Even the fiercest rivals tip their hats to true strength, and Dan Hurley did exactly that after the UConn Huskies’ 74-61 win over Illinois. Rather than simply celebrating the Huskies’ performance and 6-1 win streak, he highlighted Brad Underwood’s squad, praising their toughness and competitive edge, and what helped the Huskies avoid a loss.

“They have quite a lot of pieces that are trying to figure out their roles. This is their third real big game of the year. They got two centers that could have easily hit two of those five threes, and it’s a different game. Mirkovic, today I thought we guarded him well, we caught him on a day where he wasn’t at his best,” said Hurley, and there might be some truth to that.

David Mirkovic has averaged 14.3 points this season, but he could only manage 8 points against UConn. His rebounds also dipped substantially from an average of 10 to 8. So Hurley can definitely give his boys a pat on the back for securing the defense effectively.

“Stojakovic also, they are loaded with players. They’re deep, they’re tall. They got a great offensive scheme, they’re drop coverage is tough to play against. Will they get enough shooting? Will they make enough threes? They shoot a lot of threes. We caught ’em on a night when they didn’t make a lot,” added Hurley’s subtly hinting that some luck also played a factor in the win.

Illinois does have some really lanky folks running the court. Their centers, Zvonimir Ivisic (7’2″) and Tomislav Ivisic (7’1″) Jason Jakstys (6’10”), are big men given the college basketball standards. Their guards, Jake Davis (6’6″) and Ty Rodgers (6’6″), are also on the taller side. Naturally, this helps Illinois’s defense, and they have also been unbreachable this 2025-26 season.

One of the reasons they have managed to beat their opponents by huge margins – Jackson State (113-55), Florida Gulf Coast (113-70), and Long Island University (98-58) are a few such examples of teams that failed to infiltrate their defensive fortress. However, every team has an off day, and unfortunately for Illinois, it came against the Huskies.

Referee fiasco costs Illinois crucial points against UConn

More than the loss, what will really haunt the Illinois camp is the shot clock mishap that went unnoticed. Illinois was supposed to win the possession in the closing minutes of the game, with the game poised (66-59), but that never came. The referee never noticed when the clock malfunctioned, and that proved lethal.

Adding insult to injury, Malachi Smith’s 3-pointer connected, eventually helping UConn seal the deal. The disregard for the error had done the damage, and now even a well-earned victory by UConn got marred because of the controversy surrounding it. Even the basketball analysts couldn’t help but get involved in this.

Fox analyst LaPhonso Ellis blasted the refereeing errors. “That controversial call really cost them. It should have been 66-59 with them with the basketball with the opportunity if they make two, they’re down (five), or make a three-pointer, down (four). It’s a much different game. I wish the referees would have a lot more latitude to get it right. That was clearly a shot clock violation,” said Ellis as he felt the implications the wrong call had on the game.

Now, what do you think would have happened if the referee hadn’t gotten it wrong? Well, we wouldn’t know for sure, but one thing for certain: NCAA referees might tread a little carefully on the court after this catastrophe but here’s a message for the Huskies’ head coach.