The Big East Conference issued a $25,000 fine to University of Connecticut basketball coach Dan Hurley following his ejection during Saturday’s surprising defeat against Marquette. The incident occurred in the closing moments of the game when Hurley received two technical fouls for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The fourth-ranked Huskies (27-4, 17-3 Big East) suffered a stunning 68-62 defeat to the Golden Eagles (12-19, 7-13) in Milwaukee, with Hurley’s departure coming after he disputed what he believed was an uncalled foul.
The controversy began with Marquette ahead 64-62 when UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. took a challenged shot in the lane against defender Ben Gold. After officials didn’t call a foul, Hurley approached referee John Gaffney and loudly argued that Demary had been fouled.
Television broadcasters suggested during the game that Hurley may have made physical contact with Gaffney, which could have led to his removal. However, Hurley denied this claim, and the conference later released a statement noting that “a review by the conference office of the officials’ game report and available game footage could not confirm physical contact.”
“You could screenshot whatever you want to screenshot,” Hurley said. “I don’t feel like I made any contact with John. I don’t believe I did.”
The conference’s statement did acknowledge that Hurley “failed to leave the court in a timely manner” following his ejection.
“We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition, and inappropriate interactions with our officials will not be tolerated,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement on Saturday night.
Following Demary’s missed shot, Marquette’s Chase Ross grabbed the rebound and was fouled. With one second remaining, Ross went to the free-throw line and converted four of six attempts (including four shots for the two technical fouls) to secure the 68-62 victory.
Saturday’s loss prevented UConn from sharing the Big East regular-season championship with No. 18 St. John’s (25-6, 18-2). The Red Storm had already secured the conference tournament’s top seed, with the tournament beginning Wednesday in New York.
As the No. 2 seed, the Huskies will meet the winner of the matchup between seventh-seeded Marquette and 10th-seeded Xavier in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
