Dan Hurley prepared to face Bryce Hopkins despite Providence star sidelined with ACL injury

Dan Hurley said he doesn't want his UConn Huskies to become complacent in their matchup against Providence, even with Bryce Hopkins sidelined by an ACL tear, Dan Hurley mentioned that he would be preparing as if forward Bryce Hopkins would be included in the lineup.

Hopkins suffered an ACL tear in his left knee during the second half of Providence's 61-57 loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 1 and is reportedly out for the remainder of the season.

Despite this, Hurley made it clear he would not underestimate the challenge Providence poses to the Huskies.

“I think you just treat it the way you would treat any injury situation,” Hurley said. “You cover the lineup when he (Bryce Hopkins) is in the game at the 4 and at the 5 for them, and then you prepare both ways.”

UConn ultimately claimed victory on Sunday in a hard-fought 87-84 battle. Hopkins, a versatile forward and one of Providence’s top contributors, has been a key piece of the Friars’ success this season.

“He (Hopkins) is so good of a player,” Hurley said. “If we do not (prepare for) when he shows up out there, that would be bad.”

Dan Hurley says UConn “cheated death” in Providence win

In a tense and closely contested matchup, the No. 11 UConn Huskies narrowly avoided defeat against a determined Providence team, earning a hard-fought 87-84 victory.

UConn showed resilience, overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit to extend their home winning streak to 28 games.

Hassan Diarra led the Huskies with 19 points and eight assists, while Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr. delivered clutch performances to spark the second-half comeback.

After the game, Dan Hurley praised the Friars and reflected on the challenges his team faced.

“Credit to Providence and credit to the coach (Kim English) and their players,” Hurley said. “For how they came in here and how well they played. Impressive.”

“We cheated death in this one today. We're going to have to win games in this type of manner. I thought the crowd was really great.”

Despite missing key players, the Friars delivered a gutsy performance, pushing the reigning Big East champions to the brink.

Strong contributions from the Huskies’ bench demonstrated their depth and resilience, keeping UConn unbeaten in conference play. The defense stepped up as well, forcing Providence to miss 10 of 11 shots during a critical second-half stretch.

Providence will return home to host Butler on Wednesday, while UConn travels to Villanova, aiming to extend their impressive winning streak.