grant hill was in the middle of Dan Hurley’s postgame moment at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night when a wave of boos rolled through the building after UConn’s 71-62 win over Illinois. Hurley looked around and said, "Are they booing … I don’t know what they’re booing" as Tracy Wolfson interviewed him on the court.
The boos came after UConn had secured its spot in a third National Championship Game in four seasons, and they landed in a crowd that had leaned heavily toward Illinois during the first Final Four game in Indianapolis. Illinois was in its first Final Four since 2005, and Champaign is roughly a two-hour drive from Indianapolis, which helped explain the atmosphere around UConn’s win.
Hurley had already signaled on Friday that he did not intend to frame himself as a target. He said, "I’m not a victim," added, "I’ve done everything," and told, "We don’t allow victims in our program, and I’m not a 53-year-old man sitting up here like I’m some victim." He also said, "I don't want to waste a lot of time with it because it takes away from the team."
The Final Four reaction also fit Hurley’s established game-night style, which has drawn criticism before. He frequently screams at officials or players, steps on the court, and stays visibly animated, and he had repeatedly stepped onto the court during UConn’s win over Illinois.
That scrutiny was already in view after Hurley went head-to-head with referee Roger Ayres during UConn’s Elite Eight win over Duke and did not receive a technical foul. Hurley also described the way he approaches the game as "a battle," saying, "the way I view what we're going into, in the game, when some people, again, view it as a game, just my family, how I was raised in the sport, where I'm from in Jersey, we look at it more like a battle."
Hurley joked Saturday night that he had a negative influence on Geno Auriemma, then quickly shifted to praise him. "Obviously, I’ve had a negative influence on Geno," he said, before adding, "And it’s crazy, because Geno’s helped me so much … And if anyone should get the benefit of the doubt, in a world of sports, it’s Geno Auriemma. Because he’s one of the most authentic, genuine, great people you’ll ever meet in your life."
For UConn, the immediate next step is the national title game that follows this run through Indianapolis; for Hurley, the louder question inside Lucas Oil Stadium was whether the crowd was reacting to Illinois support, his sideline style, or both.