“He’s an absolute dog”: NCAA analyst 'regrets' doubting UConn star as Dan Hurley’s team enjoys winning streak

Rob Dauster commended Dan Hurley's senior guard Hassan Diarra after the UConn Huskies' win against Butler Bulldogs (78-74) on Saturday. In The Field Of 68's "After Dark" podcast, the NCAA analyst said Diarra has developed to be the exact player at the point that the Huskies need.

Dauster's praise comes from UConn's six-game winning stretch after three consecutive losses at the Maui Invitational in late November. He sheds light on Diarra's assist-to-turnover ratio from the stretch to solidify his take.

"Hassan Diarra answered any questions people had, the point guard issue, I regret ever saying anything where I doubted that dude, he's an absolute dog," Rob Dauster said (1:55). "48 assists, 10 turnovers during the six-game winning streak. He has been unbelievable since they got back from Maui, he's been great."

Hassan Diarra averaged nearly 9 points, 4.7 assists and three rebounds per game until Dan Hurley and the Huskies faced back-to-back losses in Hawaii.

Being one of the seniors and veteran voices on the roster, Diarra's leadership was under scrutiny due to UConn's surprising defeats. He was recording a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio as the primary point guard.

However, Diarra has changed his approach since then, becoming more of a playmaker and distributor on the floor. He has maintained an identical scoring average in the last six games alongside eight assists. Moreover, he has recorded only 10 turnovers across this stretch, resulting in a 4.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Dan Hurley takes shots at 'podcast' analysts for doubting his team's potential

After the Huskies secured its 10th win of the season on Saturday, Dan Hurley made sure to call out a few 'podcasts'. He called out a few podcasting naysayers about UConn’s potential after their dismal stretch in Hawaii.

"Since that Maryland Eastern Shore game, I'm not sure how many people at that point in Maui were on their stupid podcast saying we'd be 10-3," Hurley said in the post-game interview (1:00). "Not all podcasts are stupid, but just some of them are. Some of them say stupid sh*t."

Dan Hurley's Huskies are now 10-3 for the season, defeating programs like Gonzaga and Baylor. UConn will now go on a 10-day break before facing DePaul on Jan. 1.