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UConn’s men’s basketball team headed to the Maui Invitational with an undefeated record but left Hawaii sitting at 4-3 in the wake of a disastrous showing. It was the fifth time the Huskies participated in the event, but it sounds like it will be the last time they take part in any in-season tournament while Dan Hurley is at the helm in Storrs.
The UConn Huskies were hoping Dan Hurley had what it took to return the program to its former glory after the Kevin Ollie Era came to an end with a whimper. It took him a few years to find his footing, but it’s safe to say he’s been able to achieve that particular goal.
In 2021, Hurley led UConn to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since taking over before doing the same the following season, but the Huskies saw their March Madness dreams extinguished after a single game on both occasions.
However, they firmly turned the corner by winning their first national championship since 2014 in 2023 and headed into the current campaign in search of a threepeat after Hurley turned down the chance to coach the Lakers in the wake of back-to-back titles.
UConn got off to a 4-0 start against a string of middling opponents before heading to the Maui Invitational at the end of November for a slate of games against decidedly more talented teams.
The #2 Huskies were ranked only behind Kansas when they headed to Hawaii, but things took a very interesting turn after they lost to Memphis in overtime, fell to Colorado by a single point, and capped things off with an 18-point loss to Dayton before heading back home.
On Saturday, Hurley and Co. took out their frustrations on a Maryland Eastern Shore team that was on the wrong end of a 99-45 beatdown. During his postgame press conference, he got the chance to address what transpired in Maui and pledged it won’t happen again—because he says UConn will no longer participate in the tournament or any other similarly structured “multi-team events” going forward.
Dan Hurley reflects on Maui:
“I’m not doing another 3-game MTE again. Moving forward, we will only play home-and-homes or single-game events… I don’t think I’ll ever do a 3-game MTE again. There’s zero chance I ever do that again” pic.twitter.com/PAogpBHNi6
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 1, 2024
It goes without saying that’s a very rough look for a guy who recently landed a $50 million contract to coach a team he’s committed to staying with until 2030, and while there’s plenty of time for UConn to bounce back and turn things around, they’re going to have their work cut out for them if what transpired in Hawaii is any indication.