{"id":109188,"date":"2024-11-27T09:25:47","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T14:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=109188"},"modified":"2024-11-27T09:25:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T14:25:47","slug":"hurleys-outburst-factors-into-one-of-the-big-east-upsets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/27\/hurleys-outburst-factors-into-one-of-the-big-east-upsets\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurley’s Outburst Factors Into One of the Big East Upsets"},"content":{"rendered":"

It hasn’t been all about enjoying the sun and hitting the water in <\/span>trips to Paradise<\/span><\/a> with UConn and St. John’s among the teams on the wrong end of Big East upsets. While the Red Storm lost twice in games played in the Bahamas, the big news was UConn’s 17-game winning streak ending with a <\/span>loss to Memphis<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The challenging matchups will help the Big East teams once conference play begins. There are more difficult games coming up. Providence is playing in the <\/span>Battle 4 Atlantis<\/span><\/a>. Creighton and Xavier are among the teams playing in tournaments in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hurley’s Outburst Factors Into One of the Big East Upsets<\/b><\/h2>\n

UConn began the season by rolling past four overmatched opponents. The Huskies knew that the degree of difficulty would increase when they headed to Hawaii.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn’t all bad news for Big East teams with <\/span>Xavier topping South Carolina<\/span><\/a> 75-66 in the <\/span>Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Zach Freemantle<\/span><\/a> had 16 points and nine rebounds as Xavier improved to 6-0.<\/span><\/p>\n

UConn Falls In Maui Invitational Overtime Classic<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dan Hurley<\/span><\/a>‘s intensity has played a factor in UConn winning back-to-back national championships. He will complain to referees about pretty much every borderline call. There is always a risk of the UConn head coach going too far and getting whistled for a technical foul. That happened in Monday’s overtime loss to Memphis.<\/span><\/p>\n

UConn had erased a double-digit deficit in the second half with <\/span>Liam McNeeley<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Solo Ball<\/span><\/a> hitting clutch shots down the stretch. UConn took the lead in overtime but couldn’t hold off Memphis in the Huskies’ first game in the Maui Invitational.<\/span><\/p>\n

The turning point was when McNeeley was called for a foul going after an offensive rebound in a tie game. Rather than UConn having a two-point lead with 40 seconds left in overtime, <\/span>PJ Carter<\/span><\/a> headed to the line for a pair of free throws. Hurley protested the call and was called for a technical foul. Carter made four consecutive free throws.<\/span><\/p>\n

UConn got back within two points but couldn’t complete the comeback. <\/span>Hassan Diarra<\/span><\/a> hit the first of two foul shots. He missed the second and got the rebound. However, his heave was no good as Memphis won 99-97.<\/span><\/p>\n

“That was a joke,” <\/span>Hurley said<\/span><\/a> after UConn’s first loss of the season. “I just watched it. They’re physical at the defensive end, and then at the offensive end they initiate a lot of contact and they were getting whistles early on in the game.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Dan Hurley's thoughts on today's officiating:<\/p>\n

"I had a lot of issues with what went on. That over-the-back call… there was a Memphis player that made a half-ass effort, Liam McNeeley high-pointed the rebound, and for that call to be made… was a complete joke. I may have lost\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/w5AxFsZF5d<\/a><\/p>\n

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n