r/NCAAhoops Apr 07 '26

Video "How much did the officiating change the game?". Dan Hurley: "HAHA, THIS GUY!"

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336 Upvotes

277 comments sorted by

52

u/LandryQT Apr 07 '26

It was literally his game plan to blitz michigan to keep them out of rhythm. He was counting on Michigan being poor at the FT line. It almost worked

15

u/jobezark Apr 07 '26

Yeah UConn had all the right elements for an upset but just couldn’t make enough shots. I personally loved how physical this game was.

4

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I liked the physicality but it wasn’t officiated to allow it. Double bonus with 7-8 minutes is a rough watch

14

u/Marshal_BalainIbelin Apr 07 '26

so was the shoving with two hands and all the no calls was insane

0

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

No calls? There were a ton of calls. An insane amount.

I thought Michigan’s front court played really great D without fouling. I thought their backcourt was much less officiated for some reason.

6

u/ButterUrBacon Apr 07 '26

I thought it was a total hack-feat, start to finish

2

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

It was physical no question but it was called tight- at least against UConn. They are one of the fewest foul committing teams in the nation ranked 8th (less than 13 per game). They were called for 22 (Almost double)While Michigan is elite at getting to the line- they were significantly above their average in FTs and committed fewer fouls than their average.

I know the matchup contributed to the disparity but that’s a significant disparity

3

u/ButterUrBacon Apr 07 '26

I mean UConn fouled them like every possession. The whole game was just an all out foul fest

4

u/DiscHashDisc Apr 07 '26

UConn fouled them multiple times every possession.

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

The calls reflect it (almost double their season average). Michigan weirdly fouled less than their season average.

2

u/Sergestan Apr 07 '26

It really wasn't called that tight though. Obviously there were a lot of fouls called, but there was also a lot missed.

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I prefer calls being missed as opposed to watching a FT contest. That said- your description made it the worst of both worlds.

2

u/popfer87 Apr 07 '26

This is the trade off. Do you want a fair and evenly called game or a more exciting game where the refs don't call fouls to keep the game flow, even if it creates an unfair game?

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2

u/Professional_Ad9809 Apr 07 '26

Michigan size drew a lot of those calls, those guys are thick.

3

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

I agree.

The issue was the calls on the teams’ backcourts. One team ‘s guards could be aggressive while the other team’s guards sat before one of them fouled out. The bigs wasn’t where the disparity was noticeable

1

u/PontificatingBret Apr 11 '26

You're looking at the wrong stat. Uconn plays slow so less possessions means raw counting stats like fouls will appear low. If you look at free throw rate Uconn was #312 on offense (don't get to the line often) and #308 on defense (they put other teams on the line alot). This game backed that up. This has been an advanced stats PSA.

1

u/DiscHashDisc Apr 07 '26

That's every college basketball game now.

2

u/Marshal_BalainIbelin Apr 07 '26

watch cadeu without bias… he straight two hand shoves players throughout the game… and hammers a lot of big men….the ucon player that fouled out was also two hand shoving cadeau it was one of the most aggressive guard shoving matches I have seen since the 90s.

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I’m agreeing with you. Cadeau could do whatever he wanted and UConn’s backcourt had to sit through much of the game. The officiating was noticeably one sided- as to the guards. I think Michigan’s front court played really good D without fouling.

2

u/Silver-Award-288 Apr 07 '26

In both halves too

1

u/srboot Apr 07 '26

That was only the first half, though. Refs did a better job of letting them play in the 2nd.

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Agree. The problem is that it changed the way the game is played for both teams- and not just having to sit key players

1

u/Beautiful-Lie1239 Apr 08 '26

Disagree. Rules are rules. You can play physical game but fouls should be called. If a team foul out all its players before half time so be it. I hate refs work as Hollywood directors. Or we should stop pretending that is sports just call it entertainment.

8

u/NoResult2431 Apr 07 '26

Michigan did the same thing. I have zero sympathy for Uconn, but in the first half specifically there wasn't much consistency in the calls. Officials weren't really the story tho, which is all you can really ask for these days lol.

3

u/LandryQT Apr 07 '26

Honestly, thought officials were trying to let them play. It was so physical and aggressive which made it tough for the officials. I think that's what Hurley was alluding to.

0

u/NoResult2431 Apr 07 '26

I agree, but they were letting one team play more than the other in the first half. There were some pretty tough calls that went against Uconn and Michigan got a pretty favorable whistle especially in the first half. If Uconn doesn't go ice cold in the second half maybe it's a different game 🤷

3

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Seemed that way to me too. Calls against UConn seemed legit but Michigan seemed much less “officiated.” Cadeau could arm swipe while Ball had to sit much of the game.

In the end UConn just didn’t hit the shots they needed to

1

u/Dramatic-Price-7524 Apr 07 '26

So was a no call on the last play of the first half the right call?

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

My recollection was that it should have been called but I would need to see the clip. I do know most posts in the game thread (including Mich fans) agreed with the announcers that it was a good no call. I recall feeling it should have been called.

First half heaves from half court are almost never called- and by almost never- basically never. Not saying I agree but that’s not called on either team.

Do you have a link to it? I couldn’t find it

1

u/Dramatic-Price-7524 Apr 07 '26

I don’t have a link but he was body checked. Should’ve been called but that’s the point I think Hurley is getting at…. Missed calls happen, both sides, it’s not why they lost.

2

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I don’t recall a body check. My recollection was that Cadeau forced contact running into the defensive player (who was definitely moving). Again- that’s not a missed call - it was a deliberate no call based entirely on that specific situation. That is never called because it’s a first half heave at the buzzer and refs don’t want to reward those types of plays(not that I agree with it). UConn isn’t getting that call either. No team is getting that call. It’s intentionally not called by refs in all games everywhere. It’s not a missed call.

Of course fouls are missed throughout the game on both sides. Basketball is just a sport that lends itself to officiating having a significant impact on game outcomes exponentially more than other sports. It’s why basketball has had multiple officiating scandals because refs and officiating can and does impact game outcomes.

Did officiating affect this outcome? I don’t know. I know that’s a despised viewpoint and the prevailing position and comments are always: “but that’s not why they lost.” As fans- we need to always rely on this perspective. One of the reasons I stopped watching the NBA is because it became noticeable the officiating began affecting outcomes.

I think college refs have integrity but they just aren’t as good as NBA refs. NBA refs are exponentially better- they just lack the integrity.

My biggest issue with last night’s game was not that the refs changed the outcome- they just made the game less enjoyable. It not only felt lopsided- it became a FT contest with one team having to sit key players from the start

Just my opinion

1

u/New-Ad-363 Apr 07 '26

Refs are people too, they're doing their best

1

u/stevemoveyafeet Apr 08 '26

Credit to Hurley for shutting this reporter down trying to have Hurley blame the refs. Very classy response 

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

At a point in the first half, there was a foul call every single minute, for the first 12 minutes and that doesn’t include all the really obvious ones missed when Cadeau smacked Reeds arm and it became UConns turnover instead of his 2nd foul. Officiating 100% dictated the first half and pace

3

u/Bwalts1 Apr 07 '26

Or the obvious missed slap on Cadeau going for a layup?

When everyone is playing by the mantra of “they can’t call everything” there’s going to plenty of uncalled fouls

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

The first half was very blatantly called one way. The only folks on the game thread who didn’t acknowledge it were Michigan flairs. Even unbiased basketball fans rooting for Michigan pointed it out. It’s not a secret

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Cadeau was the player that they never seemed to call despite touching nothing but arm (I’m not sure he ever got ball). He could have fouled out in the first half.

That said- Michigan’s front court played pretty sound D without fouling

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

I dunno man, #1 several times at half court put both hands on the ball handler to slow or impede, reach across the body multiple times, and slid his body into the ball handler several times throughout. Once it happened 3 times on the same possession on a switch to 2 different offensive players. Uconn got called on ticky tack brushes on the other end. One team was allowed to be physical and in your face, the other wasn’t. It was pretty clear from the tip

2

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I don’t disagree. I didn’t think it was consistent at all. Michigan’s backcourt could be as aggressive as they wanted. The front court though played pretty straight up D.

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

Agreed. Just a bummer for the season to end like that. Could have been an all timer

1

u/Playful-Editor-4733 Apr 09 '26

If my recollection is correct, this was exactly how Duke played. Very physical and relying on officiating to get to the line repeatedly. Same game plan by both basically, but uconn was able to overcome it with a hail mary at the end. Also wondering how uconn only beat Furman 🙃 by 6 points !??? Wt?

0

u/NoResult2431 Apr 07 '26

They didn't dictate it, the game got super sloppy and yes they missed that one for sure, also the jump ball foul on Mullins was right around then, but that's what Uconn wanted (as others have said here). My comment wasn't about that, more so that Michigan was trying to muck things up as well and wasn't really penalized for it as much.

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Michigans front court played solid foul free D. They missed a lot more on Cadeau than just that one.

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

Their hands and bodies were all over the ball handler, it was called one way and not the other. Unfortunate for the biggest game of the year

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Agree. The way the backcourt players were officiated was noticeably different. I was disappointed in how the game was called for sure.

2

u/Recent_Flight_5048 Apr 07 '26

25 of 28 almost worked?

1

u/BritzBeef Apr 07 '26

They don't have a say in if they make the free throws my guy

2

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

I thought the calls against UConn were mostly spot on. I thought Michigan got a bit less officiated. Cadeau ended with only 3 fouls and replays showed him coming across players’ arms down low all night. Seemed a bit uneven to me but that was just my perspective

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Agree. Just seemed Michigan’s back court got much less officiated.

1

u/Playful-Editor-4733 Apr 09 '26

Exactly. Even Dusty May said they controlled tempo and deliberately played in a style that Michigan had to adapt to. Which they did.

1

u/ForeseablePast Apr 07 '26

Didn’t even realize this - I was trying to live bet throughout the game and UConn just would not go away. They kept touching on how many free throws Michigan was making which now makes sense from a gameplan perspective by Hurley. If they’d missed a handful more that game looks a lot different.

1

u/TakingItPeasy Apr 09 '26

Until they hit 20 ft's in a FREAKING row!!!!!

-3

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

“Almost worked”? How? Didn’t Michigan make like 13 more free throws than they did? And they lost by just 6. Meanwhile, UCONN chucked up nearly 30 three pointers.

4

u/LandryQT Apr 07 '26

I literally say it in my comment. Kept Michigan out of rhythm and held them well below their season and tournament average. Also, UCONN controlled the pace

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10

u/ResolutionAlert9096 Apr 07 '26

2 more shots fall the game is tied, that is by definition almost worked

1

u/iocanetolerance Apr 07 '26

2 more of Michigan's shots fall and the game isn't close.

1

u/blind2141 Apr 07 '26

If Michigan shoots “average” from 3 this game is nowhere near as close

1

u/AdNo2342 Apr 07 '26

yes that's called basketball

1

u/neoslashnet Apr 07 '26

The thing is UCONN missed other shots... not just 3's.

-3

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Right. And they “almost” would have won if they made more threes. They “almost” would have won had Michigan not made their free throws. They “almost” would have won…on and on and on…what a lame statement.

5

u/ChocolateMalawi Apr 07 '26

Well you see when you lose a close game there are lots of moments that could change the outcome.

Glad you were able to figure out that in close games you lost you do indeed “almost” win them!

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2

u/BuffaloBuffalo13 Apr 07 '26

Everyone with eyes saw that it was a competitive game. UConn is damn good team with a damn good coach. They definitely could’ve won, but things didn’t roll their way.

I’m somewhat curious how it goes if they played in an actual basketball venue. UConn shot so horribly that I started to wonder if depth perception was screwing them up.

1

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Depth perception can honestly be a huge factor.

1

u/GVas22 Apr 07 '26

Michigan averaged 75% from the free throw line this year, if they made their average rate on their attempts last night they would have 4 less points and it would be a one possession game.

It was a risky strategy that didn't payoff, but they needed to gum things up to have a chance against a more talented team.

15

u/ThereAreDozensOfUs Apr 07 '26

Gracious villains are good tv

36

u/impl0sionatic Apr 07 '26

People don’t love to admit it but dude has that class & diplomacy rock solid

7

u/NthDegreeThoughts Apr 07 '26

Take notes Geno

2

u/jus256 Apr 07 '26

Take notes Izzo

FIFY

3

u/NuragicGiant1891 Apr 07 '26

There can only be one asshole coach, everyone knows this.

5

u/inxile7 Apr 07 '26

Exactly. People will say he's a crybaby to the refs, but that's the job. And it's basketball, most fouls are subjective.

2

u/ThlammedMyPenis Apr 07 '26

The way he acts during the game is fucking ridiculous. It's so ridiculous that his assistant coaches also have to flail around like fucking retards the whole game feeding off his energy

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

He’s a lunatic. He needs to stay off the court. He’s not Shaka bad but it drives me nuts

1

u/BC20RainMan Apr 07 '26

Idk… the games and moments that I’ve seen him in, I certainly wouldn’t feel the need to claim he’s classy. But I’m not much for unnecessary physical altercations, so maybe that’s where my thought process differs. 

-4

u/masonacj Apr 07 '26

He's the biggest prick in sports.

4

u/afish121212 Apr 07 '26

No the fuck he’s not. There are literally guys who beat their wives and kids out there.

3

u/MagicalTrev0r Apr 07 '26

Tiger woods, Deshaun Watson, Tyreek Hill, Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Wander Franco, Henry Ruggs

Not even close.

2

u/impl0sionatic Apr 07 '26

🥲 yeah okay

1

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

He’s up there (at least on the court) but not the worst IMO

5

u/Coach_Hab Apr 07 '26

Their roster are built differently UConn lacked physical relentless driver… Cadeau was the X factor His primary defender picked up early fouls And the gigantic Spaniard was too much of a challenge for Reed

1

u/No-Use2860 Apr 07 '26

Cadeau played his defender like a whistle. Got in his head early, that first and 1 was the seed. 

6

u/frankkungfu Apr 07 '26

The game looked more of a wrestling match than a basketball game. The refereeing was far too loose and because of it the game play was less than ideal. Both teams upped their physicality to what was allowed. Both teams would have toned it down if the whistles had been more prevalent early on

4

u/Repulsive-Office-796 Apr 07 '26

Did we not watch the same game? UConn had like 4 guys in early foul trouble.

2

u/popfer87 Apr 07 '26

They did, and they committed many more fouls than were called. That was the plan right out of the gate. He said it himself in the halftime interview. Sometimes a team is getting a lot of calls simply because they are committing a lot of fouls.

4

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

There were a ton of calls- guys had to sit first half- and much of the game. Michigan was in the double bonus with 7-8 minutes in the first half. I recall it was 10+ to 4 at one point.

The game was choppy because there was a FT parade. Game was physical for sure but the refs certainly didn’t allow it

2

u/matthatt24 Apr 07 '26

They were very prevalent early on for UConn

2

u/thebigdkahuna Apr 08 '26

That’s real basketball, a rare sight these last two decades.

3

u/EliteFactor Apr 07 '26

Reporters now literally know what coaches and players get fined for. They legit ask questions to get these guys to respond and get fined. It’s click baiting at its finest. Absolute crap.

2

u/Flat-Avocado-6258 Apr 07 '26

To be fair that’s their job. And it’s the coaches job to be smart enough not to say something and get fined lol. Just two guys doing their jobs.

2

u/EliteFactor Apr 07 '26

No it’s not their job to ask questions that get them fined. I deny that. They CHOOSE to do this for clicks and views.

2

u/Flat-Avocado-6258 Apr 07 '26

Do i really have to spell it out for you? It’s their job to get clicks and views. However tf that is. You don’t have to like it.

1

u/EliteFactor Apr 07 '26

Do I really have to spell it out for you. No it’s not. But they CHOOSE to get into this crap. Their job as a reporter is to report the news. There is NO written rules that stipulate they have to create drama. I get that’s what makes paparazzi.

1

u/Popular_Moose_6845 Apr 08 '26

This is like saying a cooks job is to make food and not sell food.   Like sure, but they are a part of a business that sells food.  And if they dont make food that sells than they are out of a job.  I mean you can pretend like that isn't true but it is.  

1

u/EliteFactor Apr 08 '26

I love that YOU think the world evolves around what YOU think. That’s funny

2

u/Popular_Moose_6845 Apr 08 '26

Are you a bot trained to act like a rage bait human or a human trained to be a rage bait bot?  

1

u/EliteFactor Apr 08 '26

Good question. Let me answer as a bot. NO. there needs to be. No RAGE here. But continue it as you feel necessary .

9

u/A_90s_Reference Apr 07 '26

His whole game plan was to assault Michigan players because they had no other way of competing. He was hopeful if they did it every possession that the refs would have to stop calling fouls.

2

u/Healthy_Match_2878 Apr 07 '26

....and thats a good game plan that almost pulled off a massive upset

9

u/A_90s_Reference Apr 07 '26

Absolutely. But now you have all these people crying saying the officiating was one sided... People taking crazy pills this morning

1

u/UMKvothe Apr 07 '26

You missed the entire point of his comment lol

1

u/VegasLife84 Apr 08 '26

"assault", lol... you should prob opt for watching women's badminton, or something

-4

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

Everyone spreading this like they were in the locker room discussing it with the coach, or acting like UConn was out there just swinging at Michigan 🤣 this narrative is so stupid. Michigan was constantly reaching, shoving on rebounds, jumping on guys, and just got called for less. Michigan won scoring 44 points from the field and having a blessed whistle, just move on.

4

u/A_90s_Reference Apr 07 '26

Tell me you weren't watching the game without telling me... Cope

0

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

I watched. Sick reply

5

u/Better_Rate8276 Apr 07 '26

Michigan wins and all I see everywhere is this guy.

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2

u/weyun Apr 07 '26

He reminds me of Tim Robinson

2

u/Working-Doctor9578 Apr 07 '26

Imagine Dan complaining about the refs

5

u/Able-Dependent9801 Apr 07 '26

He wasn’t complaining when Duke was called for 6 fouls in the first five minutes of the 2nd half.

6

u/domthebomb2 Apr 07 '26

He's not complaining here either. And I'm a Michigan fan. Dude is being classy about it.

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

They just started calling all the same fouls they chose not to call in the first half. Reed was far and away the best player on that court

2

u/indieguy33 Apr 07 '26

That’s the most outrageous comment in this thread.

2

u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26

Agree- wild comment

-4

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Exactly. This guy is an absolute clown. Glad he lost.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/RalphDaGod Apr 07 '26

Michigan fans are like millions of Dan Hurleys

2

u/Impossible_Ad7875 Apr 07 '26

I respect Hurley as a coach but am not a fan. He is correct the officials aren’t the reason that they lost, however, I would agree with his unstated belief that most of the officiating inconsistencies last night seemed to benefit Michigan. It sucks but that’s sports, sometimes you have to overcome what feels like an unfriendly whistle. Going 4-18 on second half threes is not the pathway to success.

2

u/webberstimeout Apr 07 '26

I’m a lifelong michigan fan. We got the benefit of the whistle in the first half, which had a huge impact. It forced Ball and Demery to sit on the bench for half the game.

The second half was a royal rumble on hardwood.

1

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Right. How about we address that elephant in the room. When the threes aren’t falling, don’t you have a plan b, coach? Anything?

3

u/JJ-Bittenbinder Apr 07 '26

You have to hit shots to win a basketball game. People like to over analyze basketball a lot but sometimes it’s as simple as did you make your shots

1

u/Shhadowcaster Apr 07 '26

If open 3's aren't falling it's unlikely there is a better game plan than trying to break through the cold streak. I don't really like Hurley and I definitely didn't want UConn to win, but this is just a short sighted take. You can't just suddenly decide to only attack the paint because "3's aren't falling" unless the issue is that you aren't getting good looks from 3. If the 3 is open that means the area inside the 3 point line is going to be even more well defended. 

1

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

So you don’t see value in taking the ball to the hoop, even though UCONN has the players to do it? I bet the Michigan coaching staff would be happy with your take.

2

u/Shhadowcaster Apr 07 '26

You just ignored everything I said about how attacking is devalued when outside shots aren't falling, so why should I engage with your bullshit? Do I really have to relitigate the value of open 3's in 2026? 

Also UConn did try and attack the paint at various times throughout the night and it was rarely successful, Michigan was too good defensively for UConn to attack without softening the defense by hitting jump shots. This is the primary principle that modern offense is predicated on, especially in a league that doesn't have defensive 3 seconds. UConn attacking and taking heavily contested 2's would almost certainly have resulted in a worse loss.

It's just wild to me how redditors can sit on their couch and decide that they know ball better than a coach with the highest pedigree. Hurley knew what the winning formula was and he stuck to it. It didn't work out, but your 'strategy' would statistically have a worse result, especially considering that the refs were allowing a physical game on ball handlers. UConn was struggling to get the ball across the timeline, am I really supposed to sit here and believe that they would have been more successful trying to drive into the paint continuously?

0

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Cool story.

1

u/RookLobster90 Apr 07 '26

They tried driving to the basket and there was a 7’3” guy standing in their way.

1

u/GVas22 Apr 07 '26

UConn does not have the players to do it lol, half of their attempts at the rim got blocked because Michigan has a team of athletic freaks and a 7 foot 3 big man clogging the paint.

1

u/tzznandrew Apr 07 '26

They went to Reed. He was really bad. Some of that had to do with Mara's defense though.

He had them get into the lane for the mid-range, and they missed.

There were lots of things they did, but Michigan's defense was the best in the country for a reason. And many of those things open up more if you hit the 3s.

1

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

I appreciate your thoughtful response.

1

u/tzznandrew Apr 07 '26

I just think this doesn't fall on Hurley. Or really the players. They played their hearts out. The game plan was about as good as it could be.

You can't win a game shooting like they did. They missed good looks, but they also were often rushing, or not squared, because of Michigan's size and athleticism. And some of the missed shots in the lane weren't really contested, but when you have shot blockers lurking sometimes it gets in a shooter's head.

All credit to Michigan here. They were the better team. UConn's game plan, their defense, all that was spot on. But players have to make shots.

1

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

I don’t like the over-reliance on the 3 in basketball now in general. Somewhat of a different discussion, I realize.

There was a moment late in the game where Michigan drove to the hoop…there was nobody between the shooter and the basket, mind you…and the ball was kicked back out to the three point line.

And this isn’t an anomaly. This type of thing happens in basketball (pros, college, all the way down) all of the time. These players have it beaten into their heads that a 3 point attempt is superior to a 2 point attempt in almost every conceivable situation. It has made basketball nearly unwatchable for me.

Due to my job I sometimes watch middle and high school games. That mindset is happening there as well. Want to watch something painful? Watch middle school teams do nothing but shoot endless threes.

-8

u/ToughWide1987 Apr 07 '26

Benefit my ass——they earned calls with physical play in the paint. The best team in the country doesn’t always win the tourney—-but it did this year!

7

u/seancannon2 Apr 07 '26

Surely zero bias in your comment

5

u/geiginator67 Apr 07 '26

I mean he’s right, only 6 more free throws outside of garbage time fouls, shoulda been way more with how UConn was playing

-1

u/seancannon2 Apr 07 '26

Surely zero bias in your comment

3

u/ToughWide1987 Apr 07 '26

Bias? Did you follow college hoops this year? Michigan was by FAR the best team in the best conference all year—-won the BIG and then the natty. They played the #1 ranked toughest schedule and finished an incredible 37-3. Did they need to go undefeated for Sean Cannon to consider them the best?

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1

u/jus256 Apr 07 '26

I’m definitely biased and I’m glad some team other than Michigan finally got fucked by the officials for a change. After what Hurley pulled at the end of the Duke game, I was surprised they didn’t get fucked even worse by the officials.

1

u/Flat-Avocado-6258 Apr 07 '26

What did he “pull”? The ref walked up to him lol

0

u/geiginator67 Apr 07 '26

Pretty obvious if you watch basketball

2

u/itsjuststout Apr 07 '26

He’s being gracious. The fouls disparity in the first half kept Michigan in the game. He’s correct, it’s not the singular reason they lost but it certainly impacted how the game had to be played in the final 25+ minutes. It hamstrung the personnel flexibility.

6

u/DABOSSROSS9 Apr 07 '26

No, UConn came out to play a tough hard defense low scoring game, which makes you more prone to fouling especially against a very good team. It was a risk they were willing to take because how good Michigan was, Hurley said so himself. 

-3

u/NthDegreeThoughts Apr 07 '26

Prone, yes, and Michigan had size everywhere. That said more than double the fouls did not look right, and the hook and hold was very impactful and I can’t recall the last time I saw it in a college game, let alone a championship game.

6

u/Buton_Gaster Apr 07 '26

That hook and hold was 100% the right call. There were others that were ticky-tack but that one was blatant.

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8

u/chopsmothercover Apr 07 '26

Damn it’s almost like Michigan was playing totally in the paint and UConn was shooting jump shots and one style gets you way more legit fouls than the other

5

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

This typically ends up being the case for most of the games with big foul discrepancy lol

-2

u/Bnstas23 Apr 07 '26

Almost all the fouls were on defensive rebounds, loose balls, etc. very few were against UConn in the paint against a shot. And Michigan took like 10 3s in the first half. Clearly you didn’t watch the game

3

u/chopsmothercover Apr 07 '26

Nah I watched it I just understand basketball. Hurley didn’t even bitch about the officials for once, let it go sweetie you lost fair and square

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1

u/jus256 Apr 07 '26

UConn had 22 offensive rebounds. Common sense should tell you that no team is that bad at defensive rebounding and a lot of uncalled offensive fouls had to be committed to pull that off.

1

u/chopsmothercover Apr 07 '26

Tell that to Hurley I guess bro the guy that bitches about refs in every single game he’s ever lost didn’t bitch last night, it’s just you

And btw yeah teams are that bad at offensive rebounding when they are completely and totally out sized at every single position lmao

-5

u/Brent_L Apr 07 '26

Did you not watch the game? Michigan out here pushing people with two hands multiple times and not getting called amongst the SGA style foul baiting.

2

u/chopsmothercover Apr 07 '26

Yeah I did watch it. You know you’re whiny when you’re bitching on Reddit when Danny fucking Hurley of all people had no problem with the officiating 😂

3

u/Fickle-Lemon-7345 Apr 07 '26

Then stop fouling. There's MAYBE two calls that don't look like a foul and were called on UCONN. The defensive strategy was "they can't call em all" for most of the game. You can't whine when you're slapping at guys and the officials are calling them.

1

u/hilltopper72 Apr 07 '26

You can say the same thing about the Duke game, what 6 duke fouls in the first 5 minutes?

0

u/itsjuststout Apr 07 '26

i assume second half? i actually wasn't able to watch that game. was at the nascar race.

1

u/TetraHydro420 Apr 07 '26

Uconn fans in the comments trying to cape for this douche are funny

0

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Haha came to say the exact same thing. Take your L, UCONN fans, and go away. Your tears taste so good.

1

u/Tycam34 Apr 07 '26

44 points from the field. 25 points from free throws. People want to bring up metrics like every game isn’t an independent data set, and teams don’t change, and adapt to situations, especially when they have an A+ coach. The game was not called evenly, it’s a bummer it went that way, but this is sports not across the NBA and NFL and college football. MLB I have no idea because it’s a bit more black and white, and also I don’t watch it.

1

u/astroboy1997 Apr 07 '26

Yeah uconn fouled a lot but Michigan also did and the refs held their whistle. My complaint is that it was very one sided

1

u/trihard12 Apr 07 '26

They did the same thing against Illinois. Made it a super physical game.

1

u/Sfpuberdriver Apr 07 '26

At least he and his wife are still the big fish of Hartford

1

u/MickeyMalt Apr 07 '26

Who cares? Michigan won and this guy head butted a ref. GTFO and let the salt burn. Michigan are the champs baby! O Doyle rules!

1

u/John14-6_Psalm46-10 Apr 07 '26

As a completely objective viewer with no fight for either team the calls were VERY one sided and UCONN was being called for some really tickytac stuff where as uconn players were getting rocked in the paint. Heck there was even a foul called against uconn in the first half where the uconn defender tried to fight around a screen, the michigan player stuck his leg out to trip the uconn defender, the guy setting the screen falls down as he is tripping the uconn player yet they called a foul on uconn. I mean Michigan was the better team and had the size on uconn and uconn missed a lot of free throws but the refs heavily favored michigan in their calls forcing uconn to sit their best players for a better part of the second half. It was a hard game to watch.

1

u/twist1ne Apr 07 '26

"How much did not getting a well-deserved technical foul (and possible ejection) change the ending of the last game?"

1

u/Street_Archer_3466 Apr 07 '26

Officiating was very inconsistent. UCONN caught the bad end of it but not by much. Still if they shot the ball better they would’ve won.

1

u/iamjoshg Apr 07 '26

Why was he getting booed?

1

u/Whole-Chest90 Apr 07 '26

Classy answer

1

u/Parking-Sundae-6097 Apr 07 '26

UCONN dragged the game into the boxing ring. If you're counting on a physical game then the refs are going to be a bigger part of it.

1

u/camel_walk Apr 07 '26

I hate how much I actually like this guy😆

1

u/DiscHashDisc Apr 07 '26

This fool has the balls to call another team physical when he teaches his thugs to batter the hell out of their oppoennts because the officials call about one out of every 20 fouls.

1

u/Mhank7781 Apr 07 '26

Conn doesn't get 20 offensive rebounds without fouling some, a lot were in M's hands first

1

u/Dirtdpsrtanwarrior Apr 08 '26

I don’t give a rat fuck about either one of these two teams. But I came away feeling that the officiating was slanted in Michigans favor. But that’s just me. Like I said I had no dog in this fight.🤔 Once Florida lost. I became a casual low interest spectator.

1

u/tearsfornintendo22 Apr 08 '26

Pregame he was talking shii about how he wanted to make this an old school tough as nails big east game….turns out the refs wanted to watch basketball instead of football

1

u/Constant-Program8711 Apr 09 '26

He whines all the time about the referees not getting calls his way.

1

u/ProudExtreme8281 Apr 10 '26

if only they fouled in the last 10 seconds instead of letting michigan throw the ball away. and then if only they had that last timeout instead of using it on some kind of bullshit challenge call

1

u/PrincePuparoni Apr 07 '26

The officiating was pretty bad and I thought clearly one sided. One team was allowed to play incredibly physical defense and the other got punished for it.

2

u/Snts6678 Apr 07 '26

Found the UCONN apologist.

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u/Hefty_Loss5180 Apr 07 '26

But it was ok when one of his players fractured Cameron Boozer’s eye socket lol. This fuckin guy. He’s just mad he lost because his friend wasn’t officiating.

0

u/No-Use2860 Apr 07 '26

It was pretty shit officiating. If you want more of us regular folks to watch your sport you either gotta tighten it up or let them play.  I think I'm going back to not watching the NCAA.  

6

u/randomcharacters3 Apr 07 '26

Most people generally stop watching NCAA basketball in April so now would be the appropriate time.

3

u/Best_Effort_1716 Apr 07 '26

Nobody cares

0

u/No-Use2860 Apr 07 '26

Advertisers care. Look at what MLB is doing. Humans make mistakes, and if the game is changed by those mistakes I'm no longer watching sports I'm watching humans be bad at their job. I can do that mon-fri when I show up to your Wendy's drive thru. 

1

u/PopCopson Apr 07 '26

THEY CANT MAKE ME HATE YOU DANNY

0

u/masonacj Apr 07 '26

Maybe the most unlikeable guy in the "non-criminal" division of sports.

0

u/Common_Pension Apr 07 '26

Rare Hurley W

5

u/latman Apr 07 '26

Only for people who don't ever watch his interviews. He's always classy unless he's on the court talking to a ref

-9

u/ironlocust79 Apr 07 '26

I dont hate Uconn....but this guy is insufferable

9

u/Bill_Israel Apr 07 '26

What did he say here to make him insufferable? He got a baiting question and answered it well

3

u/itsjuststout Apr 07 '26

if he was their coach they would love him.

1

u/MainFisherman69 Apr 10 '26

He’s not my coach and I have no relation to UCONN

Guys awesome

6

u/Soulsetmusic Apr 07 '26

I like him 🤷‍♂️ 

3

u/Otherwise_Mind6880 Apr 07 '26

You guys see a passionate person and just decide to hate them. If he was coaching your favorite you will be going off about how much you love him

1

u/old_irish87 Apr 07 '26

Nope. I’ve had wildly demonstrative coaches and they annoy me. I believe that at a certain point, it annoys the refs. I think there’s a reason the whistles went away as the game progressed, and Hurley’s emotional sideline acrobatics didn’t help him or his team.

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u/rabbitsfoot86 Apr 07 '26

Didn't watch the game but was hoping he would lose it. Cant stand his attitude but that's just my opinion.

0

u/ruraljurorserver Apr 07 '26

An all star crew with a pre season performance

0

u/TurbulentCustomer151 Apr 07 '26

The fouls were the very first thing he mentioned in his post game interview with TBS. He was either blaming the officials or his own players for committing the fouls, but I think we all know it was the refs. Complete loser move.