Seth Greenberg criticizes Dan Hurley for explosive late technical in upset loss to Memphis

In an instant Maui Invitational classic, Memphis took down UConn by two in overtime. The difference in the game came down to a technical foul called on Huskies head coach Dan Hurley. Memphis got two free throws with under a minute remaining, making them, and starting the tournament off with a win.

Hurley was upset against a foul call against Liam McNeeley, getting an over-the-back while competing for a rebound. The game was tied at 92 at the time but Memphis’ PJ Carter sunk four straight free throws — two for the McNeeley foul, two for Hurley’s technical — to make it a two-possession game.

Directly following the game, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg criticized Hurley for getting T’d up by the officials. While he admits the McNeeley foul could have gone either way, Greenberg believes Hurley cost his team.

“He’s a brilliant coach, he’s a savant,” Greenberg said. “He’s an incredible teacher, he loves his players, he’s passionate about the game. You cannot get that T in that moment in time. You cannot interject yourself into the game. Was that a foul? I don’t know if that’s a foul right there…

“That’s a 50/50 ball, maybe you don’t call that but they did call it. When they do call that, you got to get to the next play. Unfortunately for UConn, he overreacted.”

Following the game, Hurley doubled down on how bad he thought the call was. He did not seem too distributed about getting the technical foul getting called on him either.

“That over-the-back call, at that point of the game, there was no attempt to block out. There was a player on Memphis that made a half-ass effort to rebound that basketball and Liam McNeeley high-pointed the rebound. For that call to be made was a complete joke… How you can call that while that game was going is just beyond me.”

Hurley always has worked the officials, no matter the scenario. Greenberg is just asking to take it down a notch or two, especially in crunch time.

Had there been no technical foul shot, UConn could have extended the game or maybe escaped with a win in overtime. Instead, the first loss of the season is now on the Huskies’ record.