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By Megan Armstrong
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The No. 2 UConn Huskies authored the most iconic sequence of the men's NCAA Tournament so far — specifically, head coach Dan Hurley and freshman guard Braylon Mullins.
Last Sunday, the Huskies trailed No. 1 Duke, 72-70, with 10 seconds left in regulation. Duke freshman guard Cayden Boozer committed a turnover, and Mullins launched a logo three to devastate Duke and send UConn to the Final Four.
Hurley butted heads with official Roger Ayers, later saying he "thought he was coming over to chest bump me to celebrate the shot," per The Athletic's Scott Dochterman.
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UConn will face No. 3 Illinois in the Final Four at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. EST. Ahead of that clash, Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer profiled Hurley.
"Yeah, I'm not a victim," Hurley said of the bevy of criticism that comes his way for his animated, intense personality. "I've done everything, I did what I did."
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In Fischer's full profile, Hurley shared how he handled the euphoric aftermath of UConn's Elite Eight upset over Duke.
"I had to let everyone enjoy it," Hurley said. "I couldn’t come in on Monday like a cold, damp blanket and just start destroying people on Monday. That just would have been a cruel thing to do to people’s spirit after such an incredible victory."
Hurley continued. "But Tuesday, you’ve just got to bring everybody back to reality. The reality is that moment is over. It’s an incredible moment. You’ll have that moment the rest of your life. But we came here for rings, not watches. Everyone that comes to the Final Four gets a beautiful watch, but only one group is going to get a ring."
Hurley also said he has become calmer over the years, but don't get it twisted: "I'm not going to lose my edge in terms of the monsters that we need to show up on Saturday night to get to the championship game."
UConn hired Hurley in March 2018. Since then, Hurley's Huskies have gone 198-74. UConn has made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, UConn finishing the job this year to claim its third title in four years would be a feat that "hasn't been done in men's college basketball" since the late John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins did it as part of winning 10 of 12 national titles from 1964 to 1975.
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