"Misery loves company": Dan Hurley blames NIL and Transfer portal decisions for Top 25 NCAA teams' bad form

Dan Hurley had some harsh words for his UConn Huskies roster after the loss to the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday. He suspected his roster to be "weak" and "soft," saying that the basketball program has lost the aura it garnered over the last few years. Days after his statement, it looks like Hurley's perspective has not changed.

A media representative asked Hurley whether he could find peace in the fact that 19 AP top 25 teams lost a game (home and away) last week. The coach launched a fitting response, highlighting his present-day views on his roster.

"Misery loves company," Hurley said (Timestamp: 1:18).

With that, Dan Hurley believes the mutual downfall of top-ranked teams stems from the foundational shakeups caused by increased use of NIL and the transfer portal.

"I think you're seeing some of the effects of the portal and the effects of NIL across the board. Having really strong, focused, dialed-in teams - a couple of people have it, have their roster right and have their culture right - but I just think, the way our game is set up now it's a greater challenge to have a tough, mature, connected team."

Hurley is not the first coach with reservations around NIL and the transfer portal. Even legendary names like Duke men's basketball's Mike Krzyzewski and Alabama's football coaching legend Nick Saban have publicly pointed out the complications and culture-related problems associated with the practice.

Dan Hurley gets heated up with a referee

With his regular hyped-up moments and slaps to the scoring table, Dan Hurley let referee Nathan Ferrell know about his back-to-back rings in Monday's game against the Butler Bulldogs. After a possession did not go the way he anticipated, he walked towards the official to make his case.

However, as the referee turned his back on the coach, Hurley responded with some curious words:

"Don’t turn your back on me. I’m the best coach in the f***ing sport," he said.

Dan Hurley was pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024 summer for the head coaching role but rejected it to remain with the Huskies. He orchestrated back-to-back championship runs with UConn and is aligned to clinch a three-peat and make history this season.