Dan Hurley is one of three men in the past half-century to lead his school to back-to-back national titles. He has developed multiple NBA lottery picks. He has been named the national coach of the year. He has won everywhere he’s gone (St. Benedict’s Prep, Wagner, Rhode Island, UConn).
Now, he has done it all.
No. 3 UConn finally ended a puzzling four-game road losing streak in Newark on Tuesday night by sweating out a 69-64 win over No. 25 Seton Hall at the Prudential Center, in which the national title contender nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead, but ultimately overcame an incredible defensive effort from the frisky upstart to produce Hurley’s first true road win in his own backyard.
The Huskies (17-1, 7-0), who have won 13 straight and are off to their best start in the Big East in 27 years, had most recently beaten the Pirates (14-3, 4-2) in New Jersey in 2021 in front of a COVID-limited crowd of less than 2,000 fans, when Hurley — the Seton Hall alum who began his head coaching career a few blocks away at St. Benedict’s — wore a mask and Shaheen Holloway was still at Saint Peter’s. The Huskies’ previous win in front of a full crowd in Newark came in 2013.
UConn was led by Tarris Reed Jr.’s 21 points and nine rebounds, while senior Alex Karaban helped cross the win off his “checklist,” adding 13 points and five rebounds.
The Pirates — who were picked to finish last in the Big East, but earned their first AP poll ranking in four years this week — relied on blue-collar effort to punch up against Hurley’s blue-chippers, recording four blocks in the first four minutes, applying 94 feet of pressure and playing each possession as if oxygen was at stake.
The matchup — the first in a quarter century in which both teams were ranked — had the vibes of a battle that felt more like March than a mid-January game, of a growing rivalry that makes little sense on paper, but has been validated by scoreboards that reward toughness as much as talent.
Through 14 minutes, the teams traded leads eight times and were tied five times, with the Pirates holding a 20-19 lead. Then, the back-and-forth brawl turned into Tyson vs. Spinks. The Huskies ended the half on a 16-2 run, while hammering the Hall on the offensive glass, with Reed Jr. nearly matching his scoring average with 12 first-half points.
The Pirates, who came into the game with a top seven defense, but the 193rd-ranked field goal percentage (44.1), were held without a field goal in the final seven minutes of the first half, which ended without the team hitting a 3, while registering more missed free throws (five) than makes.
Seton Hall was still without a made 3 through 13 attempts — and more than 39 minutes of gameplay — but Holloway’s unrelenting defense enabled the Pirates to fight back, cutting an 18-point second-half deficit to six on multiple occasions.
The crowd repeatedly erupted like it was the Big East Tournament semis, rising to their feet, and remaining there, having seen their team win its past three games despite facing double-digit deficits in each contest.
After forcing UConn into back-to-back turnovers, the Pirates cut the deficit to 62-60 with 2:18 remaining. With 48 seconds left, Mike Williams hit the first Pirates 3-pointer of the game to cut the Huskies lead to one.
Following a pair of free throws from Silas Demary Jr. with 29 seconds left, Seton Hall had a chance to tie the game, but Williams’ 3-pointer was blocked by Braylon Mullins, and Trey Parker’s putback attempt hit iron, giving UConn back control.
