UConn basketball threatens reporter over Dan Hurley viral postgame video after loss to Florida – 247Sports
UConn head coach Dan Hurley was visibly emotional after the two-time reigning national champions suffered elimination, 77-75, to No. 1 seed Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. As the Huskies exited the court, Hurley made pointed remarks toward Baylor, which faced Duke in the following game. The footage, captured by Joey Ellis of Charlotte Sports Live, quickly went viral and sparked backlash from UConn basketball.”I hope they don’ f— you like they f—ed us,” Hurley said just after entering the tunnel on his way to the locker room, via the video taken by Ellis. “I hope they don’t do that to you, Baylor.”UConn director of communications Bobby Mullen reportedly asked asked for the video to be removed before threatening Ellis, saying he would “ruin his life if he didn’t.” Gabe McDonald, also of Charlotte Sports Live, says the confrontation multiple other reporters and staff witnessed the confrontation.”The lasting image of coach Hurley leaving the court should have been his walking off the court arm-in-arm with his seniors, overwhelmed with emotion,” Mullens said in a statement to Charlotte Sports Live. “Instead, a reporter was in an area he should not have been, recorded on his cell phone a private comment made to members of another coaching staff.”Emotions after the season-ending loss eventually cooled to a more somber tone, as Hurley was in tears during an interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. In the postgame press conference, Hurley credited Florida for the fight it gave UConn — which had tied an NCAA Tournament record with 13 consecutive wins.”There’s some honor, I guess, in the way that this went down,” Hurley said. “It’s a tough loss. We played in a manner that gave us a real chance to win. Credit (Walter) Clayton. He made some NBA level 3s off the dribble to beat us. It took that for somebody to put us down in this tournament after winning obviously a bunch in a row here.”Florida held a slight edge in foul calls, with UConn assessed 21 compared to 17 against the Gators. The gap was even more pronounced at the free-throw line, where Florida had 34 attempts while UConn finished with 22.The Huskies led by as many as six in the second half, but first-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. continued to come up clutch for the Gators. He hit two 3-pointers in the final three minutes of the game to help Florida build a comfortable lead. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from deep.Get the latest basketball and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.Florida advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. The Gators face Maryland in the West Region semifinals Thursday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.Carter Bahns contributed to this article.© 2005-2025 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc.The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and 247Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and 247Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.
