Dan Hurley seems unhappy despite UConn's nailbiting win vs Butler: "We're spoiled, the staff is spoiled, the fans are spoiled"

UConn coach Dan Hurley couldn’t hide his disappointment despite the Huskies’ 80-78 victory over Butler on Tuesday night. UConn squandered a 15-point lead, allowing Butler to force overtime, but regained its groove in the extra five minutes to move back into the win column.

After the game, the two-time national championship-winning coach expressed frustration over how the current team compares to the past two seasons, when UConn claimed back-to-back NCAA titles.

"We're spoiled, the staff is spoiled, the fans are spoiled, just as we're all spoiled with the level of ball we've played here the last couple of years," Hurley said.

The veteran coach pointed out a glaring weakness in this year’s team compared to the 2023 and 2024 championship squads.

"We just don't have a lot of shot creators."

Last season, UConn relied on Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle — both bona fide shot creators — who enabled players like Alex Karaban, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan to thrive in their comfort zones, ultimately helping the Huskies secure their second straight title.

The year before, Jordan Hawkins and Newton filled that role, allowing center Adama Sanogo to dominate the offense en route to the 2023 national championship.

This season, however, the Huskies lack the dynamic playmakers Hurley is seeking. Solo Ball and Hassan Diarra were expected to fill that role but have yet to reach the level of excellence displayed by UConn’s previous playmakers.

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Solo Ball, Alex Karaban lead UConn past Butler in overtime

Solo Ball dropped a career-high 23 points while Alex Karaban added 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks to lead No. 19 UConn (14-5, 6-2 Big East) to a narrow overtime win over Butler (8-11, 1-7) in front of 15,084 fans at XL Center.

Ball shot 8-for-14, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, helping the Huskies bounce back from their loss to Creighton. Karaban, meanwhile, made 8-of-17 shots, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, as UConn used its experience to stave off Butler’s late rally.

Big men Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed contributed 14 points each, dominating the paint and compensating for their combined seven-point outing in UConn’s loss to Creighton.

The Huskies played without five-star freshman forward Liam McNeeley for the fifth straight game. UConn hopes to extend its winning streak as it visits Xavier on Saturday.

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What can you say about UConn's underwhelming performance this season? Let us know your views in the comments section.