The 13-1 Huskies from UConn are facing a troubling reality: more injuries happen in practice than in games. During workouts, Jayden Ross, Braylon Mullins, and Jacob Furphy all got hurt. Is Dan Hurley’s well-known harsh practice schedule to blame? The fiery coach says that his unyielding style made championship teams.

After UConn beat Xavier 90-67, Hurley made his point very clear.

“It’s the same practices I’ve had since I’ve gone into coaching,” Dan Hurley said. “And if you look at my teams, my teams have been healthy. If you want to accuse me of practicing my team hard so that we’re ready to play games the way we’ve been able to play them, I haven’t changed my practice plan. I’ve been a head coach for a long time, just go look at my track record. My teams have been healthy.”

The numbers support Hurley.

In 2023 and 2024, UConn won two national championships in a row without any injuries during the tournament. Liam McNeeley hurt his ankle badly last season, but he was back to scoring 37 points against Creighton by February.

Hurley’s teams always do their best when it matters most, even though they’ve had some bumps in the road at the start of the season. That winning formula is stronger than the problems you’re having right now. Senior Tarris Reed Jr. backs his coach.

“What we do day-in, day-out in practice, a lot of programs don’t do. I feel like that’s going to be to our advantage in every game we play. We’re in more condition, more shape. When it hits the fan, we have another gear to go to. It gets the best out of you. It makes you really a strong, dominant player—mentally and physically.”

UConn’s current performance makes Reed’s claims more believable.

The Huskies beat Xavier by a wide margin, shooting 46.4 percent from three-point range while keeping their opponents to just 22.2 percent. UConn’s 13-1 record and strong first half, during which they held a 25-point lead, demonstrate how much better they are at strategy due to their intense practice. The 17 points scored by Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins show how offensive versatility can be developed through consistent hard work and then put to use in games to create a scoring balance.

Dan Hurley blames himself as UConn struggles with careless turnovers

Dan Hurley won’t ignore the bigger issue behind Xavier’s 90-67 win either.

The Huskies’ fourth-ranked offense rolled over the Musketeers with accurate shooting and balanced scoring. Alex Karaban led with 19 points, and Ball and Mullins each added 17. However, this team is still haunted by sloppy play in other areas.

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UConn made 13 three-pointers and shot 53.2 percent from the field, controlling the game from start to finish. But there was a worrying pattern that had nothing to do with how hard people practiced.

Connecticut gave up 14 turnovers against Xavier, which is a concerning pattern that has been going on for the last three games. During that time, the Huskies gave the ball away an average of 15 times per game, which hurt their performance against both DePaul and Butler.

Hurley is obsessed with watching movies, and he saw the disease right away.

“I’ve done a bad job with this team with the ball security and a lack of discipline,” he admitted. “When a team shows a lack of discipline, it’s the coach.”

UConn has the talent to win it all with a 13-1 record and a perfect start in the BIG EAST. But Hurley may not put up with careless turnovers in March. Sit down or protect the ball. That’s his last chance.