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The Maui Invitational’s return to Lahaina Civic Center began with the best basketball has to show—a good game peppered with drama. UConn lost a close game to Memphis, their first loss since Feb. 20. Their 17-game winning streak was snapped with a 99-97 loss. The Huskies were fouled all night long, and Dan Hurley was having none of it. As usual, his dramatic flair earned him more spotlight than his players, and critics abound.

While fans called him names on social media, former pro-Tyler Hansbrough gave his take on The Field of 68: After Dark. He began on a positive note: “I love Dan Hurley; I get a lot of comedy out of his reactions.” But then, delving into what went wrong in the game, he said, “Personally, if I was a ref, I would have checked him early.”

It was a last-minute call from a ref with smoke coming from Hurley’s ears. With 42 seconds left, UConn’s Liam McNeely was called for an over-the-back foul while going for a rebound. And the Huskies head coach had had it. He stormed down the line in clear fury, cursing at the officials. And this was after he had laid down on the floor in protest of a foul previously in the game.

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“I think if you allow Hurley to get away with some of his antics, you can’t expect him to just clean that up late in the game. If you’re gonna allow it early, don’t hit him with the tee late in the game,” Hansbrough continued. “I understand that he probably crossed the line. But he probably crossed the line in the first half as well so you can’t allow that.”

McNeely’s initial foul had earned Memphis two free throws, but Hurley’s behavior earned him a technical foul and two more free throws for the Tigers. While the Huskies coach made some points after the game, Hansbrough seemed to agree with him, “But I think they made the wrong calls as well. McNeely was a bigger player, made the more athletic play, and I thought it was a no-call. But I think a lot of calls are no calls or fouls now. So I understand that but I also think the refs should have hit him with the tee early.”

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As for the coach, who is looking for a three-peat with another championship in April, that foul did not lose the Huskies the game but bad officiating throughout.

Dan Hurley believes Maui Invitational officiating was a “complete joke”

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Did Dan Hurley's antics overshadow UConn's performance, or was it all about the refs' bad calls?

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All game long, Dan Hurley was the most agitated person at the Lahaina Civic Center. It was not his first rodeo with long calls; just Google pictures of him at games, and you’ll find the majority of them of the coach mid-scream. But last night seemed to really blow his fuse, and he maintained the same stance in the post-game conference.

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“I think it was the s–ty calls,” Hurley said, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. “I would expect to come to play in an event, and I don’t know too many back-to-back national championship teams that get that type of a whistle.” Hurley knows how he comes across to the rest of the world on cameras and said, “What I gave the cameras today was Oppenheimer.”

This close loss had to have stung the Huskies, but luckily for them, it’s still November. They have the rest of the season to build an ironclad case for themselves and make history with another championship this year. March Madness is still a few months away, but Dan Hurley and Co. will not waste a single game.

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Did Dan Hurley's antics overshadow UConn's performance, or was it all about the refs' bad calls?