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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 thrilled to see Hurley return 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 preparing to speak to CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson. When freshman Braylon Mullins finished his speech, Hurley head-butted the player, appearing to recall his interaction with a referee immediately after the win against the Duke Blue Devils.
The crowd booed Hurley as he approached the microphone.
“The beginning and the end of the game,” Hurley began saying of Mullins, the boos being captured 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 taking over for UConn from Kevin Ollie before the 2018-19 season, he has helped the Huskies return to national prominence.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a call during the second half of an NCAA tournament semifinal game against Illinois during the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
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He only had one losing season with the Huskies – his first year in which they went 16-17. This is a two-year improvement for the school which was hit by sanctions during the last two years of Ollie’s tenure.
Now he’s doing something no coach has done in a long time: getting back to the national title game quickly. Roy Williams returned to the National Finals in back-to-back 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 had back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007.
The last coach to make three appearances in four years was Mike Krzyzewski with Duke, but he made it three in a row 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 semifinal game of the NCAA college basketball tournament at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
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UConn will try to hoist the trophy again Monday night against the Michigan Wolverines.
