UConn coach Dan Hurley's one-of-a-kind personality—brash, brassy, expressionistic—is easy for neutral fans and observers to appreciate when the Huskies are winning, as they did prolifically in 2023 and '24.
What happens, then, when that winning slackens a bit? Hurley is finding out in 2025, as his team's 14-5 record has coincided with an uptick in skepticism toward his sideline antics.
On Saturday, ex-Duke center and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas gave the most thorough voice yet of any national pundit to criticism of Hurley—suggesting his behavior toward officials was bad for college basketball.
"'That's who he is. Be authentic. He is competitive.' Take Dan Hurley out—if you say that about any coach, I think it's just an excuse for bad behavior," Bilas said. "It's the constant berating of officials throughout the game that fans think are influencing calls."
"It's just an excuse for bad behavior." Jay Bilas weighs in on Dan Hurley's sideline antics. pic.twitter.com/7PLecnaiMt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 25, 2025
During No. 19 UConn's 80–78 overtime win over Butler on Tuesday, Hurley was filmed snapping at an official—telling him not to turn away from him on the grounds that Hurley is "the best coach in the f---ing sport."
"If (Hurley's schtick) influences calls, then that's a competitive advantage and we need to deal with it," Bilas said. "If it doesn't influence calls, then it's really bad optics and people have the perception that it does and then we need to deal with it. Generally, I think college coaches behave poorly relative to NBA coaches."
The Huskies play Xavier Saturday on national television, so fans won't have to wait long to see what Hurley will get up to next.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jay Bilas Criticizes How UConn's Dan Hurley Conducts Himself on Sidelines.
