Dan Hurley details "frustrating" yet "relieving" experience this season for the UConn Huskies since Maui

The 2024-25 season isn't going as planned for Dan Hurley and No. 19 UConn Huskies. They entered the season winning back-to-back national championships and with lofty expectations of completing a historic three-peat.

Although the Huskies made a decent 4-0 start to the season, they lost the next three games in the Maui Invitational Tournament to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton. Following the brutal stretch in Maui, they won their next eight games, beating tough opponents like Baylor, Gonzaga and Texas.

During a video call interview with 247Sports college basketball insider Adam Finkelstein following a close win over Butler, coach Dan Hurley discussed the ups and downs of their season.

"It's probably felt like three seasons or so, three or four seasons," Hurley said. "Just so spoiled by the level of play that we've been able to perform the last two years, and, obviously, we haven't played at the same level."

The Huskies have lost six games this campaign, which is twice as many as they lost last season. Counting back to their national title run in 2023, UConn has lost just 11 games over the past two seasons.

"It's been frustrating at times, at times relieved that you've been able to steal some games," Hurley added. "But it hasn't been a joy ride that we've experienced the last two years up to this point."

---

Dan Hurley reflects on tough loss to Xavier, third defeat in five games

Dan Hurley's team entered the Xavier game with a 14-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Big East play. However, they fell short on Saturday night, losing 76-72.

"Just a tough loss — one we had a chance to kind of steal late," Hurley said postgame (1:02). "Thought we got a great look there for Solo (Ball).

"He had a tough shooting night in the second half, had some good looks and then that last possession was just again regrettable and failure to just kind of execute something."

Sophomore guard Solo Ball had another decent outing, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds — his first double-double of the season. However, his shooting was inconsistent, as he went just 6-of-17 from the field and 3-of-11 from beyond the arc.

The loss extended Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies' struggles, as they have lost three of their last five games — a far cry from their strong 4-0 start in the Big East.