UConn head coach Dan Hurley and Purdue star Zach Edey got into a heated exchange during the first half of Monday’s NCAA championship game after the 7-foot-4 behemoth set a devastating pick on Huskies’ guard Stephon Castle.
Before the game heavily tilted in the Huskies’ favor, the first half was back and forth with several ties and lead changes. During one of those closely contested sequences was Edey leveling Castle.
During the start of the ensuing television timeout, Hurley came onto the court to confront Edey, who was already walking away towards the Purdue bench.
The broadcast did not pick up what either man said, but based on body language, they were not congratulating each other on making it to the title game.
Even with Hurley’s reputation as a maniac, fans slammed the coach’s actions for confronting Edey on what was a legal play from the Boilermaker’s big man.
— wow that was crazy (@CowardlyDoggo) April 9, 2024
‘Dan Hurley is insufferable,’ one college basketball fan said on social media.
‘Actually Hurley came out to jaw at Edey. Grown adult at a college student. Classy,’ another person stated on X.
‘Dan Hurley continues to be incredibly unlikable,’ a social-media user added.
‘In what world are the refs allowing a coach come on the floor to say something to the opposing players. No other coach would act this way,’ another fan concluded.
Whatever drive Dan Hurley shows motivates his team, as it won a 12th-straight NCAA Tournament game by double digits by defeating Purdue 75-60.
Hurley spent most of the evening yelling at the referees or his players. Yet, it was still shocking he had the interaction with Edey.
Hurley did not put his hands on Edey, like Alabama’s Nate Oats did to a player earlier this season.
Oats, who coached the Crimson Tide to the Final Four before losing to the Huskies, shoved Missouri’s Aidan Shaw during a January game.
Hurley is a total jerk and should have been out of the game for approaching a player. He acts like a complete ass.
Approaching another player in any sport is never condoned but Hurley always on the edge so officials have begun to accept his actions as the norm. It is wrong and needs to be stopped.