Sports

Connecticut Basketball Coach Dan Hurley Provokes Cowardly Creighton Fans After Revenge Game

#dan hurley
by
UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley waves to the Creighton crowd.

© Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images


The UConn Huskies pulled out a come-from-behind victory over Big East rival Creighton on Tuesday night in Omaha. After the fact, Dan Hurley let opposing fans hear it.

It was a revenge game of sorts for the Connecticut head coach, whose team was beaten soundly in his last trip to the venue. He got the last laugh this week.

The Blue Jays handed Hurley and the Huskies one of their three losses in the 2023-24 campaign. It would be UConn’s final setback as they ended the year on a 13-game winning streak on their way to a national title.

Creighton dominated that performance, frustrating their opposition both during and after the contest. As Hurley exited the arena, he was seen threatening fans while taking a verbal beating from the home crowd.

The university did little to reduce the chances of a repeat situation on Tuesday. Instead, it promoted the chaos with a $1 beer promotion intended to rile attendees up in Dan Hurley’s return.

It worked in getting students to the arena early. Concession lines wrapped around the concourse as patrons waited on those cheap beverages.

Fans were ready to let Hurley have it upon entering the arena. The atmosphere was electric in the first half, too. Creighton jumped out to a double-digit lead early, using a 14-2 run just before halftime to build a 14-point advantage. The crowd was loving it.

UConn would cut that deficit to eight ahead of the halftime break before exploding for 41 points in the second half to pull away. The Blue Jays were stifled by the Huskies’ defense and eventually fell 70-66.

A few of those Creighton supporters trickled out of their seats early as UConn put the game on ice with free throws. Those that stayed until the end got an earful from Dan Hurley.

The head coach was seen ridiculing those disappointed fans after landing the revenge game win. He later twisted the knife in his press conference.

“I just wish there were more people still here,” he said of the postgame atmosphere. “When I’ve gotten my butt kicked in here, I’ve obviously had to walk off unceremoniously. Just crushed by the crowd. Cursed at… It’s what makes college sports so much better…

“I’m not going to lie; it was very gratifying. I waved at some people, but I just wish there was more of them when I left.”

Last year, Hurley nearly came to blows after being provoked by Creighton fans. This year, he returned the favor. He just wishes the home crowd would’ve stayed long enough to take their medicine rather than cowardly fleeing at the buzzer.