Dan Hurley blames himself, says viral antics ruined UConn's public image and shifted focus away from accomplishments

UConn head coach Dan Hurley led the No. 8 seed Huskies to a 67-59 win over the No. 9 seed Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday. The win keeps the Huskies' bid for a three-peat alive despite a rocky season.

During his postgame press conference, Hurley spoke about facing the No. 1 seed Florida Gators, who are favorites (+350) to win the national championship according to BetMGM.

"There's only three teams that have done what we've done, based on obviously the expanded tournament where you've gotta win six games." Hurley said. "So, the only three teams that have been able to do that since the tournament expanded are us, Duke and Florida."

"To be able to come here and No. 1, make the tournament and fight our way in, come out here and fight with some honor and get ourselves an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country that reminds me of some of what we put on the floor in Florida," the veteran coach added.

"There's a lot of honor in us being able to face the last team that went back-to-back," Hurley said. "There's honor in fighting and getting to the round of 32 and making somebody put you down in this tournament to put an end to this run we've been on."

The UConn coach further blamed himself for his antics that have shifted the focus away from the brilliance of his team's accomplishments over the last three years.

Speaking about himself he said:

"If it wasn't for all of my antics and viral moments, obviously there would be more focus on just what we've accomplished as a program, (over) the last three years. It's been an amazing run. One of the best runs anyone's ever had."

Dan Hurley has presided over a chaotic season for UConn

The UConn Huskies have struggled this season after being the most dominant team in the country over the past two seasons. They began the season ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll but started just 4-3. Recently. they lost in the Big East tournament semifinal and are sitting on a 24-10 record.

The Huskies were unranked coming into the 2025 NCAA Tournament and were seeded No. 8, their lowest seed since 2016. During a press conference on Thursday, Dan Hurley put a positive spin on his side's low ranking.

"I feel like, in a weird way, it's a little pressure off of us going into the tournament where we could just go out and let it rip right now," he said. "We don't have this huge pressure of expectations. A lot of people don't think we're going to win the first game."

Hurley will lead his Huskies against the No. 1 seed Florida Gators on Sunday with a chance to score the upset of the March Madness and continue his unlikely quest for a three-peat.