UConn Coach Dan Hurley Kisses Butt After Chewing Out Referee, Shows No Mercy Toward SDSU In Rollercoaster Halftime Speech

UConn basketball went into the locker room at halftime of Monday's national championship with a 12-point lead. That wasn't good enough for head coach Dan Hurley.

Dan, the younger brother of Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley, turned 50 years old in January. He is in his fifth season with the Huskies after six years at Rhode Island and two years at Wagner.

To call Hurley passionate would be an understated.

No ref is safe when he's around.

The national championship game in Houston was no exception. Hurley was all up in the officials' ears right before the game went to halftime.

The Huskies' head coach, not one to hold back, has been focused on "freedom of movement" in recent days and wanted to make himself heard.

However, Hurley has been working on his patience and is trying to keep the spats to a minimum.

The effort for restraint was not particularly effective Monday. Hurley was up in arms at a few moments throughout the first half and was unable to tap into his new aura.

When asked about the early incident with the referee before heading back into the locker room, he tried to make amends and professed his love for the officiating crew. It was an olive branch!

In addition to his efforts to smooth things over with the referees, Hurley expressed frustration with UConn's inability to execute. At that point in time, the Huskies were up 12.

Hurley showed no mercy. He wanted to step on the Aztecs' throat. He doesn't settle for anything less than perfection.

All-in-all, Hurley's halftime interview was a rollercoaster. There are few personalities in college basketball that are more entertaining than the man who led UConn to the 2023 national title game!