"My fault I screwed them up": Dan Hurley takes the blame on himself for UConn 'getting drunk on it's own success' and their robotic style of play

The 2024-25 season has presented some unique challenges for Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies. Following the back-to-back national championships, the pressure and expectations on this squad have reached a fever pitch.

It clearly has not been all smooth sailing for the Huskies this season, as they have not quite lived up to the lofty standard they set for themselves. The 93-79 win over Georgetown on Wednesday was comforting given their recent struggles — losing three in the last six games.

However, Hurley was honest about areas of concern during his postgame press conference reflecting on his team's need to call more plays from the sideline this season compared to previous ones.

"If you watch today, I think we consciously drove the ball more, and while actions were being overplayed, we got downhill at the rim," Hurley said (at 8:54). "We've got to get into making our opponents concerned that we're going to break things off and attack the rim."

"I think we just become robotic and too reliant," he added. "A large part of that is me. You get drunk on your own success, and I think we forced our players to be a little bit too robotic. Now we're trying to loosen the reins and let them go and attack and create more. That was my fault, I screwed them."

Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies pull away a much-needed win over rival Georgetown

Starting in 1958, the rivalry between UConn and Georgetown used to be a fiercely contested Big East showdown.

However, the Huskies have largely had the Hoyas' number in recent times, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings.

Going into Wednesday's game at XL Center in Hartford, UConn was dealing with serious adversity after losing its sixth conference game to Rick Pitino's St. John's. So the Huskies desperately needed a confidence-boosting win.

After an early sluggish start, that saw the Hoyas taking a 10-point lead within the first four minutes, Dan Hurley's men dug deep to overcome the deficit and eventually pull away for a 93-79 victory.

Tarris Reed Jr., a Michigan transfer, recorded a double-double for UConn coming off the bench with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Solo Ball also had 20 points while freshman forward Liam McNeeley chipped in with 17 points.

Dan Hurley and the Huskies will look to build on this win as they shift focus on another Big East matchup against Providence on Saturday.