UConn coach Dan Hurley was ejected from Tuesday night’s big win over Villanova after he received a pair of technical fouls. The second was not deserved, and the coach was understandably shocked by it.
Hurley was called for back-to-back technicals with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. The first came when he slapped the scorer’s table after Tyrese Martin was unable to convert a layup. The assumption was that Hurley was upset about a no-call, though he said after the game that he was frustrated Martin “missed a finish in the paint.”
Then came the ejection. Hurley was hit with a second “T” immediately after the first. All he did to earn that one was turn to the crowd at the XL Center and pump them up. You can see the video here. The 49-year-old coach said he was “stunned.”
“It was surreal, and I was stunned,” Hurley said, via David Borges of CTInsider.com. “I’m very eager to find out from the head of officials what the explanation was on that.”
Hurley probably doesn’t regret the ejection, even if it was undeserved. His Huskies were galvanized by it and overcome a late four-point deficit to knock off the No. 8-ranked team in the country. The win was UConn’s biggest of the year.
Hurley is known for his enthusiastic coaching style and often over-the-top celebration antics. His energy has served UConn well this season. The Big East owes him an apology for what happened on Tuesday night.
Photo: Feb 26, 2020; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the UCF Knights in the second half at XL Center. UConn defeated UCF 81-65. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
