After winning in the Final Four, Dan Hurley walked down the hallways of Lucas Oil Stadium – backpack slung over one shoulder, snapback on his head, AirPods in as he listened to a gameday playlist.
There’s Aerosmith, there’s some Nirvana, there’s Hole – which, Hurley admitted to the Daily Mail, ‘may be a bit surprising.’ Then there’s one that’s maybe too apropos: ‘The Beast in Me’ by Johnny Cash. It’s a surprising choice of a pump up song considering it’s a slow ballad from the later career of the Man in Black, but the lyrics seem nearly tailored to the coach.
‘The beast in me / Is caged by frail and fragile bars / Restless by day and night / Rants and rages at the stars / God help the beast in me.’
The ‘beast’ in Hurley has broken through those bars many times in his career – sometimes generating controversy, other times expressing dominance. But on Monday night, the ‘beast’ lay silent after the Huskies lost their first ever national title game to the Michigan Wolverines, 69-63.
A dejected Hurley took to the stage at the post-game press conference and choked back tears while addressing the final games of seniors Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed.
Dejected, yet defiant: ‘I’ll probably get in trouble for this… UConn, I think right now, we’re probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four National Championship games,’ the coach boldly told reporters.
UConn’s Dan Hurley maintained his schools is still the top program in college basketball
Hurley and the Huskies fell to the Michigan Wolverines 69-63 despite a late comeback try
The dejected coach still believes Connecticut is the top team in the country despite the loss
On a night where the Huskies were expected to struggle with Michigan’s size, they came out with a bravery that many aren’t capable of against the Wolverines.
But eventually, poor shot making gave way to a narrow six point defeat. Michigan forced the Huskies to have their worst shooting night of the season.
Hurley consoled his players – particularly Karaban and injured guard Solo Ball – on the court. He walked off with arms draped around them.
When the coach claimed the title of ‘premier program’ in the nation, it was in reference to Karaban’s efforts. The Massachusetts forward spurned the NBA Draft multiple times in order to return to Connecticut and finished as the winningest player in UConn history.
‘You dream of being on this stage one time, and to be heading into it for a third time, it’s a blessing,’ Karaban said in response to a question from Daily Mail the day before the title game.
‘It’s the reason why I came back. It’s the reason why I’ve had extremely hard decisions to make throughout my career. I’ve always wanted to come back to win, to win championships, and to leave a legacy that’s unmatched in college basketball.’
Dusty May’s Michigan team dominated Connecticut down the stretch to stave off a dynasty
L-R: Braylon Mullins, Solo Ball and Alex Karaban hang their heads after the lost title game
He’s done that, in spite of the loss. Very rarely does a college player take part in three championships in a career. Doing that has put him in rarified air.
But that effort – matched with Hurley’s – has boosted the profile of this school even further than before. The Huskies resurrected themselves from a program death in the underperforming American Conference and now are clearly a ‘blue blood.’
It’s what brought other players on board: ‘Yeah, I still feel like we’re the premier program,’ guard Silas Demary Jr, who transferred from Georgia, told Daily Mail after the loss.
‘I think we’re the standard of winning and what it looks like… I still believe I made the right decision to come here.
‘I became a better person, a better man, better basketball player all around. If I had to go back, I’d do it ten times over and over again.’
Hurley on the result: ‘It was a soldier’s death and we all went out on our shield.’
Perhaps surprisingly, there were few emotions from Hurley in the locker room. Solemn reflection took over instead. But perhaps that’s because the coach already got them out.
‘I had the sunglasses on on the bus when I walked in because I cried,’ Hurley told reporters. ‘I cried as I walked through the hotel, and it was emotional, because you’re so proud of your team that you’ve outlasted everyone but one other obviously formidable opponent.
‘So it’ll hit me, it’ll hit me later. Right now, when you shot as bad as we shot versus that team of destruction, you know you’re probably supposed to get run off the court.’
But the sting of a loss in the title game is easier to handle than at any other stage: ‘I’ll take how we went out. It was a soldier’s death and we all went out on our shield.’
In the absence of hardware in his hands or on his finger, Hurley couldn’t bring himself to beat his chest or scream. Rather, the future lies in who he can bring in via the transfer portal to bolster the roster for a chance at redemption in 2027.
For now, the beast in Dan Hurley lies in its cage of frail and fragile bars: wounded, yet maybe with stronger resolve. The coach will build back again, because that’s all he knows. And once that ‘beast’ gains strength, and Connecticut puts up another dynasty-sealing attempt, then God help everyone else.
