Dan Hurley heaved a sigh of relief as UConn barely held off Georgetown. The Huskies squeaked by Georgetown 64-62, which had the recipe for disaster for UConn. KJ Lewis brought Georgetown within 63-60 with just 32.7 seconds left. The Huskies shot themselves in the foot when Solo Ball, an 84% free-throw shooter, missed both attempts. Unfortunately for Hoyas, Lewis just grazed the rim with his 3-pointer, which could have tied the game, something Dan Hurley was unhappy with after the game.

“I didn’t like that because he (KJ Lewis) had already made the previous three, and at that point in the game, you can’t go under anything. When he shot it, I actually turned and started preparing for overtime,” Hurley said in the press conference. “Usually, when you make a mistake like that, you know it right away. But then you see the trajectory of the ball, and you start looking to see who’s on the defensive glass. We caught a break there.”

The good luck was welcome as little was going their way in the final few minutes. Lewis had already hit a contested corner three minutes earlier, and his season-long 32.7% from deep didn’t seem to matter. Some of their best free-throw shooters, Alex Karaban and Ball, missed free throws. The defense looked underwhelming as they let Georgetown claw back from a 7-point lead in the final 2 minutes. Hurley delivered a blunt reality check about this win.

“We didn’t play very good situational basketball,” Hurley said. “AK missed a one-and-one, Silas lost Mack on that sideline out-of-bounds to give up a three. It falls into a category we call “late mistakes,” and today was a late mistake.”

Those are minor mistakes on any other day, but when a game is on the line, they are magnified. And rightly so. Some would feel a loss was coming for the Huskies after they had a similar but less intense scare against Seton Hall in the last game. However, there is a reason why UConn is a national contender. Their championship-calibre individual ability ultimately got them the win, but such silly mistakes could cost them when they go up against better teams. While Hurley acknowledged the rough ending, he emphasised that fans should not overreact based on this close brush with a loss.

Dan Hurley Sends Out A Plea Despite UConn’s Struggles

The loss is not attributed to just the final few minutes of disappointing basketball. UConn was cold from the three-point line all night for the second time in a row, going 5-26. They had plenty of open threes, which they simply couldn’t convert. On the boards, they lost the battle 34-40 while giving up a whopping 45.5% offensive rebounds.

Connecticut had a season-low in field goals, scoring just 21 of its 58 attempts. It also got outscored by eight (32-24) in the paint, ten (12-2) in transition, and seven (16-9) off the bench. It was one of their worst defensive displays in the last 10 games, with an adjusted defensive efficiency of 104.5 (per Barttorvik). However, Hurley pleaded with their fans not to ‘nitpick’.

“There are no perfect teams. Rebounding is still an issue for us, and taking care of the ball is an issue for us. But I don’t think our fan base—or anyone—should be nitpicking an 18–1 team that’s 8–0 in the league,” Hurley said. “You should be thrilled that you have a program and a team that’s 18–1, 8–0 in the league, and ranked second in the country. Just be happy about that.”

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Ultimately, they still closed out a game that they probably shouldn’t have. The championship teams generally do that. Tarris Reed Jr had 15 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, as well as 3 steals and 3 blocks. Silas Demary Jr. chipped in 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, as well as several tough plays on both ends of the court.

Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins added 10 and 11 points, respectively. It’s not whether you can blow out every team by 20+. But whether you can get the W with a subpar performance. Hurley will surely address the red flags in practice. The mistakes are real, but so is the resilience, and right now, resilience is carrying them just as much as talent