Zach Edey, Dan Hurley exchange words over screen set in national championship

Unsurprisingly, emotions are high in Phoenix during the national championship game. Purdue and UConn have been working toward a national championship all season and the moment has finally arrived. Both sidelines desperately want to win and are attempting to get an advantage they can.

Dan Hurley is as intense as ever and is in the ear of the official. Specifically over a screen Zach Edey set at the top of the key, with Hurley thinking it should have gone the other way. The officials let it go and play continued on the court.

But when a timeout was called, Hurley and Edey had words for each other over the moment. Hurley was pointing something out to Edey, with the Purdue star chirping back on his way back to the bench. Not too often do you see a coach and an opposing player get into it.

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You can check out the full moment here.

CBS’ Ian Eagle asked Gene Steratore his opinion of the play, saying it’s a clean screen from Edey. He did reminisce on his officiating days though, talking about Hurley’s love to work the officials in a big way.

“It’s a good screen,” Steratore said. “My heart is getting warm watching Dan act the way he is. It’s bringing back memories.

Dan Hurley discusses UConn’s early defense on Zach Edey

Edey scored 11 of Purdue’s first 18 points during the first half of the national championship game against UConn.

Hurley revealed the key to slowing the 7-foot-4 Boilermaker down in the paint.

“He’s a tough cover. We’re gonna have to mix it up a lot more,” Hurley said after the second media timeout. “We got to force him off his spot a little bit. We’ve got to dig more, we’ve got to trap more. What we’re doing right now is not sustainable.”

Physicality has been the name of the game on both sides of the court Monday night. Physical screens, hard fouls, and more littered the first half. At one point during a timeout that took place after the interview, Hurley went out to the middle of the court to tell the officials and Edey his thoughts on the play.

For the most part, the officiating crew has let Purdue and UConn play. Whether this continues to be the case remains to be seen. 

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report