University of Connecticut‘s Maui Invitational has taken a disappointing turn. The two-time defending champions, led by coach Dan Hurley, have suffered back-to-back losses in heartbreaking fashion, after being beaten by 73-72 on Tuesday against Colorado.
Monday’s overtime loss to Memphis was marred by a controversial over-the-back call. The match against Colorado was equally frustrating, as a potential foul on UConn’s Liam McNeeley went uncalled, allowing Colorado to take the lead and secure the victory.
Hurley expressed his frustration with the officiating, noting the irony of the two similar plays being called differently. “Yesterday, the biggest play of the game was an over-the-back that was called against us,” Hurley said to reporters after UConn’s game Tuesday.
“And then today, it was more egregious because Baskin pulled Liam’s arm down, I saw the replay of it. It’s obviously ironic. But that’s not why I think we lost. Our defense has been just, so dreadful,” he explained.
COLORADO UPSETS NO. 2 UCONN IN A THRILLER‼️ The Huskies are just the second AP top-2 team in history to lose to unranked opponents on consecutive days 😳
While also adding that there has been “a tough two days” for the Huskies, he expressed optimism: “But it’s early, and we’re going to have a lot of chances to get these ones that we’ve given away. We got a lot of chances to get these back.”
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What ‘s up next for UConn?
Colorado will play the Iowa-Dayton winner in the fifth-place game Wednesday. UConn will play the loser of that matchup in the seventh-place game. And what is the mindset from the team?
“It’s difficult being in this position,” said Ball, a sophomore. “But as a team, we’ve just got to be able to lift each other up and move on to the next game, because we have a long season to go. Of course it’s two tough losses, but it’s about how we recover from these and get better,” he explained to CT Insider.
