Everyone wants to be first with the story, but there is no story yet because he hasn't made an announcement, and everyone else is guessing based on their best information.
I am guessing that UConn presented an offer that it felt confident he would accept, and that he gave them enough comfort that it would be acceptable that they still feel confident based on whatever information was gleaned over the past few months or more. But he said he wants to go back and talk with URI's AD just to close it out the right way.
I am also guessing that Pitt's offer--likely the richest and yet the least likely to be accepted--caused him to reconsider his priorities and think about what matters most to him, in that Pitt would mean more money, better conference, better city and lower expectations than UConn.
All of which could lead him back to URI, if URI is able to step up to the table with a significant raise and an even more significant investment in its facilities. It's clearly the lowest risk for him, and in some ways the greatest likelihood of continued success.
I have no idea what URI's ability is to commit to an investment in its facilities that would satisfy Hurley enough for him to stay, but I think today is a monumental day in the history of both of our programs. If Hurley leaves URI, they are undoubtedly taking a huge step backwards instead of capitalizing on what he has built there. If he stays, UConn has struck out in a major way on its universally acknowledged top choice, and his choice to stay with a lower-tier program within the region will speak volumes about the directions of our respective programs. And we will be rudderless and still potentially on the hook for Ollie's contract, with our best hope being someone who everyone knows was far from our first choice to replace him.
