Dan Hurley and the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies have championship aspirations as they head into Friday night’s Sweet 16 clash against Tom Izzo and the No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans.
Hurley wears his emotions on his sleeve and makes his opinions heard loud and clear — both on the sideline and in the media. His intense interactions with referees, coaches, fans and players have earned him quite a few critics around the college basketball world.
During a press conference on Thursday, Hurley was asked about the criticism pointed in his direction — specifically when it comes to the intense coaching of his own UConn players.
“I think that’s just society has gone soft in a lot of ways,” Hurley replied. “I feel like I’ve got a responsibility. I coach 18, 19, 20-year-old men — there’s a lot that I’ve got to instill in them. There’s a lot of discipline. There’s a lot of accountability. There’s a lot of commitment that I’ve got to instill in them to prepare them for the real world. The real world’s tough. It’s cruel. You’ve got to be equipped.
“I’ve got a very close bond with my players. I love them. They know I love them,” he concluded. “You don’t see that part of me. You unfortunately sometimes just see the monster.”
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UConn cruised to the Sweet 16 with dominant wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, beating No. 15 seed Furman and No. 7 seed UCLA. Senior captain Alex Karaban posted a career-high 27 points in the Huskies’ 73-57 win over the Bruins in the Round of 32.
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Friday’s matchup against Michigan State will tipoff at 9:45 p.m. ET.
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