A season to three-peat, and yet the UConn has failed to light the stage on fire. Even in the recent win over No. 24 Creighton, the stadium was filled with “F— Dan Hurley” chants. The Huskies coach and his team overcame a 14-point deficit in the first half. The coach even replied with “Bye-bye! Two rings! Two rings!” But even though his place in college basketball history shouldn’t be doubted, his current season form certainly should be questioned. The NCAA selection committee’s reveal might have just done that.

The Broadcaster and Reporter for FOX updated everybody with the NCAA selection committee’s top 16 reveal. John Fanta added: “Auburn, Alabama, Duke, Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue, Houston, Iowa State, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Arizona, Texas Tech, Michigan, Kansas, St. John’s.” With an overall 17-4 record and 9-4 in the Big East, it sums up for Dan Hurley and his team.

In the last game against the #24 Bluejays, the Huskies played as an unranked team for the first time since the start of the 2022-23 season. They also avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time since November. Thanks to Liam McNeeley’s season-high 38 points and his 10 rebounds. His efforts were enough to end Creighton’s nine-game winning streak.

The two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies fell out of the AP Top 25, ending a streak of 53 consecutive weeks in the poll. But the Naismith Coach of the Year (2024) is not even worried. There is a very strong reason for him to say this.

The setback does not bother Dan Hurley one bit

It was before the game against Creighton when the coach knew about the team’s dropped rankings from AP 25. The Huskies were coming off a tough 68-62 loss to St. John’s. That’s why the trip against the Bluejays was crucial. Before the game, Dan Hurley spoke to the press and said, “No one gets crowned in February.”

Some might say it was very typical of him to say that. “You know, there’s no crowns handed out for a while here. Obviously, in today’s world there’s going to be very quick reactions and all types of hot takes. You win a game at Marquette, you’re back and you’re the team that now, once they’re healthy, everyone’s gonna be afraid of.” Dan Hurley continued, “And then you lose a close game at home to a really good team [St. John’s], and you stink again.”

Dan Hurley again pointed out the injuries to Liam McNeeley, Hassan Diarra, and Ahmad Nowell as the reasons contributing to their bad form. They were 4-4 in their last eight games before the trip to Creighton. As stated before, 5-star recruit McNeeley balled out to help them win. Let’s see how Hurley uses this setback as motivation, as the pressure continues to pile as they aim for a three-peat.