People want to focus on his comments about walking off the floor with this team, not me. IMO, this was likely his best year as a UConn coach, and he did more than 99.9% of the coaches would have done with our lineup. Now, don’t get me wrong, we had talent and a few championship caliber players, but not the complete team that should have been in a position to knock off Florida. And we were…

Things happen, but this was a season in which there were so many positives. It was a roller coaster and wildly entertaining. I’ll take it. Thank you, Dan and the entire coaching staff.
.

Agree with a lot of this, but Dan Hurley is not only our Coach, he's also our GM. I think what killed us this year was not coaching, it was roster construction. He has to take the heat for that. We were subpar athletically, awful defensively, had ONE point guard (who played his ass off all year by the way) and not one bucket-getter. I know he will be fueled to get better, but you can't kill your parents and then cry orphan. It was HIS roster.

 

[GHSWolverines]

I am also proud how they fought against a more talented Florida team who I would be surprised if they are not in the final four. In a recent interview, Dan Hurley admits he needs to rewire himself. They will be looking for better roster construction in the you know what. An experienced combo guard and 4-man should be priorities.

 

[UCan3]

Agree with a lot of this, but Dan Hurley is not only our Coach, he's also our GM. I think what killed us this year was not coaching, it was roster construction. He has to take the heat for that. We were subpar athletically, awful defensively, had ONE point guard (who played his ass off all year by the way) and not one bucket-getter. I know he will be fueled to get better, but you can't kill your parents and then cry orphan. It was HIS roster.

I guess but who plans for massive departures for the NBA? And what team is going to win the NC for 3 consecutive years…..

That would be us…

Yes some things didn’t work out - we were oh so close… but look, that’s true for over 300 Division 1 teams every year.

We were one so very close to beating the best team in the tourney. In fact, the game was in our hands and we lost it.

But again, this was a wonderful season filled with unknowns - I enjoyed the ride. It certainly was one with massive frustrations but then some high points as well.

I’d rather of gone out like we did rather than St. John’s…. That was pitiful and not where they should have exited this tourney….

 

[Iluvsuebird]

What's been irking me most since yesterday was how Hurley's antics leaving the arena cussing the officials immediately went viral, became the talk on social media (fueling more Dan Hurley hate) and this morning's talk shows, and overshadowed what was a tremendous game and a valiant effort by the UConn team yesterday over a Florida team that many people thought we'd be overmatched by. It would have been a great story if we had finished it off with a win and we were so close to it. But Hurley did coach a terrific game yesterday. Shame it had to end like it did. UConn gave it their all.

Well, there is an easy fix: STOP BEHAVING LIKE THAT!!! One thing is to fight with ref's during the game. That's gamesmanship and it may lead to calls in the game. What happened yesterday is not going to endear him to refs in the future. Its actually a little punkish. And if you look back at my posts about Dan, you will see an ardent supporter. But yesterday was unnecessary and dumb.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I was so happy with how they played. We were two mental lapses away from the S16. He is the best in the business.

As they said in pardon my take, if McNeeley grabs those rebounds, the media would be saying he’s the best in the business

 

[UConnSwag11]

What's been irking me most since yesterday was how Hurley's antics leaving the arena cussing the officials immediately went viral, became the talk on social media (fueling more Dan Hurley hate) and this morning's talk shows, and overshadowed what was a tremendous game and a valiant effort by the UConn team yesterday over a Florida team that many people thought we'd be overmatched by. It would have been a great story if we had finished it off with a win and we were so close to it. But Hurley did coach a terrific game yesterday. Shame it had to end like it did. UConn gave it their all.

He didn’t cuss the officials. He said I hope they don’t you, Baylor like they did us.

It was in the tunnel. If it wasn’t for technology no one would know about it.

And he was right. Baylor got hosed with bad calls.

 

[UCan3]

Well, there is an easy fix: STOP BEHAVING LIKE THAT!!! One thing is to fight with ref's during the game. That's gamesmanship and it may lead to calls in the game. What happened yesterday is not going to endear him to refs in the future. Its actually a little punkish. And if you look back at my posts about Dan, you will see an ardent supporter. But yesterday was unnecessary and dumb.

Well it was on his way of stadium out but I agree / not a great look.

I think his assistant coaches may need to be a bit more involved perhaps - like Blaney with Calhoun.

Again, the news can focus on this but who cares… Just because they focus on it, doesn’t mean that we have to…. It’s a story about nothing…

Hurley‘s accomplishments speak for itself and live/learn move on.

 

[REB1094]

Three main thoughts -

1. The gameplan was strong yesterday, but we missed a trillion wide open shots. So instead of those FT offensive rebounds being annoying plays that cut into a lead, they were back breakers. Kudos to the staff for drawing up the plan that should have won

2. Hurley is who he is and we have to take him for who he is. He’s incredibly fiery and passionate, and his emotions range from immature to inspirational. For every f bomb in the tunnel, there is a “RAN EVERYWHERE” that makes me want to run through a brick wall for him

3. I’d say his best coaching jobs are either of the national championship teams

 

[boog204]

They played fantastic yesterday. Went down like champs and we have to be incredibly proud they showed out the way they did. Many thought we would be blown out and if just one or two moments change, we're prepping for Maryland.

But I can't be overjoyed for the staff this year for doing "all of this with a lineup with serious challenges, including missing a true point guard and a short bench" when the staff built the roster. The staff told anyone who would listen about the culture and UConn system. We had some injuries, for sure, but nothing catastrophic that derailed our season. It was just a poorly constructed team that illustrated its weaknesses in the first 5-6 games of the season. None of those problems were ever really solved.

The staff could not have predicted that Mahaney would struggle in the manner he did. The staff repeatedly said how the sophomore class was going to make this huge jump and be the key, and only Solo developed in a major way. The staff and board were glowing about our depth problem in the offseason. How were we ever going to have enough minutes to go around? It turned to wondering if we could even get quality minutes from our 7th and 8th guys.

I think our use of Tarris this year was maddening. He was, at times, our best offensive player and we literally reduced him to a screener and handoff guy for entire games. He had three post-up opportunities yesterday. Against Seton Hall he legit had none. When announcers are repeatedly stating that he needs to get involved, it is an issue.

34 games into the season we still could not inbound the freaking basketball

We had an okay year for us and what would amount to a great year for others. Hurley and staff are more than entitled to have several more okay years with what they've already done. But I can't say that this was a great coaching year. I'm confident they know where they went wrong and are going to revamp the roster in the next month or so.

 

[ddent68]

Agree with a lot of this, but Dan Hurley is not only our Coach, he's also our GM. I think what killed us this year was not coaching, it was roster construction. He has to take the heat for that. We were subpar athletically, awful defensively, had ONE point guard (who played his ass off all year by the way) and not one bucket-getter. I know he will be fueled to get better, but you can't kill your parents and then cry orphan. It was HIS roster.

Revisionist history. The only real miss was Mahaney. For much of the year Liam was our bucket getter until he wasn’t. Ahmad was hurt and wasn’t available to be developed most of the year. Alex slumped, Solo slumped at the end. Jaylin had the potential but was inconsistent. We got more out of Tarris than Michigan but he was also inconsistent. Ross was the next MJ in practice. Hass ended up gutting out the year on one knee. I think most of us were pretty confident in our lineup on paper. It just didn’t work out. If Hurley made an error it was the faith in the leap from freshman to sophomore. I would not be surprised if he leans into more veteran players in the portal.

 

[uconngb]

Revisionist history. The only real miss was Mahaney. For much of the year Liam was our bucket getter until he wasn’t. Ahmad was hurt and wasn’t available to be developed most of the year. Alex slumped, Solo slumped at the end. Jaylin had the potential but was inconsistent. We got more out of Tarris than Michigan but he was also inconsistent. Ross was the next MJ in practice. Hass ended up gutting out the year on one knee. I think most of us were pretty confident in our lineup on paper. It just didn’t work out. If Hurley made an error it was the faith in the leap from freshman to sophomore. I would not be surprised if he leans into more veteran players in the portal.

Yes.....that's called roster construction. Lot of ifs in your statement there. Lot of things had to work out that required analysis and thought on behalf of the coaching staff. They whiffed on way more than just Mahaney.

 

[UCan3]

missing a true point guard. HA is a true point guard. A point guard is a backcourt player who directs the teams offense. HA did this. He is NOT a combo guard. A combo guard refers to a player who possesses the skills and attributes of both a point guard (PG) and a shooting guard (SG), allowing them to play either position effectively.

Hassan was playing injured most of the season. While he played as well as he could, there were times he just couldn’t do what he does.

 

[AllHusky]

Taking a higher order view of things. I think the program won yesterday. We are a proud blue blood program. Consistent with other blue bloods, we die hard and we are always in position to make noise/win despite roster issues. Seeing the pride the team had for the name on their chest made me proud. Recruits will see this and want to be part of something that is bigger than them but defines their legacy.

well said

 

[bendm]

I am also proud how they fought against a more talented Florida team who I would be surprised if they are not in the final four. In a recent interview, Dan Hurley admits he needs to rewire himself. They will be looking for better roster construction in the you know what. An experienced combo guard and 4-man should be priorities.

After explaining the differences between a PG and CG above I’m surprised youre saying we need the latter when we clearly need the former. Of the 6 guys that are definitely returning 4 of them can play SG: Ball is locked in as the starter with Mullins probably as his backup. Adams is a CG and Furphy is a SG/SF. but we don’t have a single experienced PG returning

 

[AdamaNation]

This season will be remembered as one of "what-ifs?".

What if....

Maui goes differently
Karaban hits late Nova FTs
Liam doesn't get hurt mid-season
Seton Hall doesn't win late
Hassan is 100% all year
Mahaney finds his footing/confidence
The last 2 min of the FLA game bounces our way

I'm thankful for the effort from Diarra and Samson. I'll miss them. But very very excited for the injection of talent that's coming through the door next season. Let's hope we can keep the staff together, gain some perspective, and make another run for 2026.

Better yet. What if. We go to the elite 8 in 22-23 after beating UNM? Dies Hurley change his defensive mind set?

 

[uconnfan68]

Well it was on his way of stadium out but I agree / not a great look.

I think his assistant coaches may need to be a bit more involved perhaps - like Blaney with Calhoun.

Again, the news can focus on this but who cares… Just because they focus on it, doesn’t mean that we have to…. It’s a story about nothing…

Hurley‘s accomplishments speak for itself and live/learn move on.

There will always be bottom feeders waiting for gotcha moments.

 

[bigknight3]

I guess but who plans for massive departures for the NBA? And what team is going to win the NC for 3 consecutive years…..

That would be us…

Yes some things didn’t work out - we were oh so close… but look, that’s true for over 300 Division 1 teams every year.

We were one so very close to beating the best team in the tourney. In fact, the game was in our hands and we lost it.

But again, this was a wonderful season filled with unknowns - I enjoyed the ride. It certainly was one with massive frustrations but then some high points as well.

I’d rather of gone out like we did rather than St. John’s…. That was pitiful and not where they should have exited this tourney….

In the transfer portal you don't have to plan for departures. You re-up and bring in players to build the best team possible year after year. That was evident last year. We lost NBA caliber players and came back with the the freshmen and the addition of Cam, another NBA caliber player.

This year we missed in the transfer portal when it was all said an done. If we had another tough point guard. Mahaney could've focused on being himself and been a pesky combo guard 6th man of the year type scorer. They guy is still there but for some reason Hurley trying to make him as point guard prevented him from unleashing his true talent.

I agree with the comment above. Hurley has to own that.

 

[RuffRuff]

Revisionist history. The only real miss was Mahaney. For much of the year Liam was our bucket getter until he wasn’t. Ahmad was hurt and wasn’t available to be developed most of the year. Alex slumped, Solo slumped at the end. Jaylin had the potential but was inconsistent. We got more out of Tarris than Michigan but he was also inconsistent. Ross was the next MJ in practice. Hass ended up gutting out the year on one knee. I think most of us were pretty confident in our lineup on paper. It just didn’t work out. If Hurley made an error it was the faith in the leap from freshman to sophomore. I would not be surprised if he leans into more veteran players in the portal.

Hurley went all-in on a kid that was a total miss with zero insurance behind him. That was a lot of chips pushed in. It was a move that had no room for error, and it was a total error. Imagine how differently the make up would have been had we had a kid like Wooga Poplar as an option instead? It was have been a confident and reliable option to fill a weakness. There were no other misses, unless Hurley was prepared to move off the sophomore class.

 

[lateralous]

They played fantastic yesterday. Went down like champs and we have to be incredibly proud they showed out the way they did. Many thought we would be blown out and if just one or two moments change, we're prepping for Maryland.

But I can't be overjoyed for the staff this year for doing "all of this with a lineup with serious challenges, including missing a true point guard and a short bench" when the staff built the roster. The staff told anyone who would listen about the culture and UConn system. We had some injuries, for sure, but nothing catastrophic that derailed our season. It was just a poorly constructed team that illustrated its weaknesses in the first 5-6 games of the season. None of those problems were ever really solved.

The staff could not have predicted that Mahaney would struggle in the manner he did. The staff repeatedly said how the sophomore class was going to make this huge jump and be the key, and only Solo developed in a major way. The staff and board were glowing about our depth problem in the offseason. How were we ever going to have enough minutes to go around? It turned to wondering if we could even get quality minutes from our 7th and 8th guys.

I think our use of Tarris this year was maddening. He was, at times, our best offensive player and we literally reduced him to a screener and handoff guy for entire games. He had three post-up opportunities yesterday. Against Seton Hall he legit had none. When announcers are repeatedly stating that he needs to get involved, it is an issue.

34 games into the season we still could not inbound the freaking basketball

We had an okay year for us and what would amount to a great year for others. Hurley and staff are more than entitled to have several more okay years with what they've already done. But I can't say that this was a great coaching year. I'm confident they know where they went wrong and are going to revamp the roster in the next month or so.

Great Post. You articulated a lot of my frustrations with this season way better than I could have. I yelled the exact thing about not being able to inbound the ball this late in the season at my TV multiple times during the 10 o’clock hour Friday night. Absolutely maddening.

I suspect the added time for scouting portal transfers and some humility that comes with the early exit will yield a more focused roster construction this spring. For obvious reasons, last year felt a bit rushed.

 

[ddent68]

Yes.....that's called roster construction. Lot of ifs in your statement there. Lot of things had to work out that required analysis and thought on behalf of the coaching staff. They whiffed on way more than just Mahaney.

There aren’t any ifs in my post. I think we agree Mahaney didn’t work out as planned and it’s fair to say roster construction also didn’t work out as planned. I disagree that it is something that he has to “answer for”. It’s easy to say with the benefit of hindsight that they blew it. I think everyone here was pretty happy with the roster in November. Hurley said his approach has been to have a roster that is made up of talented freshman, improving returning players, and talented older players either home grown or from the portal. We had that. It worked the last two years. I think it’s a winning strategy but you aren’t going to get it right every time. Hurley has nothing to answer for.

 

[ddent68]

Hurley went all-in on a kid that was a total miss with zero insurance behind him. That was a lot of chips pushed in. It was a move that had no room for error, and it was a total error. Imagine how differently the make up would have been had we had a kid like Wooga Poplar as an option instead? It was have been a confident and reliable option to fill a weakness. There were no other misses, unless Hurley was prepared to move off the sophomore class.

Ahmad wasn’t insurance in November?