Dan Hurley has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind. “I’m the best coach in the f—ing sport,” he declared during UConn’s 80-78 overtime victory against Butler after officials walked away while he was speaking to them. Nearly a month later, Hurley has once again brought his intensity. And this time, let’s just say his response wasn’t exactly family-friendly either.

In a recent press conference, the head coach was asked if he thinks “you’re handling the press better now.” Hurley misunderstood the question and blurted out, “I mean, I think the press has been an a–hole to me the whole year.” A few awkward seconds later, he realized he had completely misinterpreted the question, apologized, backtracked, and tried to recover.

“Oh, wait, you mean the… Oh, I thought you meant… I didn’t know what you were talking about there. I’m sorry,” he responded.

The Huskies head coach had been asked if the team had gotten around to handling pressure better now that they have been facing it so often. Especially against St. John’s, against whom they suffered a defeat twice in a few weeks’ time. Hurley agrees they have seen a lot of it lately, so it all comes down to the basics and some confidence in the end.

“You have to know how to get open. You could change alignments… in the end, you have to have the confidence as a guard or a perimeter player,” he adds. The Huskies, however, seemed to have missed out on that as they faced the Red Storm.

One of the best teams in terms of full-court pressure as well as half-court, the Rick Pitino-led team has made game difficult for their opponents time and again. It is not as much about risking things as it has been about wearing out and Hurley’s squad has well been on the receiving end. In their first matchup, they’d turn the ball over 22 times and 18 in their second. Red Storm also successfully limited their shooting to 39.0% from the field in their most recent outing.

The Huskies dropped to 18-9 overall, but Hurley was sure impressed by St. John’s defense. He even believes it to be championship caliber. As for his own team, they have successfully executed full court pressure to snatch the win from Villanova, but there remains the matter of intensity he is still searching for in his roster. “We’re not a super physical team, which is… an offseason priority,” he has admitted.

But the head coach isn’t just focused on recruiting new talent—he’s also committed to developing his current players.

“Solo [Ball] is scratching the surface of what he’s going to be… He’s going to be one of the best guards in the country next year,” Hurley said. And honestly, Ball needs that realization right now.

Based on Solo Ball’s recent performances, his numbers don’t exactly reflect a classic “Ball” style of play. While he’s primarily a perimeter scoring option, his 1.6 assists per game is quite low for someone in that role. Despite shooting 44.5% from the field, his lack of assists is noticeable. But Hurley’s got his back.

With redemption in sight, Dan Hurley aims to conquer three final battles before season’s end

Over the past year, Hurley and his staff have prioritized shooting and finesse over raw athleticism. While that sounds great in theory, it doesn’t hold up in a brutal conference like the Big East. Take Aidan Mahaney, for example. He’s a skilled shooter, but giving him more opportunities than Ahmad Nowell has left the Huskies vulnerable.

Hurley will likely reevaluate his recruiting strategy moving forward. But before next season, there’s still work to be done.

The good news? UConn still controls its destiny. The bad news? Their remaining schedule isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

The defending champs. The back-to-back title holders. A powerhouse program. And yet, they’re struggling in Big East play. At 10-6 in the conference, they are nowhere near last season’s dominance. With Providence, Marquette, and Seton Hall left on the schedule, they need to bring their A-game. These teams have already faced UConn this season, and as Hurley pointed out, that familiarity makes things tougher.

“I think we are tougher to prepare for if you haven’t seen us. If you have that familiarity, I think we lose some of that advantage,” he said.

Not the most inspiring statement, but that’s the reality for Huskies now. Currently, they’re hovering around a No. 8 or 9 seed in bracketology rankings. Win their next few games, and they could climb into a better position. Lose, and they risk falling into the dreaded double-digit seed range.

So, will Hurley’s squad toughen up and prove they still belong at the top? Or are they destined for an early exit? We’re about to find out.