UConn walked out of Prudential Center with a hard-fought 69–64 win over Seton Hall, but head coach Dan Hurley wasn’t interested in using the result as a victory lap. Instead, the Huskies head coach used his postgame availability to call attention to what he described as a strange and recurring officiating pattern in college basketball.

During the interview, Hurley stressed that his comments were not aimed at the officials from the game against the Pirates, repeatedly clarifying that he did not believe UConn was disadvantaged against Seton Hall. But the broader issue, he said, is something he sees unfold far too often across the sport.

“I thought today we did a pretty good job of making the second and third moves. You’ve got to make second and third moves to get open versus guys like (Adam “Budd” Clark). I mean, these guys stick to you. They’re very quick, and we’ve got to get better at like a step to the ball, fake it, fake taking a guy deep, come back to the ball, try not to catch the ball like deep in the sideline, baseline. And this is not what I thought happened in the game tonight, but I just think sometimes in college basketball, the team with the lead that has earned a lead in a game sometimes gets penalized,” the Huskies head coach called out the pattern.

Hurley continued clarifying the matter.

“When a team starts pressing, and you’ve earned a lead in a game, and another team grabs or fouls, and it’s almost like you have to overcome being held versus pressure in a game where you’ve earned a 12-point lead or a 14-point lead, or a late lead… I would say that again, I don’t think that’s what happened here, but I see that happen at different times. But it did not happen here tonight. That’s not what happened. But I see that s— happen.”

His frustrations didn’t come out of nowhere.

During the Huskies’ 2024-25 run, Dan Hurley was visibly upset after a late-game sequence against the Florida Gators in which his players absorbed heavy contact without whistles as the opposing team ramped up pressure.

Earlier that same season, a nonconference loss at the Maui Invitational produced another boiling point, where Hurley openly criticized what he felt was inconsistent physicality, pointing to moments where UConn absorbed contact inside while marginal plays swung the other way.

For him, this isn’t about one call or one crew. It’s about a pattern he believes shows up repeatedly when a team is in the lead. So, even after a win, it was clear he felt the conversation still needed to be had.

Dan Hurley’s Huskies v/s Pirates: Game overview

In one of the most highly anticipated games of this month between two powerhouses in the league, from the opening tip, it was clear this wouldn’t be a comfortable game for the Huskies, and that’s exactly why the head coach stressed the need to match the Seton Hall Pirates’ energy from the get-go.

The Pirates turned the matchup into a physical half-court battle, denying space at every corner, crowding passing lanes, and forcing the Huskies to earn every catch. The Huskies couldn’t find their range from outside, missing repeatedly from deep as they went only 16% (3-17) from behind the arc, but they stayed alive by leaning on the one thing that never wavered: strength inside.

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But to give credit where it’s due, it was largely because Tarris Reed Jr. refused to let the game slip. The senior center imposed himself on both ends, finishing with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds while anchoring the Huskies through long offensive droughts.

While Seton Hall made sure nothing came easy for the Huskies, Dan Hurley’s team matched the same energy as they gave one of their best defensive performances of the season. The Huskies held off the Pirates to just 6% from three-pointers, making them miss 15 of the 16 shots they attempted.

In the end, while the game was very close, the Huskies held off No. 25 Seton Hall 69–64 on the road, preserving their unbeaten Big East record and extending their winning streak to 13 games. More importantly, they snapped a four-game road losing streak against the Pirates that had lingered over the program since 2021.

For their next game, they will lock horns with the Georgetown Hoyas on January 17.