Dan Hurley reflects on "teetering" performance in Liam McNeeley's absence, crowns UConn star as "first team all league" level player

When UConn's Liam McNeeley was injured against DePaul, coach Dan Hurley said that he wanted to win enough games while the freshman star was out.

Since then, the Huskies have gone 3-3 in McNeeley's absence, with losses to Villanova, Creighton and Xavier.

"When we do get him back healthy at the end of the month into February, this could be a blessing for us," Hurley said earlier this month. "Because now you're developing people, developing your bench, but you have to win enough games that you're not beaten up."

The coach addressed McNeeley's injury on Tuesday during media availability as UConn prepared to face DePaul again on Wednesday. However, the 6-foot-7 forward will remain out, according to Hurley.

A reporter asked Dan Hurley to assess the team's performance in the young player's absence.

"I think we're teetering," Hurley said with a laugh (0:58). "I think at least for us, you know, and where we want to be. There's been opportunities for us to be in a better position. We've also won some close games that could have gone the other way too."

"In certain years, when you have teams that could survive the absence of one of your best players, this is a year where it's just really tough for us to take off the court a first-team all-league or type of player."

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Dan Hurley analyzes what leads to losses and what can improve

Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies started the season as the defending champions and were ranked No. 3 in the nation. After 20 games, they are 14-6, going 6-3 in Big East play.

The season hasn't gone as planned — Hurley admits that there are issues his team has to work through.

"By this point in the season, we know where our limitations and vulnerabilities are, and it fluctuates based on how we played," he said Tuesday (2:32). "There are parts of the Butler game where you probably feel better about certain players than others at different points of the year.

"I think a lot of it comes down to losing with honor — maybe you're just not quite good enough or ... is it an effort issue? A care issue? A heart issue? That's what will destroy any coach."

Dan Hurley's dream of achieving a three-peat faced its first major setback with a 0-3 record in the Maui Invitational in November. They lost 99-97 in overtime against Memphis, another close 73-72 loss to Colorado and a blowout 85-67 defeat to Dayton.

The Huskies regained momentum by winning all seven of their games following the Hawaii trip before the ankle injury to Liam McNeeley shifted the dynamic. He had been averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.