LAHAINA, Hawaii — UConn’s Dan Hurley had a tough night, as did his team, the defending national champions. On Monday, UConn faced off against Memphis in the first round of the Maui Invitational and lost in a nail-biting 99-97 overtime finish. The game ended UConn’s impressive 17-game winning streak, a run that had extended back to the previous season.
The turning point came in the final minute of overtime when the referees made an over-the-back call against UConn’s Liam McNeeley during a critical offensive rebound. The game was tied with just 40 seconds left when Hurley dropped to his knees in disbelief after the call, receiving a technical foul as a result. Memphis’ PJ Carter capitalized by sinking all four free throws from the two fouls, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
Hurley expressed his frustration regarding the call, stating, “I had a lot of issues with what happened out there in the game. That over-the-back call at that point was questionable. There was no attempt to block out, and Liam McNeeley clearly had the higher position for that rebound.” He went on to describe his dramatic fall to the floor, admitting, “I might have lost my balance with the absurdity of the call, or maybe I tripped. It’s unbelievable that a call like that could be made at such a pivotal moment in the game.”
Adding to his ire, Hurley mentioned that he was unaware one of the officials was a college referee, voicing discontent towards the officiating crew as a whole. “I’ve never seen that one ref before. I didn’t even know he was a college official, and I’m familiar with the other two, so I’m not surprised,” he noted.
UConn’s woes weren’t confined to just Hurley’s technical foul; another technical was called in the initial minutes when a comment from a UConn trainer caught the referees’ attention. “It got off to a bad start when my medical trainer, who’s just the nicest guy, got T’d up in the huddle early in the game,” Hurley explained. “He might have muttered something quietly, but it’s frustrating not to have your team fully focused from the start.”
Compounding the problems was a third technical foul assessed to Samson Johnson, which ultimately eliminated him from the game in overtime. Hurley lamented, “Samson was getting shoved and his jersey was torn. He didn’t get a single foul called during the game. It’s crazy how that played out.”
On the other side, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway savored the victory, considering it a significant milestone in his coaching tenure. “That was back-to-back national champions, undefeated, first round of the Maui tournament,” he said. “I took this matchup as a great opportunity for our team.”
The game witnessed Memphis leading for a majority of the time, even as UConn managed to claw back from a 13-point deficit in the last four minutes of regulation. However, the disparity in free throw attempts—Memphis had 40 to UConn’s 24—proved to be a decisive factor in the outcome. UConn’s Alex Karaban acknowledged the physical nature of the game, stating, “We knew it would be a tough match. Our game plan was to match their intensity, but we fell short for the majority. That’s on us.”
In the aftermath of this loss, UConn faces the challenge of regrouping, as their quest to maintain a historic winning streak has come to a halt. While they will undoubtedly strive to bounce back, this game served as a needed reminder of the competitive landscape in collegiate basketball.