Everything UConn Basketball HC Dan Hurley said UCLA Postgame
UConn Basketball Head Coach Dan Hurley met with the media following his program’s 73-57 win over UCLA on Sunday night in the 2026 NCAA Tournament second round.
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UConn Basketball HC Dan Hurley Transcript
Okay, we have Dan, Alex, and Braylen up here. We’ll start with an opening statement from coach, then we’ll go to questions for Alex and Braylen , and then we’ll come back to coach, so. Yeah, just thrilled to be able to, you know, be, you know, a program of UCLA’s caliber, coached by, you know, not only Mick, who’s one of the great coaches in the game, but just, you know, one of the best staffs, too.
And, you know, obviously we’re fortunate, you know, that, you know, maybe their best player doesn’t play in the game, and we get Silas back, and obviously Silas gutted it out before he asked the minute restriction. He was around, it was 20, and we went a little bit over that, but, you know, I just thought this game was all about, you know, Tarras’s workman-like performance, you know, Braylon, you know, stepping up, big-time performance as a freshman in a big spot, and then just the greatness of the man next to me, just the, you know, should be celebrated at all corners of the media, and I know he’s gonna start. Look, he’s getting uncomfortable right now, but, yeah, I mean, this man’s greatness and what he’s done in college basketball the four years, I mean, like, literally every outlet should be doing a story on this man and just his career in college.
It’s no one’s been better in college sports the last four years in terms of being a winner, so thank you, Alex. Thank you, Coach. First two questions will be up right up front here.
Thanks. Thank you, Coach. These are for the student-athletes, please.
Alex, on that note, headed back to the Sweet 16, just how does that feel, just your initial thoughts and, you know, going into this game? What were your thoughts? It’s amazing. I mean, just to be a part of the Sweet 16 is a blessing. I mean, every time you win in this tournament is just the feeling gets better and better.
I mean, it’s unbelievable, so to be going to the Sweet 16, it’s a blessing. I know everyone on the team’s super happy, and, you know, the great thing is we get another week with this team. We get another week just to continue to practice, continue to compete, and really just be together.
Alex, you seem to… Dave Borges, Hearst Connected Media. You seem to play with an extra amount of determination tonight as much as you’ve played your whole career, it almost seems, especially in that 14-0 run, it almost seemed like, again, I know you probably don’t like hearing this all the time, but facing the end of a career, you kind of were determined not to let it end, I guess, right? I mean, that’s the reality of it. I mean, I definitely don’t want my career to end, and so doing everything in my power to help lead this team, to make sure that happens, and just get the win, do anything possible to get the win, whether it’s my night or someone else’s night, just help contribute and lead, so, you know, it’s a motivating factor for myself, and, you know, I ultimately came back here to win.
Every time I’ve had a decision to come back, I’ve come back just wanting to win and really help this team out, so, you know, but also just enjoying every second that I have in a UConn jersey. We’re going to go to the far side, row two. Bill, capital sports audio for Alex.
What you did in that second half, was it something you kind of opposed your will or kind of come in the flow of the game, but what you did in the second half, was it part of the you doing this or stepping up or it’s in the flow of the game? I think it’s just in the flow of the game. I think just really reading what the defense gives. I mean, so much attention was on Terrence Reid today that it opened everything else up for the perimeter-wise, so just playing within the flow, playing confidently, trusting my teammates out there and, you know, really leaning on the experience that I have in this tournament, not being shy of any moment.
We’re going to come to this side standing on this side in front of me. Justin Williams from The Athletic. For both of you, Alex, you just mentioned the attention Terrence got.
Did them double in him pretty aggressively? Was that something you guys were expecting? Did you work that into the game plan? Yeah, definitely. I think the coaching staff does a great job of preparing us offensively and defensively, and we knew heading into it that they were going to pack the paint and really come from the baseline side on Terrence, and we were prepared for that. We knew that it was expected and, you know, just making sure we did the right reads every time.
Next two questions are going to come down here in front opposite me. Sam Calhoun of Daly Campus. Braylon, it took you a little bit to kind of get going with your three-point shot.
How did it feel to kind of break that seal and start letting it fly? Yeah, I mean, I think you just got to come into every game with confidence. I mean, missing my first three shots kind of rattled me a little bit, and then I think just getting all my composure on the bench and all of my teammates just believe in me. So, just coming in and letting it fly with all the confidence in the world.
I mean, one of them has to go in, right? So, I’m happy to see him stick in the second half or first half. We’ll stay at that end. Yep.
Row one. Hey, Alex. Matt Demick, Daly Campus.
Mally hit you on that first three at the beginning of the game. What can you say about his impact this weekend? Thirteen assists, stepping up into the starting point guard role for you guys. Yeah, I mean, ever since he stepped on campus, he’s been one of the best passers I’ve played with, just the way he’s able to find guys and just really being so unselfish out there that he knows he comes in and he brings so much energy.
He plays with a spark, and the way he plays really is a reflection of his personality, just all the moves out there, all the flashy passes that he does and how tough he is defensively. So, you know, we need Malachi if we want to reach our goals, and he’s done a great job of stepping up so far. We had one down here.
Row two, right in front of me. Hey, Brooklyn, Carl Baltimore, District of Buckets. You’re sitting next to a winner of Alex’s caliber.
How much of that reflects in the confidence that you were able to show tonight in the game that you had? Yeah, I mean, I think just having him on this team and having the experience in this tournament, I think he can just take us wherever we need to go. And, I mean, we all have the confidence with him, and he’s our leader, so we all look up to him. He holds the standard with this program.
And, I mean, yeah, he’s unbelievable tonight, so keep going where he needs us to go. Last question for the student-athletes. Front row one right here in front of me.
Joe, Harvard Recurrent. Alex, I know you don’t want to think about the fact that your career could end with a loss, but does that thought creep into your mind at all? Has it creeped into your mind at all? No, no, not at all. I’m so focused on trying to win every single game and just try to do my part for this team to help this team be successful.
So, I’m not going into a game thinking about what if we lose. If I do that, that’s just the worst mentality to have entering a game, so really going in there, just doing everything to win, thinking about winning nonstop and, you know, just helping this team out. Alex and Braylon, thanks.
We appreciate you taking the time. Thank you. Good luck next weekend down in D.C. Again, UConn locker room is open.
UCLA locker room also is open at this time. We’ll start taking questions for Coach Hurley. We’ll start right here.
Middle front. I mean, you’ve coached Alex for almost 150 games, I think, something like that. Did you see something tonight, even a little extra, a little different with the determination that he, especially in the second half? I mean, did you see something a little different and extra tonight from him? I think what you saw with AK tonight was a guy who I think in some of those, you know, late-season games, you know, some of those losses that were disappointing for us.
You know, he left those games with some… Where he didn’t go out is guns blazing. You know, I think what you’re going to see, what you saw or what you’ve seen in this NCAA tournament is a guy that’s attacking the game. He’s aggressively looking for all of the shots.
He’s working his way to the ball. He’s driving the ball, you know, and I just think that he learned a lot from, like, that Big East championship game, that game at Marquette, where it’s like he left, you know, he left those games not going out on his shield the way a player of his caliber should. So, you know, I think that’s the difference.
He’s not going down without firing all of his bullets. We’ll stay here in the front row. Dan, towards the end of the first half, you had a couple guys, a couple starters on the bench with a couple fouls, but it felt like Jadon Ross really changed the game in that stretch, so he scored nine in a row.
What can you say about what that stretch did for the team? Yeah, I mean, Jadon’s been on this great trajectory. You know, I think, you know, he’s been around 25 minutes a game, you know, recently quite a bit, and today he would have, you know, he would have been 25, 27, maybe even higher if he doesn’t get in foul trouble, but just, you know, we were struggling defensively. You know, he came in and changed that.
Obviously, you know, the three was huge and, you know, the free throws, but just, you know, this team needs his athleticism on the court, his size, and you’re just seeing a player that’s, you know, really, really developing, coming into his own right now. We’re going to go right here in front of me, row one, and then we’ll go across the other way. Especially with Jalen Stewart out.
Terry Carino, Asbury Park Press. Dan, this is a real good night for the Big East between you guys and St. John’s. What’s it mean for the league to have two teams advance into that stage in D.C. next week? Yeah, you know, it’s, I think it speaks to the quality of what, you know, us and St. John’s are this year, you know? You know, I think they’re a great team.
I think we’re a great team. I think it was much needed, I think, with coming off of a three-bid year. Obviously, Seton Hall was close.
I mean, they did their part in the non-conference. Seton Hall really got hurt by the overall league this year. You know, Shaheen did a great job.
Shaheen just had no help by the conference this year. He should have been in this tournament based on what he did in the non-con. But I just think us and St. John’s are two of the best teams in the country.
And, you know, I guess it, you know, we obviously both hope for, you know, a meeting in D.C., a fourth meeting. But, you know, I guess it stinks a little bit that they threw us both in the same region. You know, it feels like the combination of St. John’s being under-seeded as well as putting us both in the same region.
You know, I don’t want to get myself in trouble with the selection committee or the NCAA, but I’m not a rule-breaker, you know? So, I mean, I can’t make stuff up on me. But, yeah, I mean, it’ll be a live building. I would only probably, it’s probably a little bit early.
But, obviously, I think we’ve got to try to support each other. It’s pretty brutal on Twitter, I think, and social between our fan bases. But I think we’ve got to kind of try to come together on Friday night against our opponents so that then we can have a bloodbath on Sunday.
Front row on the other side. Coach Sam Calhoun, Daily Campus. Obviously great to have Silas back, but just talking about Malachi and what he’s done this past weekend, it’s just been real impressive.
I mean, he saved us. I mean, he saved us. I already talked about what I think of Furman.
I mean, Furman, you know, Furman’s a heck of a team. But just 32 minutes with the pressure that their guards put on you. I mean, guarding Dent, you know, guarding Clark, guarding Perry, you know, like, that’s not easy.
Having to switch on to Daily because we were switching some things. And just his toughness, his will, his ability to take care of the ball, get guys. I mean, he got guys great shots.
And he was just stabilizing. You know, him and Silas today were great for one field goal between the two point guards. You know, that’s where numbers lie.
Their impact was huge, huge defensively and taking care of the ball. We’ll do two final questions. First one’s on the opposite side standing.
Jonathan, just raise your hand. Yep. Jonathan Tannenbaugh from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dan, you’ve spoken a lot here about the quality, obviously, this game was. What does it say about the resoluteness of your guys that you really stepped on the gas toward the end there and then put it away? Yeah, you know, the thing about UConn is, you know, I think the first round games are scary. You know, the uniform’s heavy in the first round.
I mean, I’ve experienced it. Again, I throw out the Indianapolis bubble one. I mean, that was a mess.
There was a lot of bad things going on there. So I’m going to say in 22, just it’s wearing a UConn jersey in the first round is heavy. When we get out of the first round, we become very dangerous because, you know, when Huskies get out of the first round, start believing that a run is coming.
And I just think you saw, you know, obviously the team feed off of the level that Alex was playing at. You know, when a two-time national champion has got that look in his eye and is making those type of shots and plays, I think that’s where the group then, you know, was able to put the game away. We’re in the back row.
Just raise your hand. Yep. Last question.
Hey, Coach. Tuck, Larry Baskett, Emory View. Earlier in the season, towards the end of the big conference play, you talked about the defense not being where it needed to be.
You played a UCLA team that’s one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation. You were able to take them off the three-point line. What worked for your defense, and how close is your defense to where it needs to be in your eyes? I mean, part of our problem, the reason, you know, and listen, 31 and five is pretty good.
I mean, any time you’re 30-plus wins, you’ve had a great year, or at least a very good year, so. But, you know, we’ve had some inconsistency at the defensive end of the court. I think, you know, the guys were able to, I think, follow the game plan.
I think for us, we were, you know, I think where they get you and where they were so good on offense is when Dent is probing with the dribble, you know, we were kind of willing to let him, you know, be a shooter and more of a scorer tonight and obviously finish with nine assists, so. You know, but I think we were able to take away some of those threes that they get when he’s just probing, and help starts to get sunk in, and he just starts spraying that ball around. So, I think we had pretty good discipline, you know, that way.
Obviously, we had trouble with Booker making threes as a center, but for the most part, the guys were able to blanket the three-point line better than we have been. All right, Coach, appreciate it. Thanks.
We love Philly. This building’s good to us, man. We’ll see you next week in D.C.
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