“It’s really hard to get where we are. But it’s really really even harder to stay where you are.” Dan Hurley may have said that even before the season began, but the transpiring reality of it is proving to be a hard pill to swallow. The once dominant faces were sent home on a grim plane ride as early as a month into the season. It hasn’t gotten better and analysts no longer find themselves on the head coach’s side.

On The Field of 68: After Dark, the panel got to discussing the worst loss over the weekend. Two of the three votes? UConn Huskies against Seton Hall. Host Rob Dauster did not hold back in expressing his disappointment. “You can’t go to Seton Hall and lose… you can’t blow a seven-point lead in the last minute of regulation… you can’t lose to the worst Power Five team in college basketball and expect anything,” he asserted.

The 68-69 OT loss at Prudential Centre was a punch in the gut for the Huskies. The Pirates entered the game 7-18, bottom two in the conference standings, and on a 9-game losing streak. UConn, on the other hand, had made a statement when they defeated no.24 Creighton, proving they were still in the game. Hurley had even clapped back at all the booing with the bragging rights he earned through the last two seasons. But there they were, 4 days later, having let go of the lead not once, but twice.

Alex Karaban took the blame on the roster for playing soft while fingers being pointed at coaching did not evade Dan Hurley. The Huskies fell 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the conference, raising serious doubts about their ability to handle pressure. For the head coach, it was a reminder back to the Maui Invitational. “The mood in the bus was indescribable… It was similar to Maui,” he said. But there are no excuses any longer and the analysts are pulling away their hopes.

“What are we doing man? I quit,” Dauster concluded.

Karaban, however, had called for honest reflection, stressing that the team needs to rediscover its championship mindset. “We have to play with desperation, play angry,” freshman Liam McNeely added and execution did not miss the mark this time.

UConn seeks redemption against Villanova

The two-time defending NCAA champion UConn Huskies were looking to bounce back when they hosted Villanova on Tuesday night. Just a few weeks ago, UConn seemed firmly in control, but after eight losses, they’d slipped to fourth in the Big East—only 1.5 games ahead of Villanova. But it was a home game and the Huskies showed up.

They’d start slow, trailing 26-34 by first half and saw it extend to 14 with a little over 10 minutes left in the game. But in the next five minutes, layups by Solo Ball and Terris Reed, a tip shot by Jaylin Stewart, and 2 free throws by Hassan Diarra pulled the Huskies back into the game 53-49. Fouls against Liam McNeely, though, were the real game changers for the night. The freshman scored 8 points under the last four minutes only from the free throw line.

The Huskies finished 23-of-51 (45.1%) from the floor and held Villanova to a 19-of-54 (35.2 %). McNeely would post his fourth 20+ point performance with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead the team 66-59.

“I think the season was hanging in the balance for us today… This is definitely going to galvanize us,” Dan Hurley shared after the game. They next face St. John’s, a team they have previously faced a defeat against. But the Huskies look all charged up and a win against no.10 would mean an opportunity to salvage the season.