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UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley celebrated with his team after advancing to the national championship with a victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday.
But not everyone in the Indianapolis crowd was excited to see Hurley get back to the title game for the third time in four years.
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UConn head coach Dan Hurley stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game against Illinois at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
Hurley was getting ready to speak to CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. When freshman Braylon Mullins wrapped up his talk, Hurley headbutted the player appearing to call back to his interaction with a referee immediately after the win over the Duke Blue Devils.
The crowd booed Hurley as he stepped up to the mic.
“The start to the game and the finish to the game,” Hurley began to say about Mullins with the boos being picked up on the CBS broadcast. “I don’t know what … are they booing? The headbutt? I don’t know what they’re booing.”
Hurley’s intensity has drawn criticism and praise from college basketball fans. Since he took over the UConn job from Kevin Ollie before the 2018-19 season, he’s helped the Huskies regain national prominence.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a call during the second half of an NCAA tournament semifinal game against Illinois at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
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He’s only had one losing season with the Huskies – his first year in which they went 16-17. It was a two-year improvement for the school that was hit with sanctions for the last two years of Ollie’s tenure.
Now, he’s doing something that no coach has done in a very long time – getting back to the national title game quickly. Roy Williams got back to the national final in two straight years with the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2016 and 2017. Brad Stevens led the Butler Bulldogs to back-to-back appearances in 2010 and 2011. Billy Donovan won two-in-a-row in 2006 and 2007.
The last coach to have three appearances in four years was Mike Krzyzewski with Duke, but he went to three straight from 1990 to 1992. He won two of those titles in 1991 and 1992.
UConn’s Braylon Mullins and head coach Dan Hurley celebrate after defeating Illinois in the NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
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UConn will look to hoist the trophy again on Monday night against the Michigan Wolverines.
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