"How are they more desperate than us?": Dan Hurley shouts at UConn in the huddle before pulling off Marquette upset

The UConn Huskies, coached by Dan Hurley, just pulled off one of their biggest upsets this season on Saturday. Pitted against the ninth-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles, the back-to-back defending national champions gave it their all and got an eight-point victory, 77-69, for their eighth Big East win, 16th overall, of the campaign.

Despite being the underdogs as the No. 25-ranked team in the nation, Hurley and his players took advantage of a poor shooting display from the opposition, just 31.8% from three and 39.7% overall, and added to it with pesky defense. They even shot a blistering-hot 63.2% from the 3-point line and 59.5% overall collectively.

Perhaps one of the turning points of the fixture that directed it in UConn's favor was when Hurley was captured giving a speech during a timeout to his Huskies. The 52-year-old hot head asked the squad to do better given the chip they have had on their shoulders throughout the year.

"With everything we've been through this year, how are they more desperate than us? How are they beating us to looseballs that have turned into threes? We should be up 20 on them," Hurley said during the huddle.

Prior to the conference clash, Hurley and the entire UConn squad had endured an up-and-down season in their pursuit of a possible national title three-peat in March. The Huskies were 3-2 in their past five games, except for the Marquette victory, which pushed them behind in their season goals.

With momentum on their side after winning two straight games, UConn will look to repeat the feat on Friday against the No. 15-ranked St. John's Red Storm at home. Hurley is expected to lead more pumped-up huddles for the Huskies.

Solo Ball matches his career-high with seven 3-pointers made in UConn win

The player of the game honors would go to sophomore sharpshooter Solo Ball, as he tied his career-high 3-pointers made in a fixture with seven on just nine attempts, good for an efficient 77.8% clip.

Ball finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-for-11 overall shooting, eleven rebounds, three assists and a block in 39 minutes played.

Ball, as one of Dan Hurley's key players on the squad, has the potential to significantly increase his team's national title three-peat chances if he continues to play like a spitfire. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season, which is tied for the team-high.