No. 2 UConn led for all but the opening 91 seconds on Tuesday in an 81-46 demolition of East Texas A&M. One would assume that'd make the winning coach a happy man.
But one would assume wrong.
"Yeah, so, um, yeah just comically bad," UConn coach Dan Hurley said after the easy victory vs. the Lions. "Second-half rebounding, so far below our standard. Ball security throughout the game, it's been a long time since we've been that bad. ... At times we played hard, but once we got it to 37 with 12 minutes to go, it turned into a debacle out there."
The Huskies finished with 19 turnovers and 18 assists, the first time in 17 games --- unsurprisingly dating back to the last time they lost -- where they had more turnovers than assists.
"Just played so far beyond the standard across the board. Older players, younger players, some steps backwards," Hurley said. "The turnovers, the sloppiness, was ... I'm happy the game's over. It's a relief."
No. 2 UConn beat Texas A&M-Commerce by 35 points Tuesday night.
— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) November 20, 2024
Dan Hurley's first words at the podium postgame:
"Yeah so, um, yeah just comically bad."
Added later: "I'm happy the game's over." pic.twitter.com/pak5jMIOBP
That sounds like a coach who has the longest losing streak in the country -- and maybe the longest losing streak in the history of the world for any sport. But nope! That's Dan Hurley -- the coach of the No. 2 team in college basketball, whose Huskies are now 4-0, who beat East Texas A&M (known as Texas A&M-Commerce until it officially changed its name on Nov. 7) by 35 points Tuesday, and who in the process extended their winning streak -- currently the nation's longest -- to 17 games dating back to last season.
There's a reason UConn has become the gold standard in college basketball and why it has won back-to-back national championships under Hurley. UConn's fearless leader holds his Huskies to a high standard and clearly isn't afraid to voice his disgust -- even if it comes on the heels of a 35-point win in a game that was never, ever in doubt.