"You the best in the business, baby": Stephen A. Smith reacts to Dan Hurley berating a ref who turned his back on him

Stephen A. Smith reacted to Dan Hurley's comments to referee Nathan Ferrell during the first half of Monday's game against the Butler Bulldogs. In one instance, Hurley pleaded his case behind a play that did not go as he anticipated. Uninterested, Ferrell turned his back on the coach, leading Hurley to question the referee's audacity and calling himself the best coach in the world.

With that, Smith commented on the event on ESPN's First Take. The analyst supported the UConn Huskies coach, implying that facts back up Hurley's take.

"My brother you do what you do," Smith said. "You the best in the business baby, you the best in the business. So what he got a little demonstrative? So what he said that about himself? Factually, is he incorrect?"

Last season, Dan Hurley became the first coach to win back-to-back NCAA championships since Florida in 2006-07. The achievement made waves in the basketball space, pitting the Los Angeles Lakers in pursuit of the championship coach in the 2024 offseason.

However, Hurley returned to Division I due to his love for building cultures and coaching youngsters. He is now in track to become the only modern-day D1 coach to clinch a three-peat. It was last achieved by John Wooden's UCLA in the early 1970s.

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Analyst blames Dan Hurley for altering public's perception of UConn

Analyst Chris Childers commented that Dan Hurley's antics are slowly changing the fans' support and perception of the UConn Huskies after the coach's interaction with the referee.

"It's making UConn the villain of basketball," he said on the Field of 68: After Dark podcast (Timestamp: 3:10).

"I don't think it's fair to his kids, because right now, like tonight for example, I was rooting my butt off for Butler. And it's not like I'm a Butler fan. It's that I hate Dan Hurley. It's become that to me, it's become that."

The Huskies won the contest 80-78 in overtime. Solo Ball led with 23 points while Alex Karaban added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. UConn (14-5, 6-2 Big East) will now face the Xavier Musketeers on the road before returning home to host DePaul.