Walls are Closing in on Dan Hurley as UConn Coach Issues Strong Notice For the Offseason

The defending champs. The back-to-back kings. The team that entered the season with sights set on a three-peat. And yet, here we are, watching Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies stumble their way through conference play, struggling to hold their own. The latest disaster was another loss to St. John’s, the second one this season, just to really drive the point home. If the Huskies were looking for momentum heading into March, this was not the way to get it.

And it stings because just a few days ago, things were looking up. UConn had pulled off an epic comeback against Villanova. But whatever spark they were hoping to carry forward disappeared in Madison Square Garden. Sunday’s UConn squad looked disorganized, sloppy, and, quite frankly, lost.

They started strong, grabbing an 11-6 lead, but once St. John’s took over, that was it. The Huskies never found their way back, and just like that, another L got added to the record. And now, it kinda seems like Coach Hurley is already looking past the rest of the season and focusing on next year.

When asked about the weeks ahead, Hurley didn’t exactly sound hopeful. “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.

That’s… not great. And here’s why it’s even worse. UConn’s next four games- Georgetown, Providence, Marquette, and Seton Hall are all teams they’ve already faced. Seton Hall beat them the first time around. So, this stretch isn’t looking all that promising.

Hurley knows exactly what the problem is: physicality. He straight-up admitted it and issued notice, saying, “It’s an offseason priority. We’ve got to get a lot stronger.” He even reminisced about past UConn teams that had bruisers like Steph Castle and Andre Jackson. This year? Not quite the same. And the Huskies coach knows it.

That’s why he’s already talking about offseason improvements, saying, “We’ve got to do a better job in the offseason of getting guys like Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross – sophomore year you should be physically further along that way, we’ve got to help them there.”

Well, this all translates to he’s already planning for next season. But is there still slight hope?

How do Dan Hurley & Huskies stack up?

Since Marquette win, Uconn has gone 2-3, taking losses against Seton Hall (at home, in OT, no less) and St. John’s twice. As of now, the Huskies sit at 18-9 overall and 10-6 in Big East play, and, they remain out of the AP Top 25 rankings.

With just four games left in the regular season, the Huskies need every win they can get. Not just for pride, but for seeding purposes. The top five teams in the Big East get a bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, and right now, UConn is holding onto that fourth spot.

But Xavier (9-7) and Villanova (9-8) are right behind them, ready to pounce if the Huskies slip up. Up next is Georgetown, a game they SHOULD win. Right now, bracketology experts have UConn floating between an 8-9 seed. Historically, that’s one of the most unpredictable matchups. If the Huskies don’t finish strong, they could even slide into the dreaded double-digit seed range, infuriating already fired up fandom and more calls to already thrown them out.

And here’s the problem. Three of their next four games are against teams that won’t sniff the tournament unless they somehow win the Big East title. That means if UConn stumbles against Georgetown (Quad 3) or Seton Hall (Quad 4), their tournament resume takes a massive hit.

On the flip side, wins against Providence (Quad 2) and Marquette (Quad 1) could boost their standing. So yes, these next couple of weeks are HUGE. UConn can’t afford to tumble or fumble anymore. From here on out, every game is a must-win. Will they rise to the occasion? We will find out soon.